MUSINSA BEAUTY Expands Its 'Derma' Business, Strengthening Skincare Competitiveness

[Financial News] MUSINSA BEAUTY is expanding its skincare competitiveness through a derma (dermatological) cosmetics category that emphasizes functionality.
According to MUSINSA on the 30th, MUSINSA BEAUTY will launch a derma category within its app next month. About 20 derma brands that emphasize functionality and efficacy for specific skin concerns will be featured separately from the roughly 1,000 skincare brands on the platform.
MUSINSA plans to expand its skincare portfolio in response to growing demand for derma products. It has brought in a wide range of global derma brands, including BIODERMA, as well as Korean brands such as AESTURA and Cell Fusion C. It will also introduce brands based on pharmaceutical and biotechnology technologies, including Rejuexcel.
AESTURA, a leading derma brand, saw its transaction value rise 193% year on year from the beginning of this year through last month. It also ranked first in transaction value among skincare brands. ILLIYOON, which grew 289%, COSRX, up 72%, and Cell Fusion C, up 69%, also recorded strong growth. BIODERMA, a French brand that joined the platform last month, ranked first among all brands in transaction value on the day it was introduced.
MUSINSA is also expanding its derma expertise in its stores. The basement level of MUSINSA BEAUTY Hongdae, which opened on the 11th, features a 'Pharmacy Beauty' section offering pharmacy cosmetics developed in partnership with Onnuri Pharmacy, along with high-performance skincare products.
MUSINSA is strengthening its skincare business because skincare has become a key product category in the global K-beauty market. Skincare accounted for 75% of South Korea's $11.4 billion in cosmetics exports last year, and its share has risen to 78% this year.
Reflecting this trend, MUSINSA is also actively nurturing skincare brands with strong growth potential. Skincare brands accounted for 20% of the beauty brands newly added to the platform this year. LAYERLAB, a high-performance brand that joined the platform in April, recorded transaction value last month that was more than double its combined transaction value for June and July. HEVEBLUE's sun cushion, from a brand specializing in sensitive skin, ranked first in sales in the sun-care segment.
A MUSINSA representative said, "Following Musinsa Store Hongdae, we plan to strengthen our skincare competitiveness online as well by enhancing our expertise in the derma category."
[email protected] Kang Myung-yeon Reporter