What Does Patented Mean, Exactly?

We are proud of our patents. They are hard to come by in this industry, and our team of bioscientists worked hard to get them. But what does “patented technology” actually mean? And why should you care?

TLDR: “Patented” means that the technology powering K18 products (like the damage-reversing K18PEPTIDE™ in the molecular repair mask or the heat-shielding resilicore™ in HeatBounce) is something you can only get at K18.

“Patented technology takes years to develop, test, and protect,” says Rita El-Khouri, K18 Head of Research & Innovation. “That time investment is intentional, so results don’t disappear when you rinse or wear off over time.” In other words: at K18, we don’t rely on existing ingredients; we engineer new technology from the ground up to deliver results only K18 products can.

So, what does it take to get a patent in the first place? We asked El-Khouri to walk you through the complicated patent process, because it’s kind of a big deal.

okay so, what does patented mean?

“Patented” means something is legally protected by a patent—basically, the government has granted the inventor exclusive rights to that invention for a set period of time (usually 20 years from filing).

For K18, our patents mean:

No other brand can legally use our technology
No one can recreate or substitute it with a “similar” ingredient and claim the same function
Any copy of our patented ingredients would infringe on protected intellectual property

what goes into getting a patent?

The truth is, the majority of concepts can’t be patented at all—it took 10+ years to research to discover, test, and patent the K18PEPTIDE™ powering the hair repair you know and love.

what makes K18PEPTIDE™ so special?

Reverses damage from bleach, color, chemical services, and heat*.
Optimized for human biology and uniquely matches and clicks into hair’s keratin structure, reconnecting damage sites at the molecular level
Works for all hair types
Delivers lasting repair + restores strength and elasticity (the results don’t wash out)
Gives you hair like new* in just 4 minutes

Plus, as we’ve mentioned, because it is patented, it cannot be replicated (there are no dupes to be found, we promise). Only K18 has this technology.

breakthrough products don’t start with trends—they start with biology

Before there’s a product, there are years spent understanding how hair actually works, how it’s damaged, and what it needs to recover at a molecular level. That “new” usually means many failures first.

For every technology that makes it into a K18 product, dozens don’t. Ideas are tested, challenged, refined, and often scrapped entirely until something truly better emerges.

We design ingredients, not just formulas. We don’t shop for off-the-shelf actives and build stories around them. We engineer new technology from the ground up when existing ingredients can’t do the job. Our science is built to last — not to launch fast. Exclusivity is earned, not claimed.

When we say something is proprietary or patented, it means it survived intense scrutiny and can’t be copied—not just that it sounds impressive.

The next time you are standing in front of a wall of colorful haircare products, we hope this helps you make an even more informed choice for your hair.