K-beauty is an industry that has rapidly been invading our homes and Medicube is perhaps one of the better-known names among Hong Kong consumers. Hill Choi Lee sits down with the CEO of APR, Byung-hoon Kim, who recently descended into the city for its first-ever pop-up event

Korean beauty standards, methods and products have steadfastly found a place in our homes after the boom of K-pop culture in recent years. This is certainly no exception in Hong Kong. According to Statista, a global data and business intelligence platform, the revenue in the Beauty and Personal Care market in Hong Kong amounts to US$224 million in 2023. The market is expected to grow annually by 2 per cent (CAGR 2023-2028).

So it isn’t too much of a surprise that Hong Kong is a flourishing market when it comes to embracing beauty devices suitable for home use. Speaking to one of the leading beauty device brands in the Asian region, Medicube (part of Korean-headquartered APR), #legend finds out how the Korean brand hopes to expand beyond its borders.

Having recently launched its first-ever pop-up store at K11 Art Mall, the reception was beyond expectations. “The turnout was much bigger than we expected,” says Byung-hoon Kim, founder and CEO of APR. Launched as Aprilskin in 2014, APR Corporation continues to grow rapidly with one of the fastest sales growth rate in Asia based on the belief that beauty and living culture research create a pleasant and happy life for customers. “We want to create a new culture through more research and constant efforts toward our customers,” he says. “All employees are proud to provide the best products and services with their amazing ability to create discriminatory innovations.”

“It was important to me that our devices are effective and results are clear to see,” he says. “I partner with engineers who understand the kind of results I wish to bring with Medicube and in doing so, we maintain our competitive edge.”

“What is also important is to fulfil customers’ needs. For example, some people may have larger facial muscles and it is hard to keep the skin tight around those areas. That is why they have DMS for lifting effects. Some people wish to address ageing issues – therefore, we present Ulthera to promote collagen production. That is why each of our device shows its effectiveness as long as we figure out the needs of each customer and show them how to tackle the problems.”

However, the CEO realises that a combined strategy to combat ageing or other beauty-related concerns brings about a heightened level of effectiveness. With their devices, Medicube has also brought out different lines of skincare to accompany the merchandise and increase efficacies.

Medicube devices aren’t readily available in Hong Kong and can only be purchased online or via certified retailers. Therefore, a queuing time of two hours at the brand’s Hong Kong pop-up event was perhaps excessive but nevertheless one that didn’t deter avid fans. With the addition of the Medicube team flying in from South Korea to assist in the event, those who made it to the pop-up were able to delve into the full potential of the products on-site.

Whether a physical store will make its way in Hong Kong is still up for debate. “We will approach the Hong Kong market the same as we did in Korea,” Kim explains. “First we will initiate more of these pop-up events to gauge the viability and reception of local business opportunities. Once we are certain a sustainable business model is guaranteed we will open up shop. Even though the market is different, the beauty needs of women are the same.”

At the moment, any plans for a physical store is still in the distant future. However, as Hong Kong continues to be one of Medicube’s target markets, the brand has recently launched a new product that combines several functions of are traditionally found separately across several of their devices. This is a move that shows Medicube’s prowess in staying ahead of the curve in the home beauty realm through its own research and development (R&D).

While expanding its exchanges with cosmetics manufacturers, APR moves to internalising its original technology to its own R&D center, ADC, which has applied for over 40 patents.

“As a global company leading the beauty device and derma cosmetics market, we will eventually become a global beauty technology company with the best technology through the accumulated know-how,” Kim adds.

Medicube is considered Korea’s number one derma-cosmetic brand, which is dedicated to real results and providing proven solutions for every skin concern by clinically tested products. By working closely with dermatologists, they research the most effective formulas and develop them using the best ingredients.

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