Junevity and Amorepacific Partner to Develop Next-Generation Skin Rejuvenation Cosmetics
Junevity, a biotechnology company focused on extending human lifespan and healthspan, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Amorepacific Corporation, a global beauty and wellness company, to explore new approaches to skin aging and develop next-generation cosmetic products designed to support skin rejuvenation.
The collaboration combines Junevity’s computational biology and target-discovery capabilities with Amorepacific’s established expertise in skin biology, cosmetic research, product development and commercialization. As part of the agreement, Amorepacific has also made a strategic investment in Junevity through Amorepacific Ventures, its corporate venture investment arm. The companies have entered into a separate licensing agreement covering applications of Junevity’s technology in the cosmetics field.
The partnership represents an expansion of Junevity’s technology into skincare and beauty applications while providing Amorepacific with access to a platform designed to identify previously unexplored biological pathways associated with aging. The companies intend to investigate how changes in gene regulation may contribute to skin aging and whether those pathways can be targeted to move aged skin cells toward a healthier biological state.
Applying the RESET Platform to Skin Aging
At the center of the collaboration is Junevity’s RESET Platform, a target-discovery system that combines human disease omics data, genetic relationships and machine learning and artificial intelligence to identify novel transcription factor targets.
Transcription factors play an important role in controlling gene expression and coordinating biological processes within cells. Because aging involves extensive changes in cellular function and gene regulation, understanding these networks may provide opportunities to identify new approaches for maintaining or restoring healthier cellular states.
Under the collaboration, Junevity and Amorepacific will use the RESET Platform to investigate pathways involved in skin aging. The research will focus on identifying and validating biological targets that could potentially be applied to cosmetic products designed to support skin rejuvenation.
Rather than relying solely on conventional cosmetic targets, the collaboration is intended to explore the underlying biology of aging skin. By examining gene networks and transcriptional regulation, the companies aim to identify mechanisms that may influence how skin cells change as they age.
Following target discovery and validation, Amorepacific will take responsibility for the development and commercialization of cosmetic products that emerge from the collaboration. Junevity, meanwhile, will continue developing therapeutic applications of its broader technology platform.
This division of responsibilities allows each company to contribute its respective capabilities. Junevity brings its biotechnology and computational target-discovery expertise, while Amorepacific contributes extensive experience in skincare research, formulation, product development and global commercialization.
Research Supporting the Collaboration
The partnership builds on research led by Janine Sengstack, Ph.D., co-founder and chief scientific officer of Junevity, during her work at the University of California, San Francisco.
In January 2026, Sengstack and colleagues published peer-reviewed research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examining the role of individual transcription factors in cellular aging. The research reported that modulating individual transcription factors could reverse certain hallmarks of cellular aging, including in human fibroblast aging models.
Fibroblasts are an important cell type in skin. They contribute to the extracellular matrix and play roles in maintaining skin structure, tissue repair and other processes associated with healthy skin function. As a result, research involving fibroblast aging may have relevance for understanding biological mechanisms underlying changes in aging skin.
According to Junevity, its work in human fibroblast models demonstrated that repressing a single transcription factor could move aged cells toward a healthier state. The findings provide part of the scientific foundation for the company’s interest in identifying additional targets that may influence aging-related cellular pathways.
The new collaboration with Amorepacific will seek to build on this research by examining additional pathways with potential relevance to cosmetic applications.
“Our pioneering work showed that repressing a single transcription factor can restore aged cells toward a healthier state,” said Janine Sengstack, Ph.D., co-founder and CSO at Junevity. “Amorepacific is a global leader in research-driven innovation for wellness, skincare, and longevity, and this partnership will enable the discovery of new targets to rejuvenate skin and address skin aging.”
Amorepacific Expands Longevity-Focused Skin Research
For Amorepacific, the partnership provides an opportunity to investigate skin aging through the lens of molecular biology and longevity research.
The company has maintained a research focus on skin biology and the development of technologies intended to address changing consumer needs in skincare and wellness. Through its collaboration with Junevity, Amorepacific plans to explore how gene networks and transcriptional regulation may contribute to long-term skin health.
Brian Byung-Fhy SUH, CTO of the Amorepacific R&I Center, said that future skin health innovations could increasingly be informed by deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms associated with aging.
“The next generation of skin health innovations will be informed by deeper research-driven insights into the biology of skin aging, particularly the role of gene networks and transcriptional regulation in longevity,” SUH said.
He added that Junevity’s RESET Platform could allow Amorepacific to investigate new pathways associated with skin aging and expand research into longevity-oriented solutions.
The companies also intend to explore what Amorepacific describes as hybrid technologies through collaboration across adjacent scientific fields. Such research could potentially connect advances in biotechnology and longevity science with established approaches in skincare development.
Strategic Investment and Licensing Agreement
In addition to the research collaboration, Amorepacific has made a strategic investment in Junevity through Amorepacific Ventures. The investment provides a financial component to the relationship and aligns Amorepacific with Junevity as the biotechnology company continues to develop its technology platform.
The companies have also established a separate licensing agreement covering cosmetic field applications of Junevity’s technology. This arrangement establishes a framework for translating discoveries generated through the collaboration into potential commercial skincare applications.
The financial terms of the strategic investment and licensing agreement were not disclosed in the announcement.
RM Global Partners LLC served as Amorepacific’s advisor for the transaction.
Junevity Broadens Its Platform Beyond Therapeutics
The collaboration also demonstrates how Junevity is seeking to extend applications of its technology beyond traditional therapeutic drug development.
The company’s broader mission centers on extending both lifespan and healthspan, with research focused on identifying biological mechanisms that may influence aging and age-related conditions. Its RESET Platform represents a key component of this strategy by using large-scale biological data, genetics and AI-based approaches to discover potential molecular targets.
John Hoekman, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Junevity, said the relationship with Amorepacific demonstrates the potential for the company’s technology to be applied across different markets.
“We’re excited to be working with Amorepacific, a leader in skin science, to explore the potential of our technology in skincare,” Hoekman said. “This partnership demonstrates the breadth of our approach and the potential to open new doors for our platform, extend its reach into new markets and create additional avenues for long-term value.”
Junevity is continuing to advance its therapeutic research alongside the new cosmetics-focused collaboration. According to Hoekman, the company’s therapeutic pipeline includes a lead small interfering RNA, or siRNA, candidate targeting obesity that is expected to enter human clinical trials.
Connecting Cellular Aging Research With Consumer Skincare
The partnership highlights a growing intersection between longevity science, biotechnology and the beauty industry. While traditional skincare development has frequently focused on ingredients, formulations and observable skin characteristics, advances in molecular biology are creating opportunities to investigate aging at the cellular and genetic levels.
Junevity and Amorepacific are pursuing this approach by focusing on transcriptional networks and biological pathways rather than a single conventional cosmetic ingredient. Their research will first involve target discovery and validation, with Amorepacific then expected to lead product development for successfully identified cosmetic opportunities.
The collaboration does not guarantee that any particular target or product will ultimately reach consumers. The research will need to establish whether identified pathways can be appropriately translated into safe, effective and commercially viable cosmetic applications.
For Junevity, the project provides an additional application for its target-discovery technology and complements its ongoing therapeutic development activities. For Amorepacific, it creates an opportunity to investigate new biological mechanisms that could inform future skincare innovation.
As research progresses, the companies are expected to evaluate candidate pathways for their relevance to skin aging and their suitability for incorporation into future cosmetic development programs. The collaboration therefore establishes a research pathway connecting Junevity’s aging biology and computational discovery capabilities with Amorepacific’s skin science and product development expertise.
Together, the companies aim to investigate whether a deeper understanding of cellular aging and gene regulation can contribute to a new generation of skin health products focused on supporting healthier biological states in aging skin.
About Junevity
Junevity is a biotechnology company developing siRNA therapeutics to reset global gene networks for longevity. The Junevity RESET Platform is the first to use human disease omics, human genetic linkages and ML/AI to identify novel transcription factor targets and repress them with siRNA therapeutics. Initial programs are in siRNA for obesity, with collaborations in aesthetics and neurodegeneration. Based in San Francisco and founded out of UCSF in 2023, Junevity’s mission is to increase lifespan and healthspan. The company has raised more than $20 million in seed financing, led by Goldcrest Capital and Godfrey Capital. Learn more at junevity.com.
About Amorepacific
Founded in 1945, Amorepacific is Korea’s leading global beauty company, with a portfolio spanning skincare, makeup, haircare, inner beauty, and beauty technology. With more than 70 years of authentic, research-driven innovation, dating back to the establishment of Korea’s first cosmetics laboratory in 1954, Amorepacific has built deep expertise in skin biology, beauty science, and product development. The company continues to explore new frontiers in beauty through research-driven innovation, including a growing focus on skin longevity, advanced biotechnology, and collaboration across disciplines. www.apgroup.com