'Beauty Giant' APR Corporation Expands the Market... The Golden Age of Beauty Devices

[Financial News] The domestic and international beauty device markets are experiencing explosive growth, attracting investments not only from major corporations but also from startups. As demand for home care surges in place of dermatological procedures, the core of the K-beauty industry is rapidly shifting from cosmetics to beauty devices.
According to Wadiz, a crowdfunding platform, the total funding amount in the beauty category from January to September this year reached 6.9 billion KRW, marking a 125% increase compared to the same period last year. By category, skincare accounted for 34%, beauty devices for 33%, and body care for 11%. Notably, beauty devices drove the overall growth. All four projects that raised over 1 billion KRW were beauty devices.
Among them, ThermaCera, which delivers hospital-grade treatment effects, achieved a cumulative 2.6 billion KRW, setting a new record for the largest scale. In addition, 'Ocura Titanium Cell 4.0,' developed by researchers from Seoul National University, surpassed 1 billion KRW within just one month of its launch and also achieved success in overseas crowdfunding. 'SHALABS Skin Jet,' which utilizes air pressure, drew attention by raising 200 million KRW within just one hour of its campaign launch.
The global beauty device market is also expanding rapidly. According to a global research company, the worldwide beauty tech market is projected to reach approximately $116.1 billion (KRW 162 trillion) by 2028. The domestic market grew from 80 billion KRW in 2013 to 1.6 trillion KRW in 2022, and it is expected to maintain an average annual growth rate of 10%.
The growth potential of the domestic beauty tech market has been demonstrated by APR Corporation. Leading with its beauty device brand 'AGE-R,' APR Corporation has expanded its sales globally, confirming the market’s potential. AGE-R, equipped with radio frequency, LED, and lifting functions, is sold through global distribution channels such as Amazon.com, Inc., Xiaohongshu in China, and Sephora in the United States, with overseas sales accounting for more than 70% of total revenue. Industry insiders have commented, 'APR Corporation has established beauty devices as a new growth engine for K-beauty, paving the way for the early market.'
Since then, startups have rapidly entered the market through crowdfunding platforms, accelerating the pace of competition. Over the past year, 70% of beauty-related funding on Wadiz has focused on beauty devices. While major companies like APR Corporation pioneered the market, startups and small business owners are now expanding it by generating new demand.
An industry official stated, 'The beauty device market has now become a key growth driver for K-beauty, rivaling cosmetics. As large corporations lay the groundwork and startups quickly follow, joint growth on the global stage is set to accelerate.'
clean@fnnews.com Lee Jeong-hwa Reporter