Refresh your LinkedIn, because AI has a new job title: beauty researcher. At least, that’s the role it's taking on at Amorepacific with the launch of the conglomerate’s research-specialized generative AI platform, LEMON (Lab Efficiency Mode ON), a system that aims to significantly expedite product development and scientific research.
LEMON was developed in collaboration with Korean telecommunications company KT through a project titled “Data Highway,” which reorganized decades of research, including ingredient information, formulation records, and research reports, into an AI-ready database.
At the center of LEMON is a Large Language Model designed for Amorepacific’s researchers. The technology will help Amorepacific researchers quickly retrieve and analyze data. Initial beta testing has shown that tasks including planning research material and regulatory reviews (previously a 12-day process) and research literature reviews (previously a 6-day process) can now be completed in five minutes.
The new technology complements Amorepacific’s extensive history of research and development, which began with its establishment of South Korea’s first cosmetics laboratory in 1954. The company also opened Korea’s first beauty refill station in 2020 and created the first wireless e-skin patch in 2022, a crucial development in the dermatological world.
Byung-Fhy Suh, CTO of the Amorepacific R&I Center, emphasized in a press release Amorepacific’s goals for this tool, stating, "Good AI can become a true research partner only when it utilizes good data.” The aim of the system, Suh explained, is to handle repetitive search and analysis tasks, allowing researchers to focus on innovation and creative feats. “The Data Highway and LEMON,” Suh added, “will serve as the starting point for building a new research ecosystem."
Amorepacific’s announcement reflects a broader trend in the beauty industry, in which companies are increasingly utilizing generative AI for both consumer-facing experiences and accelerating R&D. Used in combination with its immense research archive, Amorepacific is positioning its AI system as a core competitive advantage in beauty development. If this trend continues, beauty innovation may depend as much on data as it does on breakthrough ingredients. In the race to innovate, AI might just become beauty’s latest savvy co-worker and most helpful tool.