Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** Amorepacific Group is strategically expanding its medical beauty portfolio beyond dermacosmetics, moving into professional treatments like skin boosters and aesthetic devices. A recent investment in Hi-Air Corporation signals a deeper push into the beauty-medical convergence sector.
Amorepacific Group is expanding its medical beauty business from dermacosmetics into professional treatment areas such as skin boosters and aesthetic medical devices.
According to Amorepacific Holdings on the 27th, the company signed an investment agreement with Hi-Air Corporation, a specialist in aesthetic medical devices, to strengthen cooperation in the beauty and medical fields.
Amorepacific Holdings made a strategic investment in Hi-Air Corporation, but the investment amount and equity stake were not disclosed.
The two companies will collaborate in product planning, R&D, distribution, and marketing by combining Hi-Air’s aesthetic medical device development capabilities and its network of medical professionals and global Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) with Amorepacific’s skin science research and skincare technology.
The scope of collaboration includes skin boosters, cosmeceuticals, and medical devices, as well as aftercare products used post-treatment, hospital and clinic distribution, and joint research on raw materials and ingredients. The goal is to build an integrated solution that connects professional treatments, post-treatment care, and daily skincare.
This is not Amorepacific Group’s first foray into the hospital and clinic business.
Its predecessor, Pacific Pharmaceutical, entered the aesthetic treatment market in 2001 by signing a domestic distribution rights contract with Medytox for the botulinum toxin product ‘Meditoxin’. From 2011, it pushed to transform into a medical beauty specialist. In 2014, it launched its own hyaluronic acid (HA) filler ‘Cleview’, expanding its aesthetic business alongside hospital-grade cosmetics.
In 2015, the company changed its name to Estra. At the time, Estra focused on medical aesthetics and professional derma care for hospitals and clinics, operating Cleview, treatment medical devices, and hospital-exclusive cosmetics.
However, in 2018, it sold the sales rights and related technology of Cleview to Pharmaresearch Products, reducing its focus on treatment products and placing more emphasis on dermacosmetics (cosmetics incorporating skin science).
Even then, Amorepacific Group stated its intention to continue investing in medical beauty businesses, including dermacosmetics based on hospital and clinic channels.
In the same year, it launched ‘Estra 365’ for general consumers, expanding its distribution network to include Olive Young and other outlets.
Nevertheless, its connection with hospitals and dermatology specialists was maintained.
After Amorepacific absorbed Estra in 2021, it continued its strategy of integrating dermatological expertise accumulated in hospitals into cosmetics. Estra grew into a leading domestic dermacosmetic brand, driven by products like Atobarrier 365.
Subsequently, in March of this year, Amorepacific began collaborating with Vior Medical, once again broadening its engagement with professional treatment areas. Following the linkage of Vior’s EBD (energy-based devices such as radiofrequency and lasers) technology with Amorepacific’s skincare capabilities, the investment in Hi-Air now extends the collaboration to injectable areas such as skin boosters.
Founded in 2021, Hi-Air Corporation operates a purchasing platform for aesthetic medical devices and a network of hospitals and clinics.
Its flagship product, ‘HILO WAVE’, is a tissue-repairing biomaterial medical device that combines high-molecular-weight and low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid.
Earlier this year, it signed a supply contract with a Chinese medical device distributor worth a minimum guarantee of 60 billion KRW.
According to industry sources, the contract amount is a minimum guarantee, and Hi-Air Corporation has begun preparations for selecting an underwriter for its IPO alongside expanding its overseas business.
Through this collaboration, Hi-Air’s medical device development and medical professional network are expected to be combined with Amorepacific Group’s skin research, raw materials, skincare, and brand capabilities.
Following the EBD collaboration with Vior, the expansion of cooperation with Hi-Air into skin boosters and aftercare demonstrates a phased expansion of the medical beauty business, connecting professional treatments with daily skincare.