What's New About Kracie's FERTHÉA: Why It Matters That an Affordable Brand Explicitly Claims "Liposomes"

The speaker begins by explaining Kracie as a company. Kracie is a manufacturer that has long made popular hair care lines such as Ichikami and Himawari, and the speaker has previously said that it has top-level technology in the affordable drugstore hair care price range. The company had a strong hair care image, but the speaker says that from the Hadabisei series toner, serum and other products they introduced the previous year, they had sensed that Kracie was also putting serious effort into skincare.

Until now, Hadabisei had been Kracie's flagship affordable skincare line, but the speaker believes FERTHÉA stands alongside Hadabisei and may surpass it technically. The speaker also notes that they have a working relationship with Kracie and have spoken with its researchers, and says that while researchers in the cosmetics industry seem to be mostly men, they have the impression that Kracie is a company where women researchers play an active role, and that many of its products are designed with women in mind.

In a June 29 release, Kracie announced FERTHÉA as a brand containing its proprietary ingredient, "Liposome Fermentation Drip." According to the background in the release, moisturizing is the top thing women in their 30s look for in skincare, and many cited concerns about dryness and chronic "inner dryness" (dehydrated skin beneath the surface). The speaker reads this as skincare for dry skin developed for women in their 30s, aimed at improving inner dryness.

The lineup consists of three products, a toner, a serum and a cream, so the brand launched with three products from the start. The feature promoted across the brand is that "the world's first Liposome Fermentation Drip protects and delivers fermented ingredients, so moisture lasts." The speaker stresses that simply using the word "liposome," which one might easily skim past, is already the first level of "something impressive."

The speaker introduces Cosme Decorte's Liposome Advanced Repair Serum as the most famous cosmetic using liposomes. According to the website of its maker, KOSÉ, liposomes are tiny capsules of 0.1–0.2 μm made of multiple layers of phospholipids, a biological component found in the skin. Phospholipids have a hydrophilic part that blends with water and a hydrophobic part that blends with oil, and by lining up so that these face each other, they form an onion-like multilayered structure. In the pharmaceutical field, they have been used as a delivery technology to encapsulate drugs and deliver them into the body.

As the speaker explains, the biological membranes inside the skin are made of the same phospholipids, so liposome capsules blend with those membranes and penetrate inward as their outer layers peel away like the skin of an onion. Once they reach deep inside, they ultimately release the ingredients they encapsulated. This is called "sustained release," and it has been used as a drug delivery system.

However, it is difficult to keep the liposome structure intact over time, and although it was said that it would be amazing if liposomes could be included in cosmetics, this was not easily achieved. The speaker explains that the first product in the world to apply them to cosmetics was Moisture Liposome, the predecessor of the Liposome Advanced Repair Serum. The current product is its renewed version, and the company has even confirmed that the liposomes enter the stratum corneum and form a lamellar structure on the skin.

Then couldn't anyone using a similar technology just call it a liposome? The speaker answers this question with the example of vitamin C. If you add vitamin C, you can write "contains vitamin C," but if it isn't in there, that claim is a lie. Liposomes are the same: "liposome" is not written in the ingredient list, but if you claim to contain liposomes, it is a lie unless you can prove that a liposome structure is actually formed. Since cosmetics manufacturers cannot make false claims, manufacturers that push liposomes to the forefront have scientific grounds they can explain no matter who challenges them.

In fact, there are a number of liposome-like serums the speaker has introduced so far, such as Orbis's Shot Plus and serums from Matsukiyo-affiliated brands, but none of them explicitly say "liposome." They merely use plausible-sounding names like "multilayer capsules" or "nanocapsules." The speaker believes the reason is that even if they use similar technology, the companies have not internally judged that they can publicly prove it is "definitely a liposome."

Even more difficult is the issue of stability. There are cosmetic raw materials that will form liposomes when added to a formula, but even if liposomes temporarily form at the time of manufacture, cosmetics may sit in a warehouse for several years before being sold. If they are no longer liposomes by the time the consumer applies them to their skin, the product cannot be said to contain liposomes. Therefore, to claim liposomes, a company must assemble sufficient evidence through experiments and the like, and no manufacturer can easily make that claim, the speaker explains.

Besides Cosme Decorte, there are several cosmetics that claim liposomes, such as from Fujifilm, but none of them are cheap. There had been almost no affordable products that explicitly claimed liposomes. When the speaker looked into it, they found that Utena had also released an affordable product claiming liposomes on September 1, and they said that as a major manufacturer, Utena is presumably doing similar work, and placed an order for it. The speaker sees the release of two affordable liposome products around the same time as an unusual situation.

The speaker organizes the difficulty of promoting liposomes into levels.

1. The level of containing phospholipid capsule ingredients. Products like Shot Plus fall here; it is relatively easy and used by many cosmetics. The speaker calls this "vibe liposome" and says that affordable products so far have almost all been at this level.
2. The level of containing liposomes. If it can be confirmed that a liposome structure has formed, you can say "uses liposome technology." The early Moisture Liposome and similar products fall here.
3. The level of "liposome-encapsulating" a specific ingredient. For example, to say vitamin C has been encapsulated in liposomes, you must confirm that the vitamin C is actually inside the liposomes, which is even more difficult than level 2.
4. The level of verifying that the liposomes deliver that ingredient deep into the stratum corneum and release it gradually there.

The speaker expresses surprise that FERTHÉA goes all the way to this final level. The release even states: "Stabilization: Stabilized by encapsulating fermented ingredients in liposomes," "Penetration: Liposomes penetrate to the deepest part of the stratum corneum and deliver ingredients to the targeted location," and "Long-lasting: Liposomes blend into the stratum corneum and steadily deliver the encapsulated ingredients to the skin, so moisture lasts." The speaker's view is that a company normally wouldn't state things this definitively unless it had considerable evidence.

Looking further, the speaker found that on June 1, Kracie had published a research release on the development of its proprietary ingredient, Liposome Fermentation Drip. Its title concerned multilamellar liposomes encapsulating two types of fermented ingredients.

Fermented ingredients are extracts made by fermenting some kind of material, and the speaker cites SK-II's Galactomyces ferment filtrate and Rice Power Extract as similar examples. The release states that while the diverse components produced during fermentation, such as amino acids, peptides and organic acids, are expected to be beneficial for conditioning the skin, their water-soluble, multicomponent nature makes it a challenge to deliver them efficiently to the stratum corneum while keeping their function stable. The speaker adds that water-soluble ingredients have difficulty getting into the skin unless a penetration mechanism is considered.

Kracie therefore focused on liposomes, aiming to retain the ingredients while improving penetration into the stratum corneum by encapsulating the fermented ingredients inside. After examining various fermented materials, it selected two that excelled in efficacy, affinity with the skin and suitability for liposome encapsulation: a rice koji ferment fermented with koji mold, and a soy milk ferment fermented with lactic acid bacteria. The speaker describes this as something like developing an ingredient similar to SK-II's Pitera independently from scratch.

Liposome Fermentation Drip is these two fermented ingredients encapsulated inside multilamellar liposomes. The release explains that after the multilamellar liposomes penetrate the stratum corneum, the outer phospholipid membranes blend into it, and the encapsulated ingredients are thought to be released gradually.

The research release also presents concrete verification results. First, when the structure was observed with an electron microscope, the formation of multilamellar liposome structures of about 100 nm was confirmed. This is said to have "suggested" that the water-soluble fermented ingredients are stably retained in the inner spaces of the multilayer structure. The speaker focuses on this word "suggested," adding the caveat that it may not yet have been fully confirmed that the fermented ingredients are inside.

Next, when penetration behavior was evaluated using Raman spectroscopy, skin treated with 1% multilamellar liposomes showed changes in the Raman signal along the depth direction within the stratum corneum, suggesting the possibility that they act on the stratum corneum. Furthermore, the same changes as at 1% were observed even at 0.1%, suggesting that similar penetration behavior occurs even at low concentrations. The speaker interprets this as evaluating that, whereas water-soluble ingredients have so far not penetrated properly unless at high concentrations of 1% or more, putting them in capsules allows them to be sufficiently effective even at around 0.1%.

Effects on the skin were also verified. In a comparison of the fermented ingredients alone and Liposome Fermentation Drip in healthy Japanese women in their 20s to 60s, the rate of change in stratum corneum moisture content 30 minutes after application improved significantly. Under the same conditions, transepidermal water loss, which indicates the amount of water escaping from the skin, decreased. The speaker explains that when barrier function improves, water escapes less easily, so a decrease in this value means barrier function has increased. In an evaluation of a prototype product containing Liposome Fermentation Drip as well, a significant increase in stratum corneum moisture content and a significant decrease in water loss were observed compared with before application.

The release concludes that encapsulating the fermented ingredients in multilamellar liposomes increased penetration efficiency into the stratum corneum and produced a high moisturizing effect, and that in addition, the barrier-supporting effect of the phospholipids is thought to have come into play.

The speaker speculates that not all of the data may have been released yet. This is because the small print in the materials says "nanocapsules containing fermented ingredients penetrate," and the speaker believes that if the company goes as far as writing this, it has probably confirmed that the fermented ingredients are inside the capsules as well.

As grounds for this, the speaker points to the position of a major manufacturer. If a large cosmetics manufacturer like Kracie uses such wording, it would immediately be asked "Is that true?" by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare or public health centers. The speaker's view is that the company still writes it because it has evidence it can show. Regarding the fact that the company didn't just add a raw material that forms liposomes, but built the product after verifying the encapsulated ingredients, their behavior in the stratum corneum and even the subsequent skin effects, the speaker says that "even high-end cosmetics hardly ever go this far," and rates its level of completeness as being on a completely different level from vibe liposome products so far.

The prices the speaker paid on Amazon were 1,650 yen for 180 ml of toner, 1,870 yen for 30 ml of serum and 1,980 yen for 50 g of cream (all including tax).

What particularly surprises the speaker is that all three products contain Liposome Fermentation Drip. They think it wouldn't be that difficult cost-wise for just a 30 ml serum, but it is stated to be included even in the 180 ml toner. While the speaker speculates that the amount probably varies considerably between products, since it is known to be effective even at around 0.1%, there is no doubt that the technology itself has been adopted, and they credit the company for achieving this in the affordable price range.

The speaker explains that the toner's base is BG, glycerin and isopentyldiol, all low-irritation moisturizing ingredients. There is also a small amount of DPG, but at this amount it causes almost no irritation, they say. A tiny amount of squalane is included as an oil.

A notable point is that hydrogenated lecithin, an important phospholipid ingredient for forming liposomes, appears sixth in the full ingredient list, meaning it is included at a fairly high concentration. The speaker believes that Aspergillus/rice ferment, Lactobacillus/soybean milk ferment, diglycerin, hydrogenated lecithin and phytosterols correspond to Liposome Fermentation Drip. Functionally, the rice ferment and soybean milk ferment give the impression of boosting the skin's moisture retention, like Rice Power Extract, they say.

Other ingredients include ceramides for barrier function, nucleotide-type ingredients, botanical extracts such as Saxifraga sarmentosa extract for a clearer complexion, the vitamin C derivative ascorbyl glucoside, and Saccharomyces/rice ferment, which is listed as a penetration enhancer. The speaker suggests that this ferment may be similar to SK-II's ingredient. Also included are biosaccharide gum for viscosity, the moisturizing ingredients propanediol and diglycerin, and dipotassium glycyrrhizate to prevent skin roughness.

A point of concern the speaker raises is the fragrance; personally, they would have preferred it fragrance-free. It is alcohol-free, colorant-free and weakly acidic. It also contains a good amount of glycerin, so some people may be concerned about that, they note. Overall, the speaker sums it up as a toner that boosts moisturizing power and barrier function and can also be expected to have a penetration-enhancing effect thanks to the liposomes.

The serum's basic composition is similar to the toner's, based on low-irritation moisturizing ingredients such as BG, glycerin and propanediol. Because it contains a somewhat larger amount of plant oils, the speaker guesses it is a slightly oily, milky-lotion-like serum. Hydrogenated lecithin, which forms the liposome structure, rice ferment, soybean milk ferment, phytosterols and diglycerin together make up Liposome Fermentation Drip, and phytosteryl/octyldodecyl lauroyl glutamate is included as a pseudo-ceramide. The other beauty ingredients are similar to those in the toner, they say.

The cream is based on glycerin and mineral oil, and the speaker sees it, judging from the ingredients, as quite a rich cream. It contains cetearyl alcohol, a higher alcohol that adjusts firmness; cetearyl olivate, an ester that makes the skin feel supple; and the moisturizing ingredient propanediol, and Liposome Fermentation Drip, including hydrogenated lecithin, is also included in the cream.

The speaker highly values the fact that Liposome Fermentation Drip is included in both the toner and the cream. With Cosme Decorte's Liposome series as well, the serum was sold for a long time, but the toner and cream were only added in recent years, so they say it is impressive to have assembled the full set from the start. This makes for a lineup that can enhance penetration with both water-based and oil-based formulas. The speaker speculates that the concentration of Liposome Fermentation Drip may be higher in the serum and cream than in the toner.

The speaker had imagined the toner would be a more moisturizing type, but in reality it was quite watery and light. It is slightly cloudy, which the speaker thinks is due to the phospholipids and the small amount of oil. The feel was so light that they wondered if it was glycerin-free. On the other hand, the scent was quite strong, and the speaker says it smelled like shampoo, befitting a hair care manufacturer.

The serum has a milky-lotion texture. The speaker thinks the serum probably contains the most liposomes, and recommends it if you're choosing just one. However, for people who dislike even a little oil, the toner is better, they say. With this much viscosity, you'd expect it to linger on the skin, but the speaker says it sank right in and felt as if it merged with the skin. The scent was milder than the toner's.

The cream has a smooth feel; they had imagined a rich, heavy cream, but it blended into the skin surprisingly quickly and disappeared right away. The scent again gave a shampoo-like impression, but the speaker says the toner's scent was the most noticeable, while the serum and cream were relatively subdued.

The speaker reiterates that until now there has been almost no affordable domestic skincare that clearly promoted liposomes. Utena's new product also features liposomes, but the speaker recalls it being a 30 ml product, and rates FERTHÉA's toner, at 1,650 yen for 180 ml, as offering extraordinary value even when compared purely on the point of containing liposomes. Having actually tried it, they say that the toner alone gave a sense of high penetration that suggests it really does contain liposomes.

The speaker has previously introduced liposome-like affordable cosmetics as possible substitutes for the expensive Cosme Decorte. However, there had been no affordable products at a level where one could say they definitely contained liposomes. In that sense, the speaker regards FERTHÉA as an example of a genuine liposome cosmetic, clearly distinct from vibe liposome products so far, emerging from the affordable segment, and as groundbreaking even in the history of cosmetics.

The speaker's conclusion is that if you're looking for a substitute for high-end liposome cosmetics, it's fair to say FERTHÉA has leapt to the position of top contender. The series has only its first three products so far, and the speaker is looking forward to future developments and new releases.