The Germany-headquartered manufacturer of white-label color cosmetics and supplier to many of the world’s most recognized beauty brands is set to open its North Asia Innovation Hub in Seoul, South Korea, in January 2027.
According to Schwan Cosmetics, the new R&D site will connect Korea’s advances in skincare, active ingredients, and longevity with the group’s formulation expertise and global production network. With this new investment, Schwan Cosmetics aims to give brands faster access to color cosmetics with skincare benefits.
“The hub strengthens our role as an innovation partner and gives our customers more innovation power and faster speed-to-market, for concepts with genuine global potential,” says Dr. Alexander Doll, Head of R&D at Schwan Cosmetics.
Skinification of makeup
Schwan Cosmetics highlights that consumers increasingly expect makeup to work like skincare. According to the German manufacturer, Korea is where many of these hybrid concepts emerge first. “For international brands, the challenge is no longer just spotting these developments, but turning them into successful products,” the group says.
Working closely with Schwan Cosmetics’ international teams, the hub will be responsible to identify relevant skincare, ingredient, and beauty technology developments early, through regional market insights and collaboration with local customers, suppliers, and innovation partners.
“Our team in Seoul will work directly with local partners to bring relevant developments into our global network faster,” says Leroy Lee, Regional President Asia at Schwan Cosmetics. “This strengthens our innovation pipeline and creates new business opportunities for our customers around the world.”
