Panax ginseng is commonly consumed as a health supplement in Korea, Japan and China – in fact, it is the most popular health supplement in Korea.

Ginseng’s bioactive constituents include ginsenosides, which are the key pharmacologically significant bioactive constituents of ginseng. There are around 150 ginsenosides that have been isolated from ginseng (roots, fruits, leaves, flower buds, etc.), and among those ginsenosides, Compound K is one of the rare ginsenosides, because it is either absent in unprocessed ginseng or available in low concentrations. There has been an increasing focus of research on Compound K, because compared to other well-known ginsenosides (i.e., Rb1), Compound K is well absorbed by the body and many studies have shown various health benefits. In fact, Compound K is one of the most powerful antioxidants we’ve encountered in our research that deliver “all-in-one” skin benefits (as shown through various studies), including fighting dryness, the appearance of hyperpigmentation, the appearance of wrinkles, loss of elasticity and the appearance of skin photo-aging after chronic UV exposure.

To isolate Compound K from ginseng, a bio-conversion technology using microorganism fermentation is used.  But, even if Compound K is isolated, Compound K has extremely low solubility in water and oil, and only partial solubility in alcohol.  Consequently, due to its low solubility, it also has low membrane permeability. These factors have restricted the dermatological application of Compound K, including using the active in skincare and cosmetic products.
 
VENN has overcome these restrictions with our proprietary Solubilization Technology.

Our Solubilization Technology allows us to harness the power of Compound K in skincare by water-dissolving Compound K in high concentrations and thereby also significantly improving its permeability through skin.  Specifically, we are able to dissolve up to 400,000ppm of Compound K in water.  To give you a perspective on the significance of this, in a third-party in-vitro study (DPPH assay), Compound K showed as strong antioxidant power as the maximum antioxidant power of L-Ascorbic Acid (or vitamin C) at 750ppm of concentration.  So, with our Solubilization Technology, we’ve been able to effectively use Compound K in skincare formulations and dermatologically harness its benefits in our skincare formulations.
 
Our hero products, Age-Reversing All-In-One Concentrate and Age-Response Compound K Hyaluronic Booster, uses Compound K as one of the key active ingredients.