APR, an emerging company in South Korea's beauty technology sector, has surpassed Amorepacific to become the leading cosmetics company in the nation by market capitalization, following its prior advancement over LG Household & Health Care. This development indicates challenges faced by the traditional leading companies in the K-beauty industry, while a new competitor is quickly advancing.

According to data from the Korea Exchange on the 6th, APR shares rose by ₩27,200 (14.52%) to reach ₩214,500 at 9:40 a.m., momentarily reaching a record high of ₩220,000 following the announcement of stronger-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, Forment, and MediCube, the latter being a rapidly expanding brand for home beauty devices. The company's significant earnings growth can be attributed to strong exports to markets in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. To enhance its global presence, 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 entered the public market on February 27, 2023, with an initial share price of ₩317,500, marking a 27% rise from its initial public offering price of ₩250,000. At that time, the company's market capitalization was valued at ₩2.41 trillion.

On June 23 of the current year, APR's market value exceeded that of LG Household & Health Care for the first time, attaining the second position in the Korean cosmetics industry. As of the previous day, APR’s market capitalization was ₩7.13 trillion, compared to LG H&H’s ₩4.59 trillion, with a difference of over ₩2.5 trillion. With the latest increase, APR has now surpassed Amorepacific as well, securing the top position in the K-beauty sector only 17 months after its stock market debut.