爱敬产业与东星制药拟同复旦长三角研究院开展AI皮肤美容研发合作

Aekyung Industrial and Dongsung Pharmaceutical are teaming up with the Yangtze River Delta Institute of Fudan University in China to pursue artificial intelligence (AI)-based dermatological research and expand their global beauty business. The strategy is to broaden the scope of cooperation for entering the Chinese market, extending beyond joint research to building production facilities and establishing a joint venture.
Aekyung Industrial and Dongsung Pharmaceutical said on the 28th that they had signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Fudan University's Yangtze River Delta Institute for cooperation in dermatology and beauty research and development (R&D).
Through the agreement, the three organizations will establish a long-term cooperation framework in the fields of dermatology, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals and healthcare, and share research capabilities, clinical networks, and product development experience. They will also jointly pursue ways to connect joint research outcomes to technology commercialization.
Areas of cooperation include joint research on skin, scalp, and hair science, as well as research on skin characteristics by country, region, and ethnicity, the development of new ingredients and materials, formulation and delivery technologies, and clinical trials and efficacy and safety evaluations. In particular, they plan to build an AI-based skin and scalp database (DB) and analysis platform to enhance research competitiveness, and to jointly develop technologies in the fields of hair loss and hair coloring.
They will also pursue patent applications and technology transfer of research outcomes, along with licensing cooperation for entry into the Chinese and global markets. In addition to joint research and development, they have decided to review the possibility of building production facilities, establishing a joint venture (JV), and investment projects. Detailed roles, cost-sharing, intellectual property (IP), and commercialization terms will be specified through separate contracts in the future.
Taekwang Group will also support the project by helping to identify cooperation opportunities and review the business structure. The parties are considering ways to expand the scope of cooperation to include group affiliates as well as domestic and international universities, hospitals, and research institutions. They also plan to discuss forming a Korea-China joint steering committee and a working-level council to enhance the continuity and execution of the cooperation.
Aekyung Industrial holds beauty and household goods brands including AGE20's, Kerasys, and 2080, while Dongsung Pharmaceutical holds hair loss treatment products such as Seven Eight hair dye and Dongsung Minoxidil. The company expects the agreement to combine the Yangtze River Delta Institute's industry-academia-research capabilities with the two companies' product development experience to enhance global market competitiveness.
Kim Sang-jun, CEO of Aekyung Industrial, said, "It is highly significant that we have established a foundation for long-term research cooperation with Fudan University's Yangtze River Delta Institute." He added, "Through various joint research efforts such as AI-based skin and scalp data analysis and the development of new ingredients and formulations, we will secure differentiated product competitiveness."