AGERA BioTech, Inc.
«Skin science grown from a single plant»
Korean derma cosmetics built on a patented Ageratum extract: eight products for dry, sensitive and itch-prone skin, four patents and papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals
Product photography supplied by AGERA BioTech, Inc. on 12 September 2026, together with written permission to use it.
AGERA BioTech is a Korean company that grew out of a university laboratory. It was founded in 2016 by Professor SoonYoung Shin, a researcher with more than thirty years in the life sciences and a lecturer at Konkuk University. She studied the plant Ageratum houstonianum, known in Korean as 불로화, and found that its extract has a marked effect on skin recovery and hydration. The company patented that property and then launched the AGERIN brand.
The brand rests on a foundation unusual for cosmetics: not a marketing story, but papers in peer-reviewed journals. The company named the active compound isolated from the extract Agerarin, and work on it has appeared in Scientific Reports, PNAS, Journal of Dermatological Science and Molecules. Such a set of references is rare for a cosmetics brand, and for a buyer with a scientific team it provides what is usually missing: a source that can be checked.
The range is narrow and built around a single task. Eight products cover a full daily routine, from cleansing to sun care, and all of them are intended for skin that is dry, sensitive and prone to irritation and itching. The company notes separately that its flagship cream is suitable for children, pregnant women and people with very dry skin.
The company describes its own approach as derma cosmetics: products for daily use, not medical preparations. The test results, percentages and patent numbers given below are the company's data. Documents and protocols are provided separately, for a specific market or a specific buyer.
The brand's only line, and that is the point of it: eight products are built around one active compound and complement each other in a daily routine. Cleansing is covered by a cream-to-foam cleanser, no-rinse cotton pads and an exfoliating gel that works on the proteins of the stratum corneum instead of using abrasives. Hydration and overnight recovery are handled by an essence toner and a night mask, applied before sleep and left on. Barrier and itching are handled by the rich ABC cream for face and body and a spot cream for damaged areas. The day is closed by a hybrid sunscreen, SPF 50+ PA++++. In six of the eight products the company states a cooling complex, Soothing Cooler; the patent for it belongs not to the company itself but to its contract manufacturer.
- AGERA BioTech, Inc., Korea. The AGERIN brand was founded in 2016
- Founder and head — Professor SoonYoung Shin, Konkuk University
- Proprietary active compound Agerarin, isolated from Ageratum extract
- Four registered Korean patents covering the extract and its application
- Papers in Scientific Reports, PNAS, Journal of Dermatological Science, Molecules
- Eight products in a single line: from cleansing to sun care
- A rating of 4.7 out of 5 for the flagship cream in the Hwahae app, according to the company
- Features on Arirang TV and on Get it Beauty on tvN, according to the company
- Registrations for the EU (CPNP), the USA (MoCRA), Vietnam and Myanmar, according to the company
- Written consent to publish this profile received on 12 September 2026
- Distributors of pharmacy and derma cosmetics
- Dermatology and cosmetology clinics
- Pharmacy chains and medical skincare stores
- Importers with their own regulatory team
- Specialist retail for sensitive and children's skin
AGERIN
Ageratum and Agerarin
The plant Ageratum houstonianum means “ageless” in Greek, and in Korean it is called 불로화, the flower of longevity. The company isolated an active compound from its extract and named it Agerarin. The first paper on it appeared in Scientific Reports in 2017 (7:11175). This is the brand's proprietary compound, and it is present in all eight products of the line.
Aquaporin-3 and the skin's daily clock
The mechanism as the company describes it. Skin that has dried out and been damaged during the day recovers at night through the work of clock genes. Agerarin affects this daily rhythm and, through it, the protein aquaporin-3, which carries water and glycerol into the epidermis. Glycerol holds moisture and takes part in the synthesis of ceramides, which make up the skin barrier. The night mask is built on the same mechanism: the company recommends applying it between 22:00 and 06:00.
Four patents
The company lists four registered Korean patents: 10-1815340 for a composition containing Ageratum extract, 10-1784331 for a compound that increases aquaporin-3 expression, 10-2142210 for an anti-atopy composition acting through increased filaggrin, and 10-2107748 for an anti-itch composition based on a complex of Ageratum, Schisandra and Bupleurum. Patent 10-1525752, which covers the cooling component in the sunscreen, belongs not to AGERA BioTech but to its contract manufacturer: the company clarified this separately. The numbers are given as stated in the company's materials.
Papers in scientific journals
Beyond Scientific Reports, the company refers to papers in Journal of Dermatological Science (2018), Journal of Food and Drug Analysis (2020), Molecular Biology Reports (2021), Molecules (2022 and 2024) and PNAS (2022). The topics cover hydration, restoration of filaggrin and the skin barrier, tone brightening, and action against wrinkles and itching. A 2026 paper in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences addresses hair growth.
Human trials
For the ABC cream the company reports the results of a human trial: skin hydration rose by 76.26% and itch intensity fell by an average of 46.48% after four weeks of use. For the exfoliating gel it reports a clinical study dated 22 July 2025 with twenty female participants: the keratinised cell measure changed by 36.65% and skin roughness by 15.50%. The study was carried out by the independent laboratory Global Standard Certification Co., Ltd. These are the company's data; protocols are provided at the deal stage.
Soothing Cooler
A cooling complex based on plant extracts: Ulmus davidiana, aloe vera, Dioscorea japonica, laminaria and Viola mandshurica. It gives a sensation of coolness immediately on application. The patents for this complex and for the cooling component in the sunscreen belong to AGERA BioTech's contract manufacturer, not to the company itself.
- CPNP
- MoCRA
- VEGAN
- Cruelty-free
The marks are taken from the company's materials: registration in the CPNP system for the European Union, compliance with MoCRA requirements for the USA, a vegan formula and no animal testing. The fabric of the cleansing pads is certified to OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 in product class I. Declared by the company; copies of the documents are provided at the deal stage through Teranova.
- Face and body creams
- Essence toner
- Leave-on night mask
- Cream-to-foam cleanser and cotton pads for cleansing
- Exfoliating gel
- SPF 50+ PA++++ sun care
The company states that its products are registered for the European Union through the CPNP system, for the USA under MoCRA requirements, and also in Vietnam and Myanmar. The trademark is registered in the USA. In Korea the products are sold in the Hyundai and FANFAN duty-free stores at Incheon Airport, as well as through the Coupang and Gmarket online stores and the company's own store on Naver. Outside Korea they are carried by the Vincom Mega Mall Royal City shopping centre in Hanoi, the SKIN GARDEN store in Tokyo, Amazon in the USA and Shopee in Singapore. The brand has appeared on Arirang TV and on the Get it Beauty programme on tvN, and in the Hwahae app the flagship cream holds a rating of 4.7 out of 5. This information is given as stated in the company's materials. The company currently has no appointed distributors in Latin or North America: it confirmed this in writing on 14 September 2026, and both markets are open.
- Forms of cooperation
- Wholesale supply of finished products under the AGERIN brand. The company is open to working with distributors, clinics and specialist retail.
- Territory
- The company currently has no appointed distributors in either Latin or North America: both markets are open. Terms are discussed through Teranova.
- Minimum order
- One carton per item. The entry threshold is low: the line can be tried without a large first order. The exact number of units in a carton for each item is shared with the buyer through Teranova.
- Price
- The company passed its export price list to us as confidential, and it is not published. Terms are shared with the buyer on a serious enquiry through Teranova. Delivery basis FOB Korea.
- Documents
- Patents, publications, human trial reports and regulatory registrations are provided separately, for a specific market or a qualified buyer.
- Languages of communication
- English and Korean.
Prices and terms are indicative and are finalised at the deal stage through Teranova. Direct supplier contacts are not published: Teranova Group runs the negotiation, the checks and the delivery.
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