Latest news with #Grabity
Korea Herald
26-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
From mussels to hair: How a KAIST scientist turned polyphenol into a global shampoo hit
Selling out in Paris and with CES buzz, Grabity shampoo gains traction on global stage It all started with mussels. How do they cling so tightly to rocks underwater without hands? The answer lies in polyphenol — a transparent, adhesive substance they secrete. Inspired by this natural phenomenon, Lee Hae-sin, a leading chemical engineering professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, developed Grabity shampoo — a runaway hit that grips hair the way mussels cling to rocks. Since its launch in April last year, over 1.2 million units have been sold, with sales of 20 billion won ($14.6 million). The shampoo has demonstrated a remarkable ability to reduce hair loss by up to 70 percent — and by as much as 90 percent among patients clinically diagnosed with hair loss — making it a breakout success for Lee's startup, Polyphenol Factory. Born in a science lab, the shampoo is now setting its sights on global expansion, with its proven effectiveness aimed at tapping into the billion-dollar hair loss treatment industry. 'We're just a little over a year old as a brand, and the popularity we gained in Korea gave us the confidence to go abroad,' Lee said in an interview with The Korea Herald on May 16, the day he returned to Seoul from Paris, where his company showcased Grabity at Foire de Paris 2025, one of Europe's largest consumer trade fairs. 'But we didn't expect to receive such an overwhelming response from people of different nationalities and ethnicities, since the product was originally developed with Korean consumers in mind.' From lab to locks: The science behind a viral hair loss fix At Foire de Paris 2025, Polyphenol Factory's booth drew about 10,000 visitors on the first day alone, with all 5,000 units of Grabity shampoo selling out. An additional 5,000 units brought in by the company quickly sold out as well. 'I had never tested or sold our product to what you'd call a Western demographic, but I found that people were genuinely interested,' Lee said, noting that one visitor even returned the next day with a friend after trying the product. 'Despite differences in hair types, Grabity proved to be effective.' Grabity received similarly enthusiastic responses during its US debut at CES 2025, the world's largest annual tech and consumer trade show held in January in Las Vegas. Grabity shampoo and treatment products are currently available on Amazon, but Lee is preparing for an official launch in the US and other major markets. Polyphenol Factory has partnered with Lotte Home Shopping to expand into several European countries as well as Japan and Taiwan. The key ingredient that helps Grabity hold hair in place is polyphenol, a natural compound commonly found in plants. 'The adhesive has to withstand exposure to water during shampooing, and polyphenol is a great substance that has this capability,' Lee explained. While shedding 50 to 70 hairs per day is normal for a healthy scalp, individuals experiencing hair loss may shed over 100 strands daily. As hair strands become thinner and narrower than the pores they grow from, they loosen and more easily fall out. Grabity's formula addresses this by filling that gap — the polyphenols form bonds between the hair strand and the pore wall, acting as a natural adhesive to hold hair in place. 'In our clinical study with patients diagnosed with hair loss, daily hair shedding dropped by up to 90 percent, with some seeing results in just two weeks,' Lee said. 'Someone losing 100 strands a day saw that fall to around 30.' In 2023, Lee registered his lab as a faculty-led startup at KAIST, where the ingredients were specially processed into a high-adhesion form. The resulting technology was patented under the name LiftMax 380. This processed polyphenol sets Grabity apart from many other shampoo products on the market that claim to use the compound. According to Lee, most products simply add polyphenol extracts into a conventional shampoo base. 'It's more like turning soybeans into tofu,' he explained. 'You're not just adding a raw ingredient — you're changing its form and function.' For Grabity, Lee's lab uses extracts from walnut shells. How blood vessel breakthrough became hair care hit Lee's work with polyphenol dates back to his postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied how the compound could be used to deliver anti-inflammatory drugs directly to the walls of blood vessels — helping prevent arterial narrowing, a key factor in conditions like arteriosclerosis and cerebral infarction. 'To prevent blood vessels from narrowing and becoming blocked, the anti-inflammatory drug needs to be delivered precisely to the affected vessel. But it was always challenging because blood flows at an incredibly fast speed — faster than cars on a highway,' Lee said. 'Polyphenols have made this targeted delivery possible.' He published his research and transferred the technology to a Japanese company. Learning that polyphenols bond well to blood due to its high plasma protein content, Lee was inspired to develop his next invention: a hemostatic agent. 'When I thought about what might work outside the body, hair came to mind easily, because it's made of keratin — a protein,' he said. Grabity's production remains limited, as the LiftMax 380 solution is mixed in-house by a 15-member team, including seven core researchers, before being manufactured by a partner factory. With demand surging — and resale prices on secondhand platforms reaching up to seven times the original price when the product sells out — Polyphenol Factory is planning to expand its production capacity. Still, Lee is clear that scaling up the company is not his ultimate goal. 'We often talk about 'innovation in the everyday,'' Lee said. 'Polyphenols can be used in highly technical applications, but I wanted to create products that people can actually feel and use in their daily lives — something accessible, not just advanced.' New products using the same nature-driven material are already in the pipeline, including nail and eyelash adhesives, and even a solution for hair implantation. His research has shown that polyphenol-based adhesives can effectively implant hair without follicles. While the implanted hair does not grow, it can visibly fill in thinning areas — a solution Lee believes could be especially helpful for women experiencing small, patchy hair loss. 'We're not a cosmetics company. We're a tech company,' he said, emphasizing his role as a researcher. Lee, now an endowed chair in KAIST's department of chemistry, in his career has authored 237 papers and holds 68 technology patents. 'If there's no clear scientific foundation behind what we offer, we won't expand product lines just for the sake of it. We don't do concept-only products. That's our guiding principle.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Korean Megahit Shampoo, Grabity, Launches in Taiwan "Just wash your hair--and it'll look thicker."
The K-beauty shampoo developed by a world-renowned scientist from MIT has become a hot topic following its launch on Taiwan's Momo Home Shopping channel Clinically proven: one use increases hair thickness by 19.22% and volume by 87.27% 100% vegan formula, Dermatest "Excellent" rating, eco-friendly packaging—epitomizing clean beauty TAIPEI and SEOUL, South Korea, May 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Korean hair loss care brand Grabity, co-developed by world-renowned MIT scientist Professor Haeshin Lee and researchers from KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), officially launched in Taiwan on May 22 through Momo TV Shopping, where it received an explosive response—selling out mostly during its debut broadcast. The live show aired at 8 PM on the 22nd, hosted by Sharon Tsui, a prominent Momo TV Shopping personality. Tsui emphasized the product's scientific backing throughout the segment. The entire stock exhausted shortly in record time, and both Momo's website and customer service center were soon overwhelmed with restock inquiries. Grabity Shampoo features a high concentration of KAIST's patented active ingredient, LiftMax 308™, a polyphenol-based complex that forms a protective barrier on hair strands to reduce damage. Clinical trials have proven that a single use increases hair thickness by 19.22% and volume by 87.27%. Its delivery and sustained-release mechanisms were published in the peer-reviewed international journal Advanced Materials Interfaces, offering strong scientific validation. Grabity is formulated with a 100% vegan blend using EWG Grade 1 ingredients and has earned an Excellent rating from Germany's Dermatest, fully aligning with the rising global demand for clean beauty. The shampoo is also packaged in sustainable containers made from recycled coconut shells. Since its launch in Korea just one year ago, Grabity has become a runaway hit—recording over 1.2 million units sold and KRW20 billion (approx. USD15M) in cumulative sales. It famously sold out in just 39 minutes at Korea's top H&B store Olive Young, with resale prices reaching up to five times retail. Its rapid sellout in Taiwan is seen as a strong signal for further expansion across Asia's premium beauty market. A Momo TV Shopping spokesperson stated, "Grabity is the perfect global partner, offering functionality, a compelling brand story, and a commitment to sustainability. We look forward to bringing more world-class brands to Taiwanese consumers." About Polyphenol FactoryPolyphenol Factory was founded in 2023 as a startup by faculty members of KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). With a team of world-class scientists and young innovators, the company is commercializing cutting-edge technologies derived from natural polyphenols. With the vision of "innovating everyday life through science," Polyphenol Factory is driving new waves of change in the global market. Press Contact:Anna Leeyimijin@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Polyphenol Factory
