APR leapfrogs Amorepacific to become Korea's most valuable cosmetics brand

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APR leapfrogs Amorepacific to become Korea's most valuable cosmetics brand

Published: 06 Aug. 2025, 18:47 Updated: 06 Aug. 2025, 19:32

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A visitor looks around APR's beauty products during the CES 2025 tech fair held in Las Vegas on Jan. 12. [APR]

Beauty tech company APR broke its all-time revenue record for the second quarter on Wednesday in an earnings surprise. Its market capitalization briefly surpassed 8 trillion won ($5.8 billion) midtrading on Wednesday following the news, and the company overtook Amorepacific to become Korea’s No. 1 cosmetics player.

The company reported that its consolidated revenue for the April to June period had reached 327.7 billion won, with an operating profit of 84.6 billion won — both all-time highs. Revenue rose 111 percent from the previous year, and operating profit jumped 202 percent.

APR’s results for the first half also marked a new record, with operating profit totaling 139.1 billion won — already surpassing its full-year profit of 122.7 billion won from 2024.

By business segment, cosmetics and beauty products saw significant growth. Led by flagship brand Medicube, the company reported 227 billion won in revenue from this segment alone in the second quarter — up 300 percent year-over-year. Beauty devices contributed 90 billion won, growing 32 percent during the same period.

Overseas sales — particularly in the United States — were the main driver of the company’s strong overall performance. Foreign markets accounted for 78 percent of APR’s total second-quarter sales. In the United States alone, revenue jumped by 285.8 percent year-over-year to 96.2 billion won, making it the company’s largest market with a 29 percent share of total sales — surpassing Korea, which accounted for 22 percent.

“Beyond the explosive growth in the U.S., we also succeeded in maintaining momentum in new markets such as Japan, which saw a 366 percent jump in sales, and Europe, where order volumes continue to rise,” an APR spokesperson said.

APR logo [APR]

In June, APR surpassed LG Household & Health Care in market capitalization just 16 months after going public on the Korea Exchange. On Wednesday, it also outpaced Amorepacific to become Korea’s most valuable cosmetics company. Shares rose sharply during trading, surpassing 210,000 won, and as of 2:20 p.m., the company’s market cap stood at 8.03 trillion won. Shares closed at 208,500 won on Wednesday, up 11.32 percent compared to the previous day.

At one point, it even overtook major firms like HD Hyundai Mipo and Hyundai Engineering & Construction. At the same time, Amorepacific’s market cap stood at 7.52 trillion won, widening the gap.

Buoyed by its robust earnings, APR aims to join the “1 trillion won club” this year by achieving annual revenue in the trillion won range.

“As global demand for Medicube products continues to grow, we’re also expanding our offline presence in emerging markets such as Europe,” the company said. “We will do our best to meet our annual targets and strengthen shareholder value.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY NOH YU-RIM [[email protected]]