Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** Cellular Lab, Fugenbio’s premium bio skincare brand, is set to launch in about 250 U.S. Costco stores this November, bypassing the typical gradual rollout. This move signals a bold push into the American market.
Cellular Lab will simultaneously enter approximately 250 Costco stores across the United States in November. Fugenbio’s premium bio skincare brand Cellular Lab announced on the 21st that it is accelerating its U.S. market expansion.
When overseas brands enter U.S. Costco offline stores, they typically first test marketability through online malls or a small number of stores, then gradually increase the number of locations. Cellular Lab will skip this process and enter large-scale stores nationwide at once. This is attributed to Costco headquarters recognizing Cellular Lab’s domestic competitiveness.
Cellular Lab’s flagship product, Biogenic Essence, has recorded cumulative sales of 8 million bottles and cumulative revenue of 200 billion KRW as of the first half of this year. It has established itself as a representative product in the domestic premium skincare market.
Cellular Lab views Costco as a strategic base for targeting the U.S. market. Costco’s female customer base in their 40s and 50s aligns with Cellular Lab’s primary customer demographic. Cellular Lab’s customers are middle-class women in their 40s and 50s who are sensitive to basic skincare choices and have high income levels. The unit price of the 155ml product is high, and customers aged 40 and above account for 90% of all customers. The repurchase rate reaches 52%.
Cellular Lab’s core competitiveness lies in the ‘CLEPS® Biosynthesis’ platform developed by Fugenbio. Based on the bio-new substance CLEPS, it activates cellular sugar consumption to inhibit the formation of Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs). It improves various skin indicators such as elasticity, hydration, texture, tone, and lifting. This efficacy has been published in the SCI-level international academic journal Cosmetics.
Cellular Lab plans to launch full-scale brand marketing across the U.S. starting next year, based on Costco sales performance. It will target high-income middle-aged and elderly consumers aged 40 and above as its core customer base and focus on the U.S. premium skincare market. It will pursue local PR, digital marketing, and collaborations with influencers and experts. It will also target premium distribution channels such as department stores, premium retailers, esthetics, medical spas, and dermatology clinics.
Prior to entering Costco, Cellular Lab participated in North America’s largest beauty expo, ‘Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas,’ from July 13-15. During the expo, it met with U.S. and global buyers to discuss strategies for entering premium distribution channels. It confirmed high interest in Cellular Lab’s bio-technology and brand philosophy.
Reporter Kim Jong-hyo
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