Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** Amorepacific Group Chairman Suh Kyung-bae is strategically expanding into the “Beauty Medical” sector, bridging professional aesthetic procedures with home care to diversify beyond traditional cosmetics and capture a broader customer base.
Expanding customer touchpoints from professional procedures to home care.
Suh Kyung-bae, Chairman of Amorepacific Group.
[Insight Korea = Reporter Kim Ji-ho]
Amorepacific Group Chairman Suh Kyung-bae is expanding the ‘Beauty Medical’ business, which connects professional procedures with daily skincare. This move aims to broaden customer touchpoints beyond the cosmetics-centric business structure to include skin boosters, medical devices, and home beauty devices.
According to industry sources on the 28th, Amorepacific Group has secured Viol Medical and Higher Corporation as partners this year to expand its Beauty Medical business. Amorepacific is pursuing collaboration with Viol Medical, while Amorepacific Holdings is working with Higher Corporation.
The core strategy is to combine the medical aesthetic technologies of both companies with the group’s skin science research and skincare capabilities to establish a foundation for long-term collaboration.
The investment is driven by the growth of the medical aesthetic market. The skin beauty medical device market is expanding due to aging populations, increasing demand for appearance management, and technological advancements. Amorepacific views the domestic medical device market as favorable for quickly launching products that have passed stringent regulations and gauging consumer response.
The partnership with Viol Medical bridges medical devices and home care. Viol Medical possesses technology that delivers radiofrequency energy to the skin. In March, Amorepacific signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Viol Medical to develop products and services combining medical device technology with skincare. Joint development and sales plans for home beauty devices are also under review.
The collaboration is still in its early stages. The company explained that both parties are analyzing each other’s technologies and strengths, and specific products and launch schedules have not yet been determined.
Amorepacific Group is pushing to expand its Beauty Medical business through sequential investments in Viol Medical and Higher Corporation this year. Photos show the corporate identities of Viol Medical (top) and Higher Corporation (bottom).
The collaboration with Higher Corporation focuses on skin boosters and post-procedure care. Amorepacific Holdings signed an investment agreement with Higher Corporation on the 27th. Both sides plan to pursue the development of skin boosters, cosmeceuticals, and medical devices, and will also cooperate in aftercare products and distribution channels for hospitals and clinics.
Higher Corporation is a company with a medical professional network and hospital/clinic distribution capabilities. Its flagship product, ‘Hilowave,’ is a collagen booster combining high-molecular-weight and low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid. It operates in South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and other countries.
Amorepacific Group expects to leverage Higher Corporation’s network to develop products for hospitals/clinics and post-procedure cosmetics. This creates a structure where patients who receive treatments at dermatology clinics can continue care at home using cosmetics and devices.
Amorepacific has already gained experience in the hospital/clinic and consumer skincare market through its Estra brand. Considering this, it is analyzed that the technologies of Viol Medical and Higher Corporation could potentially be linked with existing derma brands.
These investments are also interpreted as mid-to-long-term initiatives supporting Chairman Suh’s ‘Vision 2035.’ Amorepacific Group has set a goal to achieve 15 trillion won in sales by 2035 and grow into a global beauty and wellness company. The aim is to build a new growth foundation by expanding business scope from cosmetics to medical aesthetics and home care.
Experts view this collaboration as a means to complement Amorepacific’s technological competitiveness as a latecomer in the home beauty device market.
An Amorepacific official stated, “We reviewed medical beauty investment opportunities that could create synergy with our beauty business and made equity investments in Viol Medical and Higher Corporation. Through strategic collaboration with both companies, we plan to pursue new product development, R&D, and global marketing, and introduce integrated solutions that connect professional procedures with existing beauty areas.”
