Every AROMATICA product starts at the same place: our R&D center. From skincare to hair care to body care, one person oversees the entire product development process — balancing the difficult act of clean beauty with real efficacy, every single day. That's Baek Woon-gi, Director of AROMATICA's R&D Center. Guided by his philosophy of "a life of constant learning, growth, and sharing," Director Baek thinks beyond simply formulating with good ingredients — he focuses on how consumers can genuinely feel the results. We sat down with him to talk about AROMATICA R&D's philosophy and research.
Q. Hello! Could you start with your role and a brief introduction?
Hello, I'm Baek Woon-gi, Director of AROMATICA's R&D Center. I'm a researcher and wellness mentor guided by the principle of "constant learning, growth, and sharing." Inside the lab, I research how to build better cosmetics; outside the lab, I share ideas on healthy living and wellness through lectures and writing.
I'm someone who genuinely enjoys learning new things and taking on challenges. As I developed products and saw firsthand how consumers responded, I kept asking myself questions like, "Why does this ingredient work so well?" and "How could we make an even better product?" — and I've always enjoyed the process of chasing down those answers.
I don't see cosmetics as simple products. They're an experience that changes a person's skin, daily life, and quality of life. That's why, even when researching a single ingredient, I try to consider efficacy alongside sustainability and the user's actual experience.
The most meaningful, rewarding moments for me are developing a new product and watching it earn people's genuine, lasting affection. I don't think research is something done by people who already have the answers — it's a process of constantly asking questions, testing them, and building new possibilities.
Q. What led you to AROMATICA after your previous career experience?
At my previous company (LG Household & Health Care), I worked mainly on Han-bang (traditional Korean herbal) cosmetics and dermocosmetics, which let me experience a wide range of product development and research systems. Through that, I grew a great deal as a researcher — not just in product development, but in research processes and ways of collaborating.
But rather than staying in one field, I wanted to become a researcher who experienced beauty care more broadly. Han-bang, natural/clean beauty, and dermocosmetics each carry their own philosophy and technical approach, but I came to believe they all ultimately point toward the same goal: making people's skin and lives healthier. I wanted to experience these different fields directly and grow into a researcher with a wider perspective.
That's how I found AROMATICA. It's a brand that has consistently practiced sustainability and natural-origin ingredients as its core philosophy, while also advancing clean beauty and dermatological science together. I connected deeply with that philosophy, and felt this was a place where I could add new value and possibility to everything I'd built up to that point.
For me, joining AROMATICA wasn't simply changing companies — it was a new starting point for learning and taking on the wider possibilities of beauty care.
Q. What does the R&D Center handle, and what do you personally oversee?
Our R&D Center covers the entire product development process for skincare, hair care, and body care — from initial planning through formula development, efficacy testing, and ingredient research. I set the direction and R&D strategy for the center, and oversee everything from product development to sourcing new ingredients, joint research with outside institutions, patents and technology development, and training our researchers.
I believe a good product isn't the result of a good formula alone — it comes from a strong research culture and real collaboration. So developing our people is just as important a part of the role. Through all of this, my ultimate goal is to create positive change in people's lives through research.
Q. What's the atmosphere like at the Osan R&D Center, and how do you collaborate with your team?
The Osan R&D Center has an open atmosphere where people share opinions freely and work through solutions together. I believe good ideas come from curiosity, not job title, so we place real value on a culture where anyone can speak up comfortably. We respect the process of learning through different attempts rather than fearing failure, and everyone recognizes each other's expertise — which lets the whole team grow naturally. AROMATICA is a company that values people and sustainability, and our R&D Center moves in that same direction. We have a genuinely strong culture of respecting and caring for one another regardless of title, and I feel grateful working within it every day.
In terms of how we collaborate, I see the R&D Center as an organization where team synergy matters more than any individual's ability. While we respect each researcher's expertise, we make important decisions together and try to share opinions actively. In particular, we place real importance on turning the experience and know-how built up within the center into shared knowledge, rather than letting it stay locked in any one person's head. We document and share our research results and trial-and-error together, building it into a research asset anyone on the team can use. I believe the R&D Center should be both a place where we make products and a place where researchers learn and grow together.
Q. What has having your own in-house lab made possible, and what are you most proud of in developing products yourselves?
Having our own R&D Center means we can research by our own standards. Rather than following what's already on the market, we can design a product from start to finish according to what AROMATICA values most: sustainability, vegan formulation, natural-origin ingredients, and real skin efficacy.
In particular, when selecting even a single ingredient, we consider its origin, how it's produced, and its sustainability — and we shape texture, scent, and sensory feel into a single complete experience. That's only possible because we have our own lab. Every time I see consumers respond positively after a product launches, I feel real fulfillment knowing our research is genuinely helping people in their daily lives.
Q. Could you share a representative example of your ingredient research?
One good example is our joint research with the Jeollanam-do Forest Research Institute. AROMATICA signed an MOU with the institute and has been continuously co-researching K-herb materials sourced from native Korean plants. Through that work, we identified an excellent plant material — Saengdal tree (Cinnamomum yabunikkei) — and, in researching its properties, confirmed its potential as an ingredient suited for feminine wash products.
Based on those findings, we applied Saengdal tree's characteristics and skin benefits to develop a new product Comfort Moisture Feminine Wash Rose & Geranium 200ml. Connecting the value of a native Korean plant resource to an actual product, in partnership with a research institute, made this a genuinely meaningful project.
Q. AROMATICA aims for clean beauty while also delivering real functional efficacy. How does the R&D Center bring these two together?
The biggest shift I made after joining AROMATICA was treating clean beauty and functional efficacy not as two separate tracks, but as one integrated research system. Using natural-origin ingredients is still AROMATICA's root, and always will be — but I believe clean beauty only becomes sustainable when consumers can actually feel a real difference in their skin and scalp. So we changed the order of our research process too. Instead of picking a trending ingredient first and building a story around it, we start by establishing the standards AROMATICA has always held, then find ways to raise efficacy within those standards. Research that starts with constraints is harder, but the resulting product has a much clearer identity.
Clean beauty and functional efficacy are often assumed to be in conflict, but I don't see it that way. Today's consumers expect both a clean ingredient list and clear results. The key to closing that gap is delivery. Putting a good ingredient into a formula and reliably delivering that ingredient to the skin in an effective concentration are two completely different challenges — but advances in formulation technology and ingredient science now let us deliver an effective concentration to the target area even with gentle, low-irritation ingredients. So our research puts as much weight on "how do we deliver it" as on "what do we put in." Ultimately, our core mission at the R&D Center is finding the point where we don't compromise on a single clean standard, while still making sure consumers can clearly feel the results.
Q. What research is currently underway?
Our research runs along three main tracks.
First is ingredients. We prioritize plant-derived materials that are cultivated and sourced sustainably, and from the earliest research stage we look beyond efficacy data alone — examining where and how an ingredient is grown, and how its supply chain affects the environment and local communities.
Second is aromatherapy. As AROMATICA's root and point of difference, we're not just working in the realm of scent — we aim to scientifically understand the compositional properties of essential oils and stably formulate them, working toward a broader, more accessible everyday aromatherapy that more people can enjoy.
Third is verification and sensory experience. We scientifically confirm that a formula actually delivers results for skin and scalp, while also improving the moment-to-moment experience of using the product. No matter how good an ingredient is, if the texture and feel aren't right, people won't keep using it — and if they don't keep using it, the efficacy doesn't matter. So we always design efficacy and sensory experience together.
Q. Are there any new areas the R&D Center is looking to explore going forward?
Going forward, we want to dig deeper into areas where we already have real strength. One is hair and scalp care. We're continuing research that treats the scalp not simply as the place hair grows, but as skin in its own right — applying the same level of scientific rigor used in facial skincare, and elevating scalp care from a cleansing-focused routine into a "nurturing" routine, closer to serums and ampoules.
The other is expanding our view of wellness. We want to extend our research across three layers: "wellness on the skin," where the sensory experience of application leads to psychological relaxation; "wellness of the skin itself," helping skin restore and maintain its natural barrier and balance; and "wellness beyond the skin," viewing beauty through the wider lens of balance inside and outside the body — connecting sensory experience to skin health to the body's overall balance.
My ultimate goal is for all of this research to build AROMATICA's R&D Center into more than a product-development organization — into a research platform that shapes the brand's future. That means continuing to advance sustainable ingredient research and distinctive formulation technology, and expanding collaboration with research institutions at home and abroad to build globally competitive research capability. Above all, I want to build a research culture where our researchers can grow and take genuine pride in their work. I intend to keep learning, growing, and sharing alongside the R&D Center as we develop together.
Q. Finally, is there anything you'd like to say to aspiring researchers or anyone interested in AROMATICA's R&D Center?
I believe a good researcher isn't someone who knows everything — it's someone who never stops learning. New technologies and ingredients keep emerging, but in the end, what matters most is curiosity and a genuine drive to solve problems. AROMATICA's R&D Center is looking for people who want to build new possibilities together, grounded in sustainability and natural-origin materials. If you want to research more than just a single product — if you want to research a better lifestyle — I think this is a place where you can grow and genuinely enjoy the work.
To me, research isn't simply about finding new ingredients or technologies. I think of research as finding ways to make people's everyday lives a little healthier. A great cosmetic product isn't complete through ingredients alone — it's only when a researcher's mindset and a brand's philosophy come together that a product becomes something consumers remember for a long time. I'll keep researching so AROMATICA can keep growing as a brand that connects people, nature, and sustainable value. I'm genuinely excited to welcome anyone ready to take on that journey with us.