New K-craze in beauty has to do with a Cushion

A Korean innovation, inspired by sunscreen and stamps, has changed the way women use make-up.

No matter how good a skincare or cosmetic product is, most of it often fades or disappears from your skin as the day goes by.

So, what does a woman do when it’s time for her to meet her date, catch up with friends or be in front of the camera? She takes out her compact powder to touch up her make-up.

A Korean company has decided to not only make a woman’s life easier, it came up with a product called the Cushion that would make it a breeze to have that flawless look, plus reapply sunscreen throughout the day.

According to a 2013 survey by the Korea Tourism Organisation, more than 50% of foreign visitors to South Korea have purchased Korean cosmetic products and the “Cushion” was recognised as one of the key items that put Korean cosmetic trends at the forefront.

Kyung-ho Choi, of Amorepacific R&D Centre, says the idea for Cushions came about as many women were finding it very inconvenient to reapply sunscreen every few hours.

Korean beauty giant Amorepacific – which carries brands such as Laneige, Sulwhasoo, Etude House and Innisfree – began its research and development for the Cushion in January 2007. It conducted over 3,600 tests using 200 different types of sponges, ranging from latex used in beddings to those used as bath sponges. From these trials, the company introduced the “Iope Air Cushion” in March 2008.

What exactly is a Cushion? Cushion refers to a make-up compact built with a specially designed urethane foam that safely contains and preserves make-up liquid comprising a foundation, sunscreen and skincare formula.

So, in essence, women can touch up their make-up easily with just one compact. From one mighty sponge, they would be applying powder, sunscreen and skincare with just one action!

According to Kyung-ho Choi, manager for Makeup Research Team 2 with Amorepacific R&D Centre, the idea for Cushions came about because many women found it inconvenient to reapply sunscreen every few hours, and when they did touch ups, their make-up would smudge. Tubes or pump-type sunscreen products were troublesome to carry around.

“The company came up with a lightweight and sweat-resistant liquid formula contained within a special sponge, thus creating a new make-up category, the Cushion,” says Choi in a press statement.

For the “Cell-Trap Technology” employed in the Cushion, they looked at stamps which make an even impression on paper and had ink that didn’t run. And they thought this simple technique that controlled fluidity would also work for cosmetics.

“After many trials, we found a technique to impregnate low viscosity sunscreen into a specially designed sponge made of urethane foam, and this resulted in the Cell-Trap Technology which all Amorepacific Cushion brands are based on,” he adds.

“The Cushion’s greatest strength is that it allows lightweight formulas to be applied on skin, providing a more natural coverage. We have managed to safely contain liquid make-up that mixes not only sun protection and foundation, but also skin-enhancing formulas,” Choi says.

According to a study conducted by TNS Korea, a global research firm, the “Cushion” has changed the make-up routine of Korean women by reducing steps and time needed.

Seventy six percent of Korean female consumers revealed that they now found reapplying make-up and sunscreen with Cushions much easier, and 55% of women responded that their sole base make-up product was the Cushion.

The survey showed that eight out of 10 most-favoured Cushion brands were from Amorepacific, including Iope and Laneige.

Since then Amorepacific has launched numerous Cushion products with different functional benefits through its brands, such as the Laneige BB Cushion, Sulwhasoo Evenfair Perfecting Cushion, Innisfree Mineral Melting BB Cushion, and Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion.

By continuously improving the technology and quality of its Cushion products, this product alone has undergone more than 15 upgrades since the first launch.

Amorepacific has also filed for 114 patent applications and registered 13 patents in South Korea, Asian Beauty Creator China, Japan, United States and Europe.

The sales of Iope Air Cushion netted the company KRW3.8bil (RM12mil) in the first year it was launched and in 2014 alone, the sales has surpassed this figure at a whopping KRW200bil (RM666mil), making it one of the best-selling items in the Korean cosmetic market.

Not bad for a mere sponge!