Beauty devices evolving into personalized healthcare platforms, Samjong KPMG says

Samjong KPMG's report "The Age of Skin Longevity and the Evolving Beauty Device Market" [Samjong KPMG]

The beauty device market is rapidly transforming into a personalized healthcare infrastructure combining AI, data and cosmetics, driven by the "skin longevity" trend — a shift from reactive anti-aging treatments toward sustaining the skin's natural resilience over the long term. Competition for market leadership is intensifying as companies from cosmetics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and home appliances all push into the space.

In a recently published report titled "The Age of Skin Longevity and the Evolving Beauty Device Market," Samjong KPMG said the industry is moving away from a simple hardware performance race toward building integrated ecosystems that connect devices, cosmetics, data and services.

Beauty devices, once little more than cleansing aids and tools to help skin absorb cosmetics, have evolved into high-performance home-use products that bring clinic-grade technologies — radiofrequency, high-intensity focused ultrasound, LED and electrical muscle stimulation — into the home. More recently, all-in-one devices combining multiple energy sources have added AI-powered skin diagnostic functions, enabling them to serve as ongoing personal skin management platforms.

The application scope is also expanding rapidly beyond the face to the scalp, hair and body, reflecting the "skinification" trend. Specialized home-care product lines incorporating LED phototherapy, electroporation, microcurrent and ultrasound technologies are growing in number.

As the market expands, the field of major players is diversifying. Domestic cosmetics companies are stepping up their push into the home-care segment with brands such as LG Pra.L, Makeon and Medicube Age-R. Aesthetic medical device and pharmaceutical companies that have focused on hospital-centered business-to-business operations — including Classys, Hironic and PharmaResearch — are leveraging their clinical expertise and core technologies to extend into the business-to-consumer home-care market.

However, beauty devices have long replacement cycles, making it difficult to generate recurring sales from hardware alone. To overcome this, companies are accelerating the development of "Beauty-as-a-Service" models that organically link devices with cosmetics, apps, data and subscription services. The strategy is to encourage regular device use that drives repeat purchases of dedicated ampoules, gels and other cosmetics, building a sustainable revenue base.

Changes in the business environment and key trends in the beauty device market [Provided by Samjong KPMG]

According to the report, the ability to deliver "precision beauty" will be the key competitive differentiator going forward. User experience capabilities that combine AI skin analysis, real-time sensors and usage history data to automatically adjust output intensity or routines based on an individual's skin condition and habits will determine success in the market.

Samjong KPMG said companies seeking to lead the beauty device market must raise technological barriers to entry by securing optimized energy-control technology for specific areas — including the scalp and body as well as the face — along with quantitative clinical evidence and global certifications. The firm also said companies should pursue mergers, acquisitions and partnerships with industries such as medical devices, cosmetics and AI while securing proprietary technologies and patents, and should pursue localization strategies that leverage skin data from diverse ethnicities to develop locally tailored AI algorithms and retail and customer touchpoints.

Park Gwan-jong, a managing director at Samjong KPMG, said the miniaturization of core hardware technologies such as radiofrequency and high-intensity focused ultrasound is leveling up product performance across the board. "Companies must differentiate through proprietary technology, patents, skin data and AI capabilities, and move quickly to capture new growth opportunities in specialized areas such as the scalp and body, as well as in global markets," Park said.

Meanwhile, Samjong KPMG, which operates on a March fiscal year, posted operating revenue of 905.6 billion won ($642 million) for the fiscal year running from April 2025 through March 2026, up about 3.4 percent from the previous year, crossing the 900 billion won threshold for the first time.

an@heraldcorp.com