Amorepacific Unveils 'Hair Longevity' Research: Hair Quality Is Determined at Formation, Not After Damage
New findings from the World Congress for Hair Research 2026 show that the structural quality of hair is set during early follicular formation — shifting the haircare paradigm from post-damage repair to prevention.
- HairLongevity
- Amorepacific
- WCHR2026
- HairScience
- GROWPEP
- KBeauty
- ScalpHealth
- HairCare
- HairResearch
- PeptideIngredient
- HolisticLongevity
- Ryoe
- RootGen
- HairFormation
- AntiAgingHair
K-health Media
■Hair Quality Decided Before You Can Even See It
Amorepacific announced on June 4, 2026, that it had presented key research findings on hair-quality-determining mechanisms and Hair Longevity at the World Congress for Hair Research (WCHR 2026), held at COEX in Seoul from May 28 to 31.
As people age, hair progressively becomes thinner, more brittle, and less resilient. Volume loss and recurring damage are among the most common hair concerns worldwide. Yet, conventional haircare solutions have largely focused on improving or coating hair after damage has already occurred.
Amorepacific R&I Center challenged this assumption, directing its research toward the early formation stage of hair — the phase inside the follicle that determines what the hair strand will ultimately look like.
According to Amorepacific R&I Center's findings, even hair strands that appear visually similar show measurable differences in internal structure and strength depending on the age of the subject. Key structural factors that determine thickness and elasticity were found to vary significantly across age groups.
This suggests that hair characteristics are not simply the result of accumulated external damage, but are instead shaped by structural properties established during the earliest phase of hair formation.
■ From Repair to Prevention: A New Haircare Paradigm
The study proposes that thinning, breakage, and loss of elasticity may stem not from post-formation damage, but from differences in initial hair quality — the structural integrity built into the strand from its very origin inside the follicle.
This finding opens a new category in haircare: prevention-first approaches that work at the hair formation stage, rather than simply masking or repairing existing damage. The implication is that with the right ingredients and formulations, it may be possible to influence how healthy a hair strand becomes before it even emerges from the scalp.
■ Key Discovery: Identifying the Critical Formation Factor
In collaboration with Professor Young Kwan Sung of the Kyungpook National University College of Medicine and his research team, Amorepacific R&I Center identified a critical factor that influences the structural formation of hair. The team confirmed that modulating this factor produces measurable changes in hair structure formation.
Crucially, the research indicates that this factor is not merely a biomarker of aging — it appears to play an active role in determining hair quality at the point of formation, going beyond simple age-related indicators.
■ GROW-PEP™: A Novel Peptide Ingredient for Scalp-Inspired Hair Formation
Building on these insights, Amorepacific partnered with Croda, a global leader in active peptide research and specialty ingredients, to develop an optimized peptide ingredient capable of influencing the identified critical factor.
The resulting ingredient — GROW-PEP™ — was designed based on the structure of the scalp microenvironment. In testing, it demonstrated the potential to support healthier hair structure from the formation stage onward.
■Application: Amorepacific's 'Ryoe' Brand RootGen Line
The research outcomes are set to be applied to the RootGen line of Amorepacific's hair brand Ryoe (려). The brand positions the line as a science-backed solution targeting the root cause of hair concerns — the follicular formation process itself.
Byung-Hwy Suh, CTO of Amorepacific R&I Center, stated: "This research is significant because it identifies the core factors that determine hair quality at the formation stage — before any visible external change occurs. Based on our Holistic Longevity Solution technology vision, Amorepacific will continue to advance biological research at the follicular level, pursuing Hair Longevity research that helps maintain healthy hair condition over time."
■ About WCHR 2026: The 'Olympics of Hair Science'
The World Congress for Hair Research (WCHR) is the most prestigious international academic conference in the field of hair and scalp research, gathering leading scholars and global corporate researchers to share the latest scientific advances. WCHR 2026, held in Seoul, achieved its largest-ever participation on record, closing as a resounding success.
