 Dr. Kim Sam has developed a vitamin C serum, which is being marketed by a major drug firm. Kim says his product is effective in delaying the appearance of wrinkles. / Courtesy of Sam’s Bio |
Vitamin C is not just good for keeping a cold away, but it is also effective in keeping one’s skin wrinkle-free.
Taking lots of vitamin C pills or drinking orange juice may help, but the most effective way to erase wrinkles and fine lines is to apply skin care products with a high concentration of vitamin C.
Biotechnology cosmetics company Sam’s Bio is becoming known for its Avecena, Vitatera and VaViC line of products that all contain varying concentrations of pure vitamin C.
Kim Sam, CEO of Sam’s Bio, has developed a technology that produces a topical and stable vitamin C product that can be used for the skin.
``As people get older, these days people need to take better care of their health, especially their skin. In medicine, there may be technologies that can allow organ transplants, but when it comes to skin, there’s no way to have the entire skin replaced. It’s very important to take good care of one’s skin,’’ Kim told The Korea Times, at his office in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, last week.
Kim graduated top of his class from medical school at Kyung Hee University, specializing in plastic surgery and has a doctoral degree in biochemistry. He established Sam’s Bio, a biotechnology cosmetics research and development company, in 2000 with the corporate philosophy ``beauty and health for all.”
``I became very interested in vitamin C and its effects on one’s health and skin. But it was very hard to process vitamin C, so I created a technology that stabilized it in oil and water. The active vitamin C can penetrate the deep layers of skin, with anti-oxidation effect, whitening and restoring skin elasticity,’’ he said.
Kim holds the patents for vitamin stabilization technology, including a double-coating technology for pure vitamin C and long-term preservation for vitamin C and A at room temperature.
According to the company, vitamin C is proven to be an excellent ingredient for helping restore skin that has been damaged by pollution or aging. Vitamin C is 10 to 20 times more effective when applied directly on the skin, as opposed to ingesting vitamin C tablets.
Sam’s Bio has different product lines, such as the high-end Avecena, Vitatera Pure C Serum and VaViC, which distributed by Ildong Pharmaceuticals in Korea.
VitaTera, which uses 100 percent pure vitamin C, is usually recommended by doctors and only sold at hospitals. VitaTera Active Pure C Serum is reputedly the first product that included pure stabilized vitamin C in an oil and water-based solution.
According to Sam’s Bio, VitaTera functions as an anti-oxidant by protecting the skin from harmful UV rays and free radicals that hasten the skin’s aging process. VitaTera also helps skin retain its elasticity and keep it white and clear.
VitaTera is recommended for anyone who wants clear and brighter skin, has skin pigmentation problems, has cosmetic surgery like peeling or wrinkle-filler, and needs extra UV protection.
Kim said an expanded line of VitaTera products such as a cleansing gel, serum, moisturizer, sunscreen and BB cream will be available in March.
Another product VaViC Pure Serum has a lower concentration of vitamin C, and is available at most pharmacies.
Sam’s Bio products are now being distributed in the U.S., Australia, Indonesia and Philippines, among others. Hallyu or the Korean wave is expected to help Korean companies like Sam’s Bio expand further in the Asian market.
“At the moment we are getting ready to enter other markets like Thailand and Vietnam,” Kim said. “There’s a lot of interest in hallyu in Asian countries, and the Korean stars are admired for their beautiful skin. Hallyu is helping Korean cosmetics companies a lot.”
Aside from its own branded products, Sam’s Bio is also an ODM (original design manufacturer) that develops cosmetic products for overseas companies. For instance, it makes the Loitem Pure C Mask that is distributed in Columbia, Mexico and Peru.
``We would like to create a new prestige brand name and culture in biotechnology cosmetics,” Kim said.
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