PROTECTION CONVERGENCE

Purpose: In this study, in order to find out how beauty tech convergence technology is applied in the field, we conducted in-depth investigations using focus group interviews to explore the perceptions and attitudes of managers and users regarding the use of facial skin measurement devices. Method: The research participants were 16 people, 4 each from S City and G Province, selected through a purposeful sampling method among managers and users who use facial skin measurement devices according to the period of use. As a research method, content analysis was conducted through repeated comparative analysis ac-cording to the qualitative research procedure of focus group interviews. And, based on their experience using the facial skin measurement device, the administrators and users were divided into four groups, and the data was segmented using transcription work, open coding, and axial coding. Results: As a result of the study, it was confirmed that there were 12 themes and 93 common contents between themes and groups, and it appeared in 4 areas: ‘Opinions on facial skin measurement devices’, ‘Perception of facial skin measurement device usage experience’, ‘Attitudes of managers and users on facial skin measurement devices’, and ‘Individual opinions on facial skin measurement devices’. Finally, the themes derived through the integrated analysis were reorganized, and thematic analysis was specified, and an integrated model was present-ed based on the results of the focus group interviews. Conclusion: Korean society, which is experiencing a super-aging era, is expected to show high interest in appearance management behavior regardless of age, and the utilization of facial skin measurement devices is expected to increase. However, in the field, there are still various trial and error and side effects due to technical adaptation problems that have not been systematized. In this regard, this study conducted a vivid language verification of how facial skin measurement devices are used in the skin care field. It is expected that the results of this study will be used as basic data for research on the utilization of various smart beauty devices in the future.

Purpose: As interest in appearance and style increases in modern society, the beauty industry is developing and research on it is actively being conducted. In addition, the beauty industry is not limited to decorating appearance and style, but also contributing to the psychological stability and self-esteem of individuals. In particular, nail care is a very important part of providing external confidence. This study aims to confirm the positive effects through nail care behavior and develop a service strategy for improving professional nail care services and specialized nail care management in the future. In addition, it was conducted with the purpose of improving the quality of life of individuals along with the continuous growth of the beauty industry by emphasizing the importance of nail care, improving customers' beauty care behavior, and contributing to increasing self-esteem. Method: In particular, an experimental study was conducted using the 'Nail and Toenail Shape Improvement Method' using the researcher's patented reverse pinching technique on 18 customers with problematic nails (in-grown nails) to measure satisfaction, pain scale, stress, and self-esteem before and after care, and the results were verified using a paired sample t-test. Results: The research results that summarize this study are as follows. The experimental study conducted in this study verified the effects of a nail and toenail shape improvement program targeting problematic toenails. As a result of applying this program, the satisfaction with nail care and self-esteem of customers with problematic toe-nails were improved, and pain and stress were reduced, which was a positive result. Therefore, it is thought that applying the nail and toenail shape improvement program to customers who need to manage problematic toe-nails suggested a new method of strengthening the technical expertise of nail shops and providing professional services. Conclusion: In particular, as a result of applying the problematic toenail shape improvement program through experiments, it was confirmed that the effects of reducing pain and stress as well as increasing self-esteem and customer satisfaction were empirically effective, and therefore, it is suggested that professional nail shops also utilize the reverse pinching technique of this program for customers who need to manage problematic toenails. The significance of this study is that problematic toenail care leads to the strengthening of the expertise of nail beauty services and provides guidelines for establishing service strategies that consider internal factors.

Purpose: The domestic cosmetics industry has shown steady growth, fueled by advancements in cosmetic science and natural ingredient research. As the functional cosmetics market continues to expand, there is an increasing demand for natural materials with proven skin-enhancing properties. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a cosmetic formulation containing ginsenosides derived from wild-simulated ginseng and to scientifically evaluate its effects on facial skin through a human application study, thereby assessing its potential as an active ingredient in functional cosmetics. Method: In this study, a 4-week human topical application trial was conducted by dividing participants into two groups: an experimental group to whom an essence containing ginsenosides derived from wild-simulated ginseng was topically applied, and a control group to whom an essence without ginsenosides was topically applied. The collected data were analyzed to verify the effects of the wild-simulated ginseng essence using paired t-tests and independent t-tests. Levene’s test was conducted to assess the homogeneity of variances. Results: The experimental group showed statistically significant improvements in wrinkles, pigmentation, and moisture levels after product use (p < .05). In contrast, although some improvement was observed in pore size and sebum levels (T-zone and U-zone), these changes were not statistically significant. In the control group, a statistically significant change was observed only in moisture levels, while no significant differences were found in the other parameters, including pore size, wrinkles, pigmentation, and sebum levels. In the between-group comparison, a statistically significant difference was observed only in the wrinkle parameter, with the experimental group showing greater improvement than the control group (p < .05). For the remaining parameters—pore size, pigmentation, sebum levels, and moisture—no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups. Meanwhile, for sebum levels in the U-zone, Levene’s test indicated a violation of the assumption of homogeneity of variances. Accordingly, the data were analyzed using Welch’s t-test, which does not assume equal variances. Conclusion: The essence containing ginsenosides derived from wild-simulated ginseng was found to have positive effects on improving skin wrinkles, pigmentation, and hydration. These findings suggest the potential applicability of the essence as a functional cosmetic ingredient for preventing skin aging and improving the skin barrier. This study is significant in that it scientifically verified the skin benefits of ginsenosides derived from wild-simulated ginseng—a natural ingredient—through a human application trial. Future studies should include a larger number of participants and an extended application period to secure more generalizable evidence through large-scale human trials.

Purpose: This study analyzed the innate organ characteristics and constitution of an individual based on the theory of yin-yang and five elements, which is a core theory of oriental medicine. The purpose is to apply a constitutional identification method utilizing the Heavenly stem and Earthly branch to identify the interactions between weak organs, meridians, and muscles according to constitution, and to design and apply beauty health content, a modern and scientific personalized program suitable for the smart beauty era, based on this. Method: In order to explore the constitutive principles of the theory of yin-yang and the five elements, we investigated previous studies on the theory of yin-yang and the five elements in domestic research information services (RISS), government-funded research institutes, dissertations, and academic journals, and conducted a literature review of papers closely related to the content of this study. Results: The constitutional classification method using Heavenly stem and Earthly branch was able to achieve more precise classification than the existing Sasang Constitutional System or Eight Constitutional System, and the constitutional classification based on Yin-Yang and Five Elements Constitution Theory was confirmed to be closely related to physiological characteristics such as organ function, meridian flow, and muscles. Through this process, the basis for showing the applicability of managing meridians and muscles linked to weak organs by constitution was presented. Conclusion: This study analyzed the innate organ characteristics and constitution of an individual based on the constituent principles of Yin-Yang and Five Elements Constitution Theory. By supplementing the existing constitution analysis method and reflecting the physiological differences according to constitution, it enabled more scientific and efficient personalized management. This is evaluated as an alternative that can increase the feasibility and sustainability of constitution-based health management programs.

Purpose: This study analyzed the relationship between the perception of essential oils and the satisfaction of aromatherapy users, which is considered to be an ongoing study to effectively improve the satisfaction and stress of aromatherapy users in an era where anyone can easily access aromatherapy. Therefore, the purpose is to identify the satisfaction and stress reduction effects of essential oils in aromatherapy, thereby providing academic value and contributing to the revitalization of the aromatherapy industry by being utilized as developmental data for the beauty industry. Method: To this end, a study was conducted focusing on women who used aromatherapy. A research model for empirical analysis was presented, and research hypotheses were established through raising research questions. Sample collection was conducted on women in their 20s to 50s who resided nationwide and had experience using aromatherapy, and a total of 206 questionnaires were used as analysis data. Statistical processing was performed using the SPSS 25.0 program to conduct frequency analysis and reliability analysis, and independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, and regression analysis were used to verify hypotheses. Results: The main results of this study are summarized as follows. First, it was verified that there are differences in aromatherapy usage characteristics depending on the presence or absence of children and monthly income. In other words, it was confirmed that the recommended aromatherapy service should be different depending on the characteristics of the customer. Second, it was verified that the aromatherapy satisfaction and stress reduction effect of essential oil awareness was improved. In other words, it was confirmed that information about essential oils can improve aromatherapy satisfaction and reduce stress. Conclusion: This study suggested the importance of essential oil awareness and argued that aromatherapy education programs that can be implemented at community centers and other places are the most effective way to improve essential oil awareness. In the fierce competition where aromatherapy is easily accessible, beauty companies need to seek more advanced strategies for aromatherapy education and information provision to customers during treatment in order to survive and develop. This study is significant in that it verified the influence of essential oil awareness, which can be treated as simple information, and suggests that differentiated marketing strategies are needed depending on the customer.

Purpose: In Korean society, life expectancy has increased due to the development of medical technology and the bio industry, and we are now approaching the age of 100 years. Amid these changes, seniors in their 50s or older, who have money and time to spare, have emerged as a new consumer group, and a generation that takes the lead in post-retirement life and actively participates in social activities has emerged. This study was conducted using a grounded theory approach among qualitative research methods to take an in-depth look at active seniors' perceptions and experiences of using mobile platforms. Method: This study used the grounded theory method of Strauss & Corbin (1998), and purposive sampling was used to select 9 participants. The data collected from the in-depth interviews were transcribed, and the recorded content was compared with the written content to confirm consistency. Data analysis was organized through the stages of open coding, axial cording, and selective coding, which are grounded theory analysis methods. Results: The raw data collected through in-depth interviews were divided into concepts, subcategories, categories, and paradigms and classified by type. As a result of the analysis, 89 concepts, 41 subcategories, and 20 categories were derived. The participants' perception and experience of using mobile platforms in this study were categorized into three types: Closely related to daily life, active information seeking type, and leisure activity pursuit type. Conclusion: It has been confirmed that Korea's active seniors, unlike past seniors, are socially and economically well-off, have a keen interest in academics, and are interested in active appearance management and health. Accordingly, this study exploratively confirmed the contents of active seniors' perceptions and experiences of using mobile platforms through a grounded theory approach. The results of this study specifically present opinions on changing perceptions through various utilization methods and experiences regarding the use of mobile platforms by active seniors.

Purpose: Recently, in Korea, the health-related market pursuing healthy beauty is expanding, and the keyword safety is added, leading to industrialization in each field. In particular, in the garments market containing new materials, functional clothing with added compression functions is being released steadily. Accordingly, in this study, a qualitative study was conducted to understand the components and meaning of the experiential nature of wearing compression garments in vivid language. Method: In this study, Giorgi applied descriptive phenomenological research methods to identify the individual characteristics of participants and confirm the overall meaning and perception change process of wearing compression garments. The study participants were selected through a purposive sampling method targeting people who had worn compression garments for more than 3 months after being recommended by the M University Research Institute in Korea. The primary data collection for this study was a literature review for theoretical extraction, and the secondary data collection was conducted through in-depth interviews and narrative observation. The in-depth interview used an open-ended semi-structured interview format which is commonly used in phenomenological approaches. Results: As a result of analysis using Giorgi's four-step phenomenological approach, 75 meaning units, 13 sub-components, and 4 components were derived. The final components related to the research participants' perception and experience of wearing compression garments are ‘the moment of wearing compression garments', ‘wearing compression garments and changes in perception', ‘wearing compression garments and physical changes', and ‘changes in health beliefs'. etc. appeared. Conclusion: What is common about the participants' experience of wearing compression garments is that they experienced positivity about changes in body shape and changes in their concept of health. It was confirmed that this experience led to control over the health environment and a change in awareness of health beliefs. The results of this study provided an opportunity to identify the uniqueness of those who have experience wearing compression garments, which cannot be confirmed in quantitative research.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate how individuals from Korean cultural background construct their moral and mental health beliefs by bringing together their cultural values, personal experiences and beliefs. This study aims to examine the moral ideals of individuals and mental health beliefs by observing their decision making about “who sleeps by whom” in the family. Method: Using the concept of moral and mental belief system, an analysis of the child's sleeping arrangement was conducted through qualitative research. This study was conducted through an in-depth interview from August to December 2023, and four male and two female students with Korean-American characteristics New York University students and selected as participants. The researcher conducted individual interviews, and each interview took 60 to 120 minutes. Results: Considering the cultural proximity of Korean culture, to which all participants of this project belong, it can be inferred that participants prioritized sleeping with their children with similar reasons that Korean parents provide in explaining their sleeping arrangements. Findings from the current project that was conducted with participants of Korean background may contrast with the cultural values held in American society, where parent-child co-sleeping is quite rare and the bedroom of adults is often a private space that is off limits to children. In the mental health belief, all six participants said that childhood health is very important throughout life and that parenting stability affects children's motor development, language development, and intellectual development. They also responded that sleep arrangement plays an important role in determining children's mental health. Conclusion: It can be seen that community ethics approaches and perspectives on interdependent self-emerged in completing sleep arrangement tasks. Six participants from Korean cultural backgrounds had health beliefs that sleep arrangements should focus on child protection, often avoiding the sleep of siblings of different genders, and that sleep arrangements should be able to give children a sense of mental security as parents.

Purpose: Korea's beauty and health industry has continued to change and develop beyond simple appearance care into the area of health intervention. Accordingly, this study was conducted to confirm the mechanism of application of device using Microcurrent Technology to the human body and various management methods. In addition, the purpose of this study was to find out how Microcurrent device is being used for health interventions in modern people. Method: In this study, we investigated previous research related to microcurrent, health intervention, and beauty care published until recently in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Korea Research Information Sharing Service. Among them, a literature review was conducted on papers judged to be deeply related to the content of this study. Results: In Korea, devices that use Microcurrent Technology are still being used interchangeably without an exact definition. The reason for this is that we are in a transitional period from medical device to beauty device. In this study, the device for skin care and health intervention was defined as Microcurrent Care (MCC), and the mechanism of application to the human body was confirmed. In addition, the method of using and safety management of the MCC device was also presented. Conclusion: In Korean society, as the beauty industry continues to change and develop into an area that improves health and quality of life, the range of use of MCC devices is gradually expanding. In this study, the under-standing and utilization areas of MCC devices were identified for the development direction of K-beauty, and suggestions were made for long-term success and sustainability.

Purpose: K-smart beauty is securing an important position in the global beauty industry through innovation based on a scientific approach and the latest technology. This satisfies consumers' diverse appearance management needs and conveys the positive values of the new K-culture. In this study, we aim to examine changes in Korean beauty care behavior for the pursuit of health interventions and aesthetics that meet consumer requirements and preferences. Method: This study investigated academic research published by the Korea Research Information Sharing Service (www.riss.kr), data from Korea's government-funded research institutes, and media articles to investigate the recent change process of K-beauty. Purpose of the study a literature review was conducted by organizing the contents that corresponded to the above. Results: The beauty industry in Korean society is going through a process of specialization, segmentation, and cutting-edge technology, and is transforming into smart beauty through continuous innovation. Changing consumer awareness of beauty care was at work on this basis, and various factors such as technological development and distribution of beauty equipment, diversification of service provision to consumers, and globalization of K-culture were confirmed to have a complex synergistic effect. Conclusion: In Korean society, the perception of beauty care is changing beyond simple appearance care to the concept of smart beauty, which includes health interventions. It has been confirmed that these changes enable the provision of efficient and economical services and are gradually moving towards data-based customized services for everyone while protecting the environment.