APR, an emerging entity in South Korea's beauty technology sector, has surpassed Amorepacific to become the leading cosmetics company in the nation by market capitalization, after advancing past LG Household & Health Care. This development highlights the challenges faced by the traditional major players in the K-beauty industry, as a new competitor quickly advances.

As reported by the Korea Exchange on the 6th, APR stock increased by ₩27,200 (14.52%) to reach ₩214,500 as of 9:40 a.m., momentarily reaching a record high of ₩220,000 following the announcement of better-than-anticipated second-quarter earnings. At the current valuation, APR's market capitalization is approximately ₩8.16 trillion.

Established in 2014, APR owns beauty brands including Aprilskin and Forment, in addition to MediCube, a rapidly expanding brand specializing in home beauty devices. Strong export performance to regions such as the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East has fueled its significant earnings growth. In a bid to bolster its international expansion, APR has recently appointed IVE's Jang Won-young as the new representative for its MediCube Age-R brand, succeeding actress Kim Hee-sun.

APR became publicly traded on February 27, 2023, launching at ₩317,500 per share, which was a 27% increase from its initial public offering price of ₩250,000. At that point, its market capitalization was ₩2.41 trillion.

On June 23 this year, APR's market valuation exceeded that of LG Household & Health Care for the first time, thereby securing the second position in South Korea's cosmetics industry. As of the preceding day, APR's market capitalization was ₩7.13 trillion, compared to LG H&H's ₩4.59 trillion, indicating a difference of over ₩2.5 trillion. With the recent increase, APR has now also surpassed Amorepacific, achieving the leading position in K-beauty just 17 months post-listing.