- 5 minutes ago
Who What Wear Beauty Director Erin Jahns reports from Sulwhasoo’s Skin Longevity Symposium in New York, celebrating 60 years of ginseng science and new research developed with Johns Hopkins Dermatology. Following the event, she sat down with cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson and beauty expert Michelle Lee to discuss how ginseng drives skin longevity and why it’s a powerhouse ingredient for modern skincare
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00:09Hi, Ron and Michelle. Welcome to the pod.
00:12Thank you. Hey, Erin.
00:13So to give our audience some context,
00:15the three of us just came from Amor Pacific's Skin Longevity Symposium.
00:19Amor Pacific owns some of our favorite skincare brands like Silwasu and Laneige.
00:24Silwasu specifically is considered the crown jewel of the Amor Pacific portfolio.
00:29Renowned for its heritage, innovations, and decades of ginseng research.
00:35So during the symposium, scientists from the Department of Dermatology at Johns Hopkins Medical School
00:40shared new findings on ginseng, and now we're here to talk through everything we learned.
00:45So are you ready to dive in?
00:46Let's do it.
00:47We're ready.
00:47So I had the opportunity to travel to Seoul last year,
00:51visit their labs, and get up close and personal with the line.
00:54And I've become obsessed.
00:56First, Silwasu is known as a pioneer in the study of Korean ginseng for over 60 years,
01:02which is their hero ingredient and a key driver in supporting skin longevity.
01:06To start, what do you both think of when you hear the word skin longevity?
01:10Is this something you actively consider within your own skincare routines?
01:13Yeah.
01:14Now, more and more so, because it's not just about correction for me.
01:18It's how do I maintain my skin's health, and how do I create this lifespan with my skin?
01:24And I think consumers are gravitating towards the same thing.
01:27Would you agree, Michelle?
01:28Absolutely.
01:29I think that I have been practicing skin longevity, maybe without knowing it, for about 10 years now.
01:37And so I started to really, again, in the past decade, start to reframe my skincare regimen as truly skincare,
01:45right?
01:45Like, care being bolded and, like, fully uppercase.
01:48Yeah.
01:49And I think a lot of Asian, you know, if you look at Japanese, but also specifically Korean skincare,
01:55the philosophy is very much that.
01:57I kind of equate it a lot of times to what's happened in healthcare and wellness here in this country
02:01as well,
02:01that when I was growing up, it was all about treating conditions and illnesses, right?
02:06That you either can have surgery or you can use medications to treat an illness.
02:11But truly, now we kind of have moved to this point in time where it's more about preventative wellness.
02:16Yes.
02:17And so I think of skin longevity in that similar way of, again, like, when I look to the East,
02:22I think that those philosophies have been around for quite a while, and thankfully, now it's here.
02:26Yeah.
02:26And to add to that, you think about consumers, how they're taking their vitamins and supplements for the same reason.
02:32Now they're doing that with their skin.
02:34So in both of your opinions, when should you begin thinking about skin longevity
02:37and incorporating products that support things like collagen production and skin elasticity?
02:43I mean, in my opinion, I think that it depends on what we're talking about when it comes to skin
02:47longevity.
02:47Because I think that there are certain lifestyle factors, let's say, that play into that as well.
02:52Do I think that my five-year-old daughter needs to have a skincare regimen?
02:55And probably not.
02:56I would say that general lifestyle things of getting enough sleep, staying out of the sun too much,
03:01even at five years old, I make sure that she's protected from the sun, that she wears sunscreen.
03:06If we really zoom out and think about skin longevity, that is certainly part of it.
03:10I would say also that my older two kids are in their teens, and then my son is 20.
03:15And so even at that age, again, do they need to have a full, like, skincare regimen?
03:20Probably not.
03:21But at that age also, there are some inflammatory skin conditions that can happen, like acne, rosacea, other things.
03:28And so if we think about skin longevity as caring for your skin's health, those things are important at any
03:35age.
03:35But I would say, like, truly to answer your question, I would say probably in your 30s and 40s is
03:40when it would be really important to get serious about skin longevity.
03:43I just turned 50 this year.
03:45And for me, I truly want to make sure that not necessarily that I'm trying to look like I'm 20,
03:51but just that I have the best skin that I can possibly have at 50.
03:55I agree with Michelle.
03:56I think it's the skin protection piece with protection from UV.
04:00And I think, of course, we have the Gen Alpha getting into skincare so early.
04:04They just need a basic cleanser, moisturizer, and sun protection.
04:09So I think if you're really into it, that's where you should start.
04:12But I agree.
04:13I think as we get into those 20s, 30s, 40s, we really should be thinking about longevity.
04:18Michelle, as someone who's worked in beauty for over 25 years, I'm curious about your personal take on anti-aging
04:24rhetoric today.
04:25How has the beauty industry's position on aging shifted over the years?
04:29And how do selwosu and Korean beauty at large fit into that?
04:33Oh, Erin, I have so many thoughts for you.
04:37Okay, so adding a little bit of context, back in 2017, so almost 10 years ago, which is hard to
04:42believe, I was the editor-in-chief of Allure, and we very famously banned the term anti-aging.
04:47We did a cover with the amazing Helen Mirren that said the end of anti-aging.
04:52I wrote the cover story.
04:54In my editor's letter, we talked about this is why we're doing this.
04:57At the time, it went further than I could ever have imagined.
05:01We truly sparked a global conversation about aging, and so when I think about now everything that's happened, it makes
05:09me so proud and feels so great the fact that we see so many more women over, I don't even
05:15want to say over 35, I would say over 50, 60, 70 in ad campaigns, on the runway, celebrities.
05:22I see more women who are embracing their grades, and I say women because truly our intention when we did
05:28that cover was about let's really address how society and we in general talk about aging really more about women
05:37because I don't think necessarily that men face the exact same things.
05:40We are super hard on ourselves as women, and society is really hard on us, and so again, like I
05:46said, I think now is everything perfect in the way that we talk about and think about aging?
05:50Absolutely not, but when I think about the past decade, we have made so much progress, and so it makes
05:56me really happy that brands like Slowasu really put this emphasis more on skin longevity.
06:01Again, back then, we didn't have those words, and so we were talking about this focus on healthy skin, like
06:07let's not say anti-aging because we love aging, like the opposite, we don't want that to happen, and so
06:13the fact that now we have this term to really lead us in a direction of more addressing the root
06:19cause of what is causing skin conditions and other things, I think that's a really important distinction of how we
06:25start to look at ourselves moving forward.
06:27Yeah, definitely.
06:28And I think as a cosmetic chemist, I totally agree. I think Slowasu is pioneering this idea of skin longevity
06:34and actually bring it to life with great results.
06:37You know, we just came out of the symposium. I was blown away with some of the clinical results.
06:42Well, let's talk about the star of the show, ginseng. Ron, can you tell our listeners what ginseng is and
06:47why it's so special, and what makes ginseng such a powerful ingredient in terms of skin longevity?
06:52Ginseng is a root plant that's been used in traditional medicine for literally centuries. It's known for its great benefits.
07:00What Slowasu's been able to do is they've been able to unlock the power and the potential of ginseng through
07:05this compound called Compound K, which is showing fantastic results around skin longevity.
07:12It's one thing to use ginseng as an ingredient in a formulation, but what Slowasu is doing is completely different
07:18because they've figured out how to isolate the specific saponin for anti-aging found at ginseng, and then it's concentrated
07:25into their patented ingredient called ginsenomics through bioconversion technology.
07:30This innovation enhances the skin's ability to absorb more effectively, and Ron, you've been able to isolate vitamin C in
07:36a way that's similar to how Slowasu isolates ginseng, ensuring the ingredient remains potent and active for longer. Can you
07:44kind of walk us through how that isolation and concentration process works?
07:48Yeah, it's a great question. They've been able to use this bioconversion technology to really mimic the way ginseng, as
07:57we absorb it, as we ingest it, into this compound that's able to deliver that active component of ginseng, Compound
08:04K, into the skin. Actually, 6,000 times more potent.
08:07And it's really effective in terms of providing that skin longevity, skin rejuvenation. I was really impressed with it.
08:14Michelle, as our product expert, can you explain how a powerful ingredient like this can fit into your skincare routine,
08:20and what effects people can expect to actually see?
08:22Yeah, absolutely. So, I'm Asian. You know, growing up, I think that most East Asian people have a different relationship
08:30with ginseng, right? I grew up walking into Asian grocery stores, and you always see, like, teas and tinctures and
08:37these big bottles of, like, ginseng inside. And so, for my entire life, I think I've always known it as
08:43being an amazing medicinal herb, right? We know during the presentation today, there was this incredible moment where they were
08:51showing, like, just all the health benefits of ginseng.
08:54And I think the speaker talked about how it is actually probably the most beneficial medicinal herb in the entire
09:00world, right? And it's like, if you look at the full benefits of what it can do, it's almost like
09:05this magical ingredient, like you expect in Harry Potter or something, right?
09:09Yes, like a cure-all.
09:10Like, poof! Diabetes!
09:12Yes. Magic wand.
09:14Exactly. And so, I think knowing that, it's not a surprise that things that are often great when they're ingested
09:21are also great for your skin. I think vitamin C is an excellent example of that. And so, I think
09:26the wonderful thing about ginseng is, unlike, let's say, something like retinol, right, where retinol is a little bit more
09:31finicky in terms of how you might actually use it. For example, I wouldn't use retinol during the day.
09:37Ginseng wonderfully has a lot of different applications, and it can go in a lot of different types of products
09:43as well. So, you could use it in an eye cream, a serum, a moisturizer, in any number of ways.
09:49And so, truly, after the talk today, I was saying, I am going to bathe in ginseng. I think we
09:53all are.
09:54Yeah, and it's also impressive how they've been able to make it so bioavailable, meaning it's able to get into
10:00the skin and deliver on that skin rejuvenation benefit. So, that was really impressive to me.
10:06I want to add about texture. What the scientists at Silwasu have been able to do is really not just
10:12unlock the potential of ginseng, but also deliver it in a texture and a sensorial that's really exciting. It really
10:19feels great on the skin. And I think when we think about consumers and how do we keep them compliant
10:25in their skincare, get them excited about it, I think the brand has really done that.
10:29Yeah, definitely. Yeah, and I love the fact that Silwasu is so leaned into ginseng. You know, I was saying
10:35to the team earlier that I've been a big fan of their first care activating serum for a very long
10:40time, right?
10:40I think I was like watching something that I think they sell one bottle every 10 seconds. Like this is
10:45a global like mega hit of a product. And so, a couple years ago, I saw that they had reformulated
10:51and that they changed it so that the hero ingredient is ginseng.
10:55And to me, that was very meaningful that again, like they are really doubling down on their belief that ginseng
11:00is a powerful, important ingredient. Because if you take this like kind of hero product that everyone loves already, it's
11:06always a risk, right? If you're changing the formulation, what if people don't like it?
11:10Exactly. And so, I also had that moment of being like, oh my gosh, am I going to still like
11:13it the same? And then I tried it and it's amazing.
11:15Yeah.
11:16You heard a lot about the relationship between inflammation and skin aging today. So, what were both of your takeaways
11:21about that link and was there anything new that you learned?
11:25Yeah. I mean, we've been hearing about inflammation and inflammation for a while, right? And even in terms of how
11:31I was saying the analogy between general wellness and also skincare, right? We see a lot of those same things
11:37happening.
11:38I think, Ron, you probably have a lot more sort of like scientific things to say about it, but it's
11:42not surprising to me that inflammation is so tied to our skin. So, I'll give an example. Probably six or
11:49seven years ago, I was in the south of France. And as you do in the south of France, you
11:52drink a lot of rosé.
11:54And so, I think I completely messed up my entire skin barrier because I was so inflamed. And again, it
12:01was something that was happening internally that then it showed instantly on my skin.
12:05And so, for weeks after that, I was dealing with this where I had this red inflamed skin and truly
12:10red, angry, angry pustules. And so, I've seen firsthand how this inflammation, it's all kind of tied together.
12:17And so, it's not super surprising to me, I guess, that now science is really showing that link.
12:22Yeah.
12:22Yeah. And I think, you know, looking at the data shared today, I think SOAS has really established that link.
12:28You know, it's something we always thought. We, you know, we thought that there was this connection, but they have
12:33studies that actually show some of the aging things that are happening in the skin are happening in parts of
12:38our body as well.
12:39So, certainly more research can be done, but I think they're on the brink of it. I think it's really
12:44exciting.
12:44Mm-hmm. Ron, can you give a little bit more of a specific definition of inflammation to our listeners?
12:49Yes. So, inflammation is a chronic, always-on inflammation that our bodies and our skin face, which causes premature aging.
12:59So, the brand SOAS has been able to really isolate the active form of ginseng in order to address inflammation
13:07and actually treat and get at the root cause of inflammation in the skin.
13:13The keynote speaker today, Professor Se-Won Kong from John Hopkins Department of Dermatology, spoke about the importance of studying
13:20skin as an extension of overall health and wellness. And in my world as a beauty editor, we talk so
13:25much about skincare in relation to products and makeup. And I thought it was fascinating to reframe skin as an
13:32important indicator of what's happening inside your body. What were some of the findings about that connection that stuck out
13:37to both of you?
13:38We sometimes forget, even though we all talk about it, that skin is our largest organ, right? It is truly
13:44our most visible organ. I think they even said that in the presentation, which kind of like stuck with me.
13:49To me, I always think of like your skin as like, it's like your check engine light, right? Like if
13:53something's happening on your skin, for example, I'm jet lagged today, right? I can see it instantly on my skin.
13:58My skin looks a little bit grayer. I just know myself.
14:00And so I love the fact that the researchers are really digging into what is actually scientifically happening to go
14:07behind that.
14:08They're connecting the dots.
14:09Yeah. We also heard about the importance of protecting your skin's immune balance today, because as we know, our skin
14:15can be disrupted by the environment and things like dust and pollution, as well as lifestyle factors, like lots of
14:22coffee, sleep deprivation, and sugary snacks.
14:25For our listeners, what exactly does that mean when we say the skin barrier can get disrupted? What does that
14:30look like in real life?
14:30I think it's a combination of all those factors, you know, adds to, you know, free radicals and damage in
14:36the skin. And that connection has been made. And again, with skincare, like Suasu, I think they've been able to
14:42show that they've been able to correct a lot of that, of that damage.
14:46What I love is that, Erin, I think as beauty editors, right, we talk about skin all the time, but
14:51we don't necessarily look at all of like the visuals. And so today during the presentation, I actually love looking
14:57at some of those like visual illustrations, or even again, just like true representations of what the layers of skin
15:03look like.
15:04And so obviously the skin's barrier has been talked about quite a lot in the past couple of years, but
15:10actually seeing it and seeing how it is just a collection of cells that are connected by like a layer
15:16of lipids, and then seeing that layer of collagen and elastin under that, it makes you really think about all
15:24the words that we talk about all the time, right within our skincare.
15:26And you can see how certain things like sun damage can actually affect all of those different layers. And so
15:32when we talk about that skin barrier being disrupted, it's like your armor, right?
15:37So if we have your armor, and you do any number of things, whether it's, you know, environmental factors, like
15:43pollution, maybe it is not getting enough sleep, maybe it's too much sun exposure, disrupting and damaging that barrier means
15:50that suddenly everything that's below that, and that's that layer of collagen and elastin, also has less protection.
15:56And so as we get older, as time progresses, that collagen, right, we talk about all the time, like we
16:03want to be able to like boost our collagen. If we're not doing things that can prevent that damage, we
16:09are actually doing a lot more harm.
16:10And you know, think about skin, what's its major function? It's to protect us from the external. If you're poking
16:16holes through these environmental conditions that are harsh and not protecting the skin, you're going to get damaged, and you're
16:22going to show, you know, premature signs of aging.
16:24There are plenty of things we can do to prevent or help slow down signs of aging. But something that
16:29I found incredible was that the researchers have developed a skincare ingredient extracted from camellia seeds, and that has been
16:36shown to actually reverse the decline of aging skin cells by inducing the production of collagen fiber. This is called
16:43camellia bioflavonoid. The trial results were impressive, even as early as eight weeks. Ron, can you share a bit about
16:49how topical application of this product can improve signs of aging?
16:53Yes, this is a phytochemical. And I was really impressed with what they've done with this ingredient. They've incorporated it
17:01into a fantastic formula. And in a placebo study, in just eight weeks, panelists saw a significant improvement in texture
17:08and luminosity. So that's really showing the power of this ingredient.
17:12So the thing I loved about that whole presentation with the camellia also was we were talking about it after
17:17it was this idea of senescence, which was a word that I actually was not familiar with before, which is
17:22this idea that your skin cells kind of lay dormant sometimes. They don't just die, but they are like zombie
17:29cells. They're like sleeping beauty, right? They're just kind of there, still alive, but really not serving any purpose. And
17:35the fact that this camellia bioflavonoid can actually help to rejuvenate those cells is fascinating.
17:41Totally. And think about what the skin cells are supposed to be doing. It's supposed to be 28 days. Your
17:47skin cells are supposed to be getting older and older. Then they die and flake off. And that gives you
17:54new, fresh skin cells underneath.
17:56When the skin cell is senescent and it just freezes and sleeps and doesn't do anything, it's not doing anything
18:02to help, you know, except for giving you these signs of aging.
18:07Right. For our listeners who are interested in updating their routines to set themselves up for a lifetime of skin
18:12longevity, what are some practical tips that you would give them?
18:15Oh, well, kind of what I was saying, I guess, in the beginning, you know, for sure, use ginseng and
18:20you can incorporate it in any number of different ways into your routine. I would say if you are just
18:25kind of testing it out initially, I love a serum.
18:28I think it's an easy way to do things where, you know, at minimum, you need a gentle cleanser, use
18:34a serum, you can use whatever moisturizer you want to, and then use a sunscreen, like, you know, protect your
18:40skin.
18:41I would say, though, for skin longevity, thinking about your overall health is really important, that our skin cells, as
18:47I talked about today, everything is interrelated, that you can see some of the damage that's been done on skin
18:52cells is reflected then in some of your body cells.
18:55And so if we think about sleeping well, de-stress, which is hard to do, eating well, staying out of
19:03the sun too much, like, it's good to get a little bit of sun, but, like, don't overdo it.
19:06So there's not much we can do about some of the things, right, like pollution, or there was some talk
19:10in the presentation about microparticles.
19:14I'm not quite sure if we can, you know, do away with that, unfortunately, but I think there's a lot
19:19of lifestyle factors also that we can really address.
19:21Of all the findings we heard today, and there were many, what was something that surprised you or changed your
19:27approach to skincare moving forward?
19:28I think, like Michelle, I think now seeing this data around ginseng and what the brand has been able to
19:35do, it's really interesting.
19:37Yeah.
19:37And I think it's really exciting.
19:39So I think, you know, my big takeaway, again, this is another ingredient that this brand has been able to
19:44unlock in a significant way that is really delivering both benefits in terms of treating the skin, but also, more
19:52importantly, delivering on that skin longevity, which consumers are really interested in right now.
19:57Obviously, this is so much more of Ron's world, right?
20:01And so for me to sort of ingest everything, I agree that just seeing how much work and how much
20:07effort and truly 60 years of research into ginseng, I think, Aaron, again, like we hear all the time as
20:13beauty editors about skincare science and innovation and other things.
20:17And yes, some of it is valid and some of it is not, but when you actually really see all
20:22of the hard work and research that went into everything, I've known for a long time that ginseng is an
20:27amazing ingredient, but the fact that they then have merged a traditional ingredient with truly modern science to extract the
20:36highest potency of that ingredient and to really make it special, like I said, I am going to be bathing
20:42in it.
20:43Yeah, totally agree.
20:44Thank you for being on the pod, Ron and Michelle.
20:46Thanks for having us.
20:47Thank you for having us, Aaron.