This article was published on July 30, 2025, at 7 a.m. on the ChosunBiz RM Report website.
It was confirmed on the 30th that 'At Home', which entered the related market by launching a beauty device using ultrasound early this year, received an administrative order to cease the production and sale of the related product for one month due to a violation of the Radio Waves Act.
According to the related industry, the National Radio Research Agency issued an administrative order on the 9th to At Home, instructing a one-month cessation of production, import, and sale of the beauty device product 'Tom the Glow' under its home aesthetic brand 'Thome' due to a violation of compliance evaluation standards.
The National Radio Research Agency has the authority to investigate and test whether broadcasting and communication equipment certified under the Radio Waves Act is manufactured, imported, and sold in accordance with technical standards.
An official from the National Radio Research Agency stated, "The product exceeded standards in tests evaluating whether the electromagnetic waves emitted externally during operation could affect surrounding electronic devices. Due to the possibility of malfunctions in surrounding devices, we issued an administrative order."
At Home is a small appliance specialist company established in 2018. It has grown by focusing on products like the food waste disposer 'Minix'. The company has expanded its business portfolio to include basic cosmetics and protein foods. Last year's results showed sales of 115 billion won and operating profit of 8 billion won, achieving its highest performance since its founding.
The product at issue, 'Tom the Glow', reportedly penetrates deep into the skin with fine vibrational energy generated by rapidly crossing vibrating energies of 3 MHz (Megahertz is 1 million vibrations per second) and 10 MHz frequency to provide clarity, moisture, and elasticity improvement effects simultaneously.
Yang Jeong-ho, the CEO of At Home, mentioned in a press conference last April, "Typically, developing a beauty device requires an investment of 500 million won and takes 3 to 4 months to complete, but the Tom the Glow product required an investment of 3 billion won and took 2 years to complete."
At Home has produced and sold the product on a pre-order basis, conducting what is known as 'sell-out marketing' with dozens to hundreds of units. During the first sale in February, an initial quantity of 300 units sold out, and it has continued sales through pre-order format for 11 rounds up to recent times. In May, it sold out 1,500 units on CJ OnStyle home shopping.
At Home states on its official website that the cumulative number of units sold to date is 23,000. Based on the product's regular price (999,000 won), the sales amount is expected to reach 23 billion won.
Immediately after receiving the administrative order, At Home temporarily suspended sales of the product. Following this, they recently received re-certification for a new product after improving the design and enhancing electromagnetic standards. Currently, At Home is accepting pre-purchase reservations for the re-certified product under the same name on its website.
Although there is no obligation to recall existing sold products due to this administrative order, the National Radio Research Agency recommends collection. At Home is providing free after-sales service for existing buyers.
An official from At Home noted, "This issue arose during the process of improving the internal structure of the product after initial certification, and it is unrelated to human safety standards." They added, "We will continue to strengthen collaboration with manufacturers to raise safety standards."
According to Samil PwC Management Research Institute, the global home beauty device market, which was valued at $14 billion (about 19 trillion won) in 2022, is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 26.1% to $89.8 billion (about 125 trillion won) by 2030. Small to medium-sized home appliance companies are adopting beauty devices as a future growth business and entering the market.
Concerns are also being raised in the beauty industry. An industry official stated, "Beauty devices come into direct contact with users' skin and utilize electromagnetic or thermal energy, making product safety and certification critical. An increase in indiscriminate new product launches could lead to cases that threaten consumer safety."