APR, an emerging entity in Korea’s beauty technology sector, has surpassed Amorepacific to become the leading cosmetics company in the nation by market capitalization, following its recent advancement past LG Household & Health Care. This development highlights the difficulties faced by the established “Big Two” in K-beauty as a new competitor advances rapidly.

As reported by the Korea Exchange on the 6th, APR's shares increased by ₩27,200 (14.52%) to reach ₩214,500 as of 9:40 a.m., momentarily hitting a record high of ₩220,000 after disclosing better-than-expected second-quarter earnings. At these levels, APR's market capitalization is approximately ₩8.16 trillion.

Established in 2014, APR owns several beauty brands, including Aprilskin and Forment, along with MediCube, a rapidly expanding home beauty device brand. Strong exports to regions such as the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East have contributed to its significant earnings growth. To bolster its global expansion efforts, APR recently selected IVE’s Jang Won-young as the new representative for its MediCube Age-R brand, succeeding actress Kim Hee-sun.

APR became a publicly listed company on February 27, 2023, with an initial trading price of ₩317,500 per share, marking a 27% increase from its initial public offering price of ₩250,000. At that time, its market capitalization was ₩2.41 trillion.

On June 23 of this year, APR's market value exceeded LG Household & Health Care for the first time, securing the second position in Korea’s cosmetics sector. As of the previous day, APR's market capitalization was ₩7.13 trillion, compared to LG H&H’s ₩4.59 trillion, representing a difference of more than ₩2.5 trillion. Following its recent rise, APR has now surpassed Amorepacific as well, achieving the leading position in K-beauty just 17 months after its public listing.