Humedix looks to grow cosmetics brand Elravie

Humedix, the aesthetics arm of Huons Group, is expanding its cosmetics business targeting general consumers.

"This year, on top of the medical aesthetics segment where Humedix leads the market, we plan to push the cosmetics business in earnest," Chief Executive Kang Min-jong said Thursday.

Humedix develops and manufactures its own dermal fillers using proprietary high-purity hyaluronic acid production technology and biomaterial polymer application technology. Its in-house filler brands are Elravie Premier and Revolline.

The company entered the cosmetics business in 2017 with the launch of three Elravie skincare products. It now operates six skincare product lines tailored to different skin types and has expanded its retail channels from home shopping to an official online store, Naver Smart Store and Coupang Inc.

Melareturn, one of its flagship product lines, has been building sales through home shopping. The Melareturn Melasma Cushion sold out four consecutive times on Lotte Home Shopping. The company launched a new cushion product in spring and introduced a sun care product through home shopping in the summer.

Humedix is also expanding product lines that link its medical aesthetics business with cosmetics. It recently launched three cosmetics products under the name Lituo ECM, tied to its extracellular matrix booster Lituo. According to Humedix, clinical trials showed that using the ampoule and cream products after a dermatology Lituo treatment produced significantly greater improvements in skin barrier function, skin density and nasolabial fold reduction than the procedure alone. In June, the company signed an agreement with pharmacy platform firm Baropharma to broaden its sales channels into pharmacies.

The company is also moving into overseas markets. Humedix has completed registration of its Elravie cosmetics on the European Cosmetic Products Notification Portal and is working to expand its retail distribution within Europe. It recently listed six products from its Hysica Mew line on Amazon in the United States, securing a direct-to-consumer channel.

In China, the company signed a strategic partnership agreement in July with local beauty firm Grania. The two companies are preparing to launch a new product line in China in September. They plan to expand their sales network by using Grania's local aesthetic salon network to connect consumers from offline to online.

Humedix's push into cosmetics reflects a strategy to extend the technology it has built in medical aesthetics into the general consumer market. Unlike fillers and other medical aesthetics products, which are largely sold business-to-business through clinics and hospitals, cosmetics allow the company to reach consumers directly through home shopping, online stores and pharmacies. Linking medical aesthetics with cosmetics also diversifies its business portfolio while opening a path into overseas consumer markets. "We will lead the global cosmetics market with a multilayered portfolio and innovative technology," Kang said.