Kolmar Korea Wins Case Against Italian Cosmetics Maker Intercos for Suncare Technology Theft
28.3.2024 16:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Kolmar Korea (KRX:161890), a Korean cosmetics ODM (Original Development Manufacturing) company, has announced its victory in a lawsuit against Intercos Korea, the Korean subsidiary of the Italian cosmetics maker, Intercos. Intercos was revealed to have misappropriated and profited from the key technology for suncare (sunscreen) products, originally developed by Kolmar Korea. Kolmar Korea had invested hundreds of billions of KRW in this technology.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240328015022/en/
Kolmar Korea wins the case against Italian cosmetics maker Intercos for stealing suncare technology (Kolmar Korea R&D Complex) (Photo: Kolmar Korea Holdings)
Kolmar Korea took legal action for 'trade secret infringement' against its former employees who have leaked the technology and Intercos Korea, resulting in favorable rulings in both civil and criminal cases. The Korean courts ordered Intercos Korea to pay KRW 200 million in damages in the initial trial of the civil suit last August. Prior to this, in the second trial of the criminal case, two former employees, identified as A and B, were found guilty of technology leakage. A was sentenced to 10 months in prison while B received a 6-month prison term and 2 years of probation.
According to knowledeable sources of the Korean legal issues, A and B moved to Intercos Korea in 2018 and illicitly disclosed the suncare technology without authorization. A, who was a cosmetics researcher at Kolmar Korea for 10 years from 2008, assumed the role of general manager for cosmetics development at Intercos Korea immediately after leaving Kolmar Korea in January 2018. B, who worked as a researcher for basic cosmetics development at Kolmar Korea, was also involved in the unauthorized disclosure of the technology.
From March to December 2018, Intercos Korea completed 44 audits of suncare products from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of Korea in a short period of 10 months with just three employees. The court concluded that this is unusual in the cosmetics industry and the company used the technology stolen from Kolmar Korea. Notably, Intercos Korea's sales from sunscreen products alone in 2018 reached a staggering KRW 46 billion.
Kolmar Korea, established in 1990, serves over 900 clients with an annual production of 1.5 billion units. In the suncare market, it is impossible to talk about product development and production without mentioning Kolmar Korea, thanks to its leading technologies.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240328015022/en/
Contact information
Eun-Jeong Lee
+82-2-3459-5552
wooju@kolmar.co.kr
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Compass Pathways Elects Kathleen Tregoning to Board of Directors28.5.2026 13:30:00 EEST | Press release
Compass Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS), a biotechnology company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovation in mental health, today announced the election of Kathleen Tregoning to its Board of Directors at the annual general meeting of shareholders. Ms. Tregoning is expected to serve on the Compensation and Leadership Development Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. She brings extensive experience guiding biopharmaceutical companies through periods of growth and transformation, with expertise spanning corporate strategy, external affairs, public policy and patient access. “With two successful Phase 3 trials meeting the primary endpoint, a transformative clinical profile for COMP360, and a rolling NDA submission and review now underway, Compass is strongly positioned to make our goal of securing an FDA approval a reality. Compass is entering a stage where experience in external engagement, public policy, and patient access matters more
Alzprotect Announces FDA Clearance of IND for AZP2006 (Ezeprogind®) in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)28.5.2026 13:28:00 EEST | Press release
Alzprotect today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for AZP2006 (Ezeprogind®) for the treatment of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). FDA clearance permits the Company to begin clinical development of AZP2006 in the United States. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260526387210/en/ “FDA IND clearance is a pivotal step in our PSP program,” said Philippe Verwaerde, PhD, President & Chief science Officer. “We can now expand our clinical efforts in the U.S. to evaluate AZP2006’s potential to address PSP, a severe neurodegenerative disease with no approved disease-modifying therapies.” Dr. Artin Karapet, Chief Medical Officer, commented: “The FDA’s clearance of our IND for AZP2006 is a pivotal milestone, aligning U.S. and European regulatory pathways and enabling the initiation of rigorous clinical trials in the United Stat
LMR by IFF Inaugurates New Experimental Field in Grasse28.5.2026 12:00:00 EEST | Press release
LMR Naturals by IFF—a global leader in natural ingredients for perfumery, cosmetics and flavors—today inaugurated its new experimental field, Domaine des Naturels LMR. The field is dedicated to advancing research in natural ingredients, preserving Grasse’s agricultural heritage and expanding education in naturals. The inauguration, attended by Grasse Mayor Jérôme Viaud, a long-standing supporter of the perfume industry, underscores IFF and LMR’s ongoing commitment to the region. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260527694524/en/ At Domaine des Naturels LMR, R&D experts research new natural species, variety breeding, cultivation methods and production techniques. “This inauguration reflects over two decades of continuous investment in Grasse and in naturals,” said Ana Paula Mendonça, president, Scent, IFF. “With Domaine des Naturels LMR, we are bringing together innovation, preservation and knowledge sharing to s
Reply Expands Prebuilt AI Apps With New Production-Ready Applications to Accelerate Enterprise AI Adoption28.5.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Reply[EXM, STAR: REY] today released a new set of Prebuilt AI Apps: ready-to-use agentic applications designed to drive efficiency and business growth by accelerating the integration of AI into enterprise processes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260528283268/en/ Prebuilt AI Apps are ready-to-use agentic applications designed to accelerate the integration of AI into enterprise processes, driving efficiency and supporting business growth. In developing the Prebuilt AI Apps, Reply has identified key areas within enterprise processes where AI can create tangible operational value and turned them intoreusable assets, combining deep process knowledge, curated datasets, domain ontologies and reusable agentic flows in robust, secure and production-ready solutions. Each application can be further customised and extended through integration with enterprise systems, internal data and knowledge bases, while maintaining
Klarna Partners With Arrive for Parking in 15 Markets28.5.2026 10:56:00 EEST | Press release
Klarna, the global digital bank and flexible payments provider, has partnered with Arrive, a leading global mobility platform, to bring seamless and flexible payment options to millions of consumers across 15 markets. Through the partnership, drivers will be able to pay for parking using Klarna’s Pay in Full, which will be available directly in Arrive’s EasyPark app, ensuring payments can be made instantly. This provides consumers with more flexibility and control over their everyday spending, and builds on Klarna's growing presence in everyday spending and saving, where consumers increasingly use Klarna for recurring, low-friction purchases alongside savings products like Klarna Balance. Arrive, formerly EasyPark Group, operates one of the world’s largest digital parking networks, facilitating high frequency payments across millions of spots in more than 20,000 cities and 90 countries. By providing the digital infrastructure that helps individuals and decision-makers make smarter urba
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom