APR, a notable company in Korea's beauty technology sector, has surpassed Amorepacific to become the leading cosmetics firm in South Korea by market capitalization. This development follows APR's previous advancement past LG Household & Health Care. The change highlights the difficulties faced by the established "Big Two" in the K-beauty market, as a new competitor emerges rapidly.

As reported by the Korea Exchange on the 6th, APR's stock experienced a rise of ₩27,200 (14.52%), reaching ₩214,500 by 9:40 a.m., and briefly hit a record high of ₩220,000 after announcing better-than-expected second-quarter earnings. The current market capitalization of APR is approximately ₩8.16 trillion.

Established in 2014, APR owns several beauty brands including Aprilskin, Forment, and the rapidly expanding home beauty device brand MediCube. Strong export performance in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East has significantly contributed to its earnings growth. To enhance its global presence, APR has recently appointed IVE’s Jang Won-young as the new ambassador for its MediCube Age-R brand, succeeding actress Kim Hee-sun.

APR was listed on the stock exchange on February 27, 2023, with an initial share price of ₩317,500, marking a 27% increase from its initial public offering price of ₩250,000. At this time, its market capitalization was ₩2.41 trillion.

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