Signal in the noise: The K-beauty boom

Numbers in patenting activity are deceiving and may not reflect significant advantages in cosmetology or any other science or technology. As a chemist with familiarity with IP submissions, most patents are incremental often ineffective improvements of existing art....with most winding up on the ash heap of expired patents when steep maintenance fees rise before patent expiration of useless patents. All it takes is willingness of a company to commit to some lab experimentation and a substantial investment in costly patent applications, especially international. Also needed is a huge and costly IP staff experienced in submitting and defending inevitable challenges fo patent examiners and fending off imitating competitors in costly litigations. S. Korean cosmetics company apparently are willing to spend a larger fraction of the revenue from their vastly overpriced products bought by desperate women and now even men seeking superficial rejuvenation.
HR retired industrial health care scientist, now Biotech Consultant

Congratulations South Korea as a world leader in the cosmetics industry. I am very much interested in your 'sustainability' efforts in recovering ingredients that still have value. In particular, if recovering a petroleum-based compound, would your choice of a technology be either activated carbon or a molecular sieve? Thank you for the opportunity to ask that question and receive your response.