Korean-origin red ginseng, and what 15% and 12% mean

The main ingredient in Red is red ginseng powder, and the main ingredient in Black is black ginseng powder. Both products are liquid tea in their finished form, and the ginseng powder that goes into each one connects to the product name.

The ingredient name for KOGIN Red is short and clear: 15% Korean-origin red ginseng powder at 40 mg/g saponin or more, and purified water. Those two items are all of it, and no other ingredient is added.

The 15% is the blending ratio that red ginseng powder takes up in the finished product, and the 40 mg/g or more is a minimum standard applied to that red ginseng powder raw material. It means the raw material was chosen as red ginseng powder at or above this figure, rather than a label that stops at 'contains saponin'.

The ginseng blending ratio is 100% red ginseng root body. This means that the raw material uses red ginseng roots without other parts such as leaves or stems. The finished liquid tea comes in 12 g sticks, with 10 sticks per box.

KOGIN Black is made up of 12% Korean-origin black ginseng powder at 40 mg/g saponin or more, fructooligosaccharide, xanthan gum, and purified water. It states the standard of the powder raw material and the blending ratio together, and it lists all four items down to the remaining three ingredients.

The ginseng blending ratio in Black is 100% black ginseng root body. It means that black ginseng roots alone are used, with no other parts such as leaves or stems mixed in. This ingredient composition is packed as a liquid tea in 12 g per stick and 10 sticks per box.

Unlike Red, Black includes fructooligosaccharide and xanthan gum in addition to the black ginseng powder and purified water. The real difference in composition between the two products becomes clear when each one is set on a line, as below.

Red is 15% red ginseng powder and Black is 12% black ginseng powder, so the number alone reads higher for Red. However, red ginseng powder and black ginseng powder are different raw materials and the rest of the composition differs as well, so these percentages alone cannot settle which one is better.

When you choose, it is easier to look at the full ingredient composition than at a single number: whether it is Red with red ginseng powder, or Black with black ginseng powder together with other ingredients.

Both products mark the origin of the raw material as Korean origin. Red uses 15% Korean-origin red ginseng powder at 40 mg/g saponin or more, and Black uses 12% Korean-origin black ginseng powder under the same 40 mg/g or more standard. 'Korean origin' is a marking that states the origin of the powder raw material plainly.

The ginseng blending ratio is 100% red ginseng root body for Red and 100% black ginseng root body for Black. 'Root' means the root, so each product uses the roots of red or black ginseng alone, without mixing in other parts such as leaves or stems. Reading origin, raw material standard, blending ratio, and the part used as separate pieces of information makes the composition of the two products clear.

Hongbaek Agricultural Company Corporation (농업회사법인 (주)홍백) sells both products. The full labeling, including the manufacturer and the seller, is set out on the product label information page.