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SEOUL, South Korea, April 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ASK Company, the parent company of RIMAN, has entered into a sponsored research agreement with Mitragotri Laboratory at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences to validate the functionality and effectiveness of its proprietary ingredient, Araliadiol, derived from Giant BYoungPool™.
RIMAN Founder & Chairman Joonghyun Ahn and Dr. Jiwon Seo at the Harvard Science and Engineering Center with Professor Samir Mitragotri, marking the beginning of a sponsored research collaboration advancing Araliadiol through organ-on-a-chip technology.
Araliadiol is a novel active compound identified through ASK Company’s proprietary extraction and purification technology from Giant BYoungPool™, RIMAN’s signature heritage ingredient. It has demonstrated multiple biological benefits even at low concentrations, including anti-inflammatory effects, antioxidant activity through the reduction of reactive oxygen species, and overall skin improvement.
To validate its efficacy, ASK Company has built a collaborative research network with leading Korean institutions. Through joint studies with Sungkyunkwan University and Konkuk University, the company has elucidated its mechanism of action and confirmed strong cell-protective effects and differentiated efficacy. In addition, a synthetic production process for pure Araliadiol has been developed, supporting its scalability and safety as a next-generation cosmetic ingredient.
Building on these results, ASK Company has entered into a sponsored research collaboration with the Mitragotri Lab to advance fundamental understanding of the function and action of Araliadiol. As part of this collaboration, a formal agreement ceremony was held on April 13 at the Harvard Science & Engineering Complex. The event was attended by Samir Mitragotri, the Hiller Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard and Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at the Wyss Institute, Mr. Joonghyun Ahn, Founder & Chairman, and Dr. Jiwon Seo, Researcher of RIMAN/ASK Company, marking the official launch of the sponsored research initiative.
The collaboration will leverage organ-on-a-chip technology, a biomimetic platform that replicates human physiological environments on microchips, enabling understanding of biological responses. Using this model, the research team will evaluate Araliadiol with a focus on skin regeneration and hair growth through follicular cell activation.
Mr. Joonghyun Ahn, Founder & Chairman RIMAN/ASK Company stated, “This research collaboration marks a significant milestone in our R&D journey. We aim to validate the efficacy of Araliadiol and establish it as a functional ingredient in the beauty market.”
ASK Company plans to further strengthen the heritage of Giant BYoungPool™ and reinforce its position as a distinctive natural-origin ingredient in the global K-beauty industry.
About RIMAN
Founded in 2018 in South Korea, RIMAN is a global beauty and wellness direct-selling company redefining K-Beauty through heritage ingredients from Jeju Island and cutting-edge innovation. At its Jeju Smart Farm, RIMAN manages every step, from raw material cultivation to product development, including its signature ingredient, Giant BYoungPool™—an advanced Centella Asiatica cultivar granted 20-year Plant Variety Protection by the Korea Forest Service in July 2022 and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in September 2025.