Derma:B

Derma:B is a South Korean body-care brand launched in May 2011 by Neopharm, a Seoul dermatological skin-science company, as a daily moisturizer "for the whole family" [1]. It applies Neopharm's MLE (Multi-Lamellar Emulsion) hydration technology — first developed for the company's sensitive-skin range — to full-body daily care, and is positioned for dry, sensitive and barrier-impaired skin.

The brand sits within Neopharm's portfolio alongside Atopalm, Real Barrier and Zeroid, and remains active: its parent featured Derma:B in a 2025 trade interview about the group's growth plans [6].

Derma:B was created not by an independent founder but as an in-house brand of Neopharm Co., Ltd., a company established in July 2000 and led by chief executive Kim Yang Soo [2]. No individual founder is associated with the line, which is typical of Korean dermatological-cosmetic groups that build brands around shared technology rather than a personal narrative.

The premise behind the brand is that the skin of the body deserves the same scientific moisturizing care usually reserved for the face. According to the company, "you need to take care of full-body skin, as much as you do on your face," and Derma:B was framed as a way to extend Neopharm's MLE-based hydration science into an everyday body routine.

Derma:B is wholly owned by Neopharm, which has been listed on South Korea's KOSDAQ exchange since 2007 (code A092730) [2]. The parent describes itself as a dermatology-focused company and groups Derma:B with three sister brands: Atopalm, aimed at sensitive and infant skin; Real Barrier, focused on barrier repair; and Zeroid, intended for professional or clinical use [6].

The brand's range centres on body care, spanning body lotions and oils, body washes, hand and foot care, body mists, sun care and a small selection of shampoos and conditioners. Its most cited product is the Daily Moisture Body Lotion, which the brand promotes for non-greasy, long-lasting hydration; other recurring items include the CeraMD Repair Cream, a fragrance-free Mild Moisture Body Lotion, and the Everyday Sun Block SPF50+ PA++++.

At the centre of the line is MLE, or Multi-Lamellar Emulsion — a patented oil-in-water emulsion designed to mimic the lamellar lipid structure of healthy skin and reinforce its natural barrier [5]. The technology is built around Neopharm's proprietary pseudo-ceramide, PC-9S, and is paired in Derma:B formulas with ingredients such as shea butter, grape seed oil and panthenol. Neopharm states that the underlying MLE technology was co-developed in collaboration with Professor Peter Elias at the University of California, San Francisco, and with dermatologists in China [6], and that its efficacy on the skin barrier has been examined in clinical studies published in journals including the Journal of Investigative Dermatology [5].

In line with its sensitive-skin positioning, the brand says its formulas exclude five ingredients it characterizes as harmful — parabens, phenoxyethanol, mineral oil, dyes and ethanol — and that products complete skin-irritation testing. The line is manufactured in South Korea, where parent Neopharm operates a facility certified to Korea Good Manufacturing Practice standards. The company does not market formal vegan or cruelty-free certifications for the brand.

Derma:B is a mass-market, drugstore-tier line rather than a premium one, and is sold through a multi-channel network. Internationally it has reached the U.S. retailer Ulta — which parent Neopharm entered in 2012 [3] — and is distributed through online marketplaces and K-beauty retailers including Amazon, iHerb, StyleKorean and YesStyle, as well as European stockists. It is generally framed as part of the wave of Korean derma-cosmetic and skin-barrier brands that expanded abroad during the 2010s.

The brand is active. Neopharm remains a publicly listed company, continues to distribute Derma:B across multiple regions, and discussed the line as recently as 2025, when chief executive Kim Yang Soo described its place in the group's portfolio and its plans toward 2030 in an interview with The Worldfolio [6].