BKO Lift System - FLEX Solution

chemistry & formula
behind BKO perm solutions

every korean lash lift works the same basic way: step 1 breaks apart the disulfide bonds holding your client's lashes in their natural shape, so the hair can be reshaped around the rod. step 2 then reforms those bonds in the new, curled position — locking the shape in place. the difference between ZOOM, FLEX, and STANDARD comes down to which reducing agent step 1 uses to break those bonds, and how fast it can do it.

vicki meeting with our manufacturing partners in south korea

ZOOM — ammonium thioglycolate (TGA)

ZOOM's step 1 is built on ammonium thioglycolate, the salt form of thioglycolic acid and the most widely used reducing agent in professional perming. it breaks disulfide bonds quickly and reliably, which is why ZOOM processes fastest of the three (8–10 min). we reformulated it with a thicker base consistency, so it holds onto the lash without a separate viscosity powder.

FLEX — free-base cysteamine

FLEX uses cysteamine in its free-base form — a smaller, gentler reducing molecule than thioglycolate. the tradeoff is that pure (free-base) cysteamine is inherently unstable on its own, so our manufacturers incorporate skincare-like ingredients into the formula specifically to help keep the molecule controlled and stable. that's where FLEX's "skincare-like" feel actually comes from — it's a stabilizing necessity as much as it is a gentleness benefit.

STANDARD — cysteamine HCl

STANDARD uses the same active ingredient as FLEX — cysteamine — but in its hydrochloride (HCl) salt form. in this form, the molecule needs to shift out of its protonated state before it can start reducing disulfide bonds, which is what makes STANDARD's processing time longer and steadier (10–15 min). that slower activation curve is exactly what gives you more visual control over how far the curl develops.

(the HCl salt form is inherently more stable than free-base cysteamine, which is part of why STANDARD doesn't need the same stabilizing ingredients FLEX does.)

step 2 — the same oxidizer across all three

once the lashes are set on the rod, step 2 re-oxidizes those broken bonds back into disulfide bonds in their new shape. all three bko formulas use hydrogen peroxide as that oxidizer, rather than sodium bromate (a common alternative in traditional perm neutralizers). the chemistry is the same regardless of which step 1 you chose — ZOOM, FLEX, and STANDARD all finish with the same step 2 reaction.