In a significant development within Korea's beauty tech landscape, APR has emerged as the preeminent cosmetics company in the nation by market capitalization. This shift came after APR overtook not only Amorepacific but also surpassed LG Household & Health Care. This transition highlights the challenges faced by the established "Big Two" of K-beauty, as this innovative newcomer makes significant strides forward.
Reports from the Korea Exchange on the 6th revealed a remarkable increase in APR's share price, climbing ₩27,200 (14.52%) to reach ₩214,500 as of 9:40 a.m. The shares briefly touched a new peak of ₩220,000 following the announcement of better-than-expected earnings for the second quarter. At these current valuations, APR's market capitalization is approximately ₩8.16 trillion.
Since its inception in 2014, APR has built a portfolio that includes beauty brands like Aprilskin and Forment, alongside MediCube, a rapidly expanding brand focused on home beauty devices. The company's impressive earnings growth has been largely driven by strong export figures to regions such as the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. In an effort to bolster its global marketing strategies, APR has recently appointed IVE’s Jang Won-young as the face of its MediCube Age-R line, succeeding actress Kim Hee-sun.
APR made its entrance into the public market on February 27, 2023, with shares debuting at ₩317,500, marking a 27% increase from its initial public offering price of ₩250,000. At the time of its listing, the market value of APR was a robust ₩2.41 trillion.
On June 23 of this year, APR's market capitalization surpassed that of LG Household & Health Care for the first time, thereby clinching the second position within Korea's cosmetics industry. Just the day before, APR’s market valuation was noted at ₩7.13 trillion, while LG H&H was valued at ₩4.59 trillion, creating a considerable gap exceeding ₩2.5 trillion. With its most recent surge in market value, APR has now also surpassed Amorepacific, claiming the top position in the K-beauty industry a mere 17 months after its stock market debut.