Korean "beauty tech (a portmanteau of beauty and technology)" companies are drawing attention in overseas markets. Industry officials also say the government's regulatory guidelines are not keeping up with the pace of technological development.
According to the industry on the 18th, at CES 2026, the world's largest information technology (IT) and home appliance show held recently in the United States, K-beauty corporations achieved results by promoting beauty tech such as artificial intelligence (AI)-based skin diagnosis, personalized cosmetics recommendations, and home care devices.
Following Samsung Electronics last year, Kolmar Korea won the "top innovation award in the beauty tech institutional sector" this year. Established last year, the award went to the "micro light-emitting diode (LED) beauty mirror," developed in partnership between Samsung Electronics and Amorepacific. In addition to a standard mirror function, it analyzes a user's skin condition via a built-in camera and provides customized skincare solutions based on the data. This year, the "Scar Beauty Device," which uses AI developed by Kolmar Korea to address wound treatment and makeup coverage at once, won the award.
Among fast-growing beauty tech corporations, APR Co.'s flagship home beauty device "Medicube Age-R" surpassed a cumulative global sales volume of 5 million units in September last year. Medicube is on the verge of becoming the first among domestic indie beauty tech brands to reach 1 trillion won in annual sales.
Despite such results, there is criticism that domestic regulations and classification, labeling, and certification standards for beauty devices are not clear. Beauty devices classified as cosmetic devices have simpler certification procedures than medical devices. Medical devices must receive formal approval or certification from the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety and undergo clinical trials to prove safety and efficacy. Only medical professionals can use them, and use by nonmedical personnel is illegal. Cosmetic devices are products made for general beauty or skin care purposes, such as light-emitting diode (LED) masks for improving skin tone and home care devices.
Under current law, if a cosmetic device implies it has effects on par with a medical device or advertises medical efficacy, it can be interpreted as encroaching on the medical field. However, many beauty devices sit at the boundary of cosmetics, medical devices, and IT services, and when they also include AI analysis and data-based functions, on-the-ground voices say regulatory interpretation becomes even more difficult.
A beauty industry official said, "Current standards related to beauty tech are ambiguous and have many stringent aspects, making it hard to respond. From a marketing standpoint, it's also unclear how far we can go in introducing the technology's efficacy."
In addition, selling beauty tech products on e-commerce or home shopping requires certification. Under current classifications, only four items — ▲ LED masks ▲ scalp care devices ▲ eye massagers ▲ plasma cosmetic devices — are categorized as household cosmetic devices and are subject to household goods safety confirmation certification. Most beauty devices other than these four items are classified as simple industrial products and can be sold as long as they pass KC certification applied to industrial products, such as electrical and electromagnetic compatibility tests. While this is because devices come into direct contact with the skin and could pose safety issues, there is also criticism that the item criteria are too simple.
In particular, small and midsize companies or small startups active in the global market are having relatively more difficulty with risk management than large corporations. An official at a small beauty tech firm said, "Uncertainty in regulatory interpretation is a heavy burden at the distribution and marketing stages," adding, "If efficacy verification, safety information, and user guidelines are not properly organized, the growth trend could instead fuel market confusion."
Kim Ju-deok, a professor in the Department of Beauty Industry at Sungshin Women's University, said, "Global corporations are integrating AI to accelerate beauty tech development, but in Korea, ambiguous regulations could slow the pace," adding, "The government should overhaul regulations to give domestic corporations wings."