C&C International, the No. 4 beauty original design manufacturer (ODM) in Korea by sales, has begun building a new plant, accelerating its shift to a "comprehensive ODM" that spans basic skincare.
Earlier, C&C International drew industry attention after securing a 50 billion won investment from Shinsegae Food during its acquisition process last year by private equity firm Ascent Equity Partners. While the company's business portfolio had been skewed toward color cosmetics, it plans to significantly expand its basic skincare production capacity through the new plant to secure stable sales growth and profitability.
According to the Financial Supervisory Service on the 10th, C&C International recently announced in a filing that it would invest 79 billion won over one year and seven months to construct a new Cheongju plant. The company secured the plant site in 2023 for 27 billion won and, in Aug. last year, signed an investment agreement with North Chungcheong Province and Cheongju City to obtain administrative support.
The new Cheongju plant will be built on a site of about 63,894 square meters (about 19,300 pyeong) within the Cheongju Central Valley General Industrial Complex in North Chungcheong Province. It will be more than six times larger than the combined sites of C&C International's existing domestic plants in Hwaseong and Yongin. The company expects that once the new plant is completed in Sep. next year, its total annual production capacity will expand by 1 billion units from the current level to 1.45 billion units.
In Oct. last year, C&C International was acquired by "Beauty Synergy 2025 Private Equity," represented by private equity firm Ascent Equity Partners. In the process, E-MART affiliate Shinsegae Food also committed 50 billion won to the private equity vehicle.
During the acquisition, C&C International raised 145 billion won in proceeds from a third-party paid-in capital increase. At the time, the company said it would allocate 45 billion won to the new Cheongju plant and 100 billion won to acquiring equity in other entities. As the project took shape, the new plant investment grew from 45 billion won to 79 billion won.
A C&C International official said, "Initially, we planned to build only part of the production lines and then expand in phases, but we decided to secure additional capacity from the start because we expect initial orders to exceed earlier estimates."
C&C International has grown its presence in the industry as a color cosmetics ODM focused on point makeup such as lips and eyes. It is known to serve major global cosmetics companies including L'Oréal, Estée Lauder, and LVMH, as well as various indie brands at home and abroad.
However, because color products are highly sensitive to fast-changing trends, there have been steady concerns that performance is volatile depending on the success or failure of hit items. As K-beauty's growth axis has broadened to North America and Europe, the local demand has been clearly shifting toward basic skincare-focused products.
In response, C&C International plans to sharply increase basic skincare production capacity through the new plant and leap into a comprehensive beauty ODM. Basic products are considered a stable revenue source for ODM players thanks to steady repeat purchases by customers. A company official said, "The new Cheongju plant will serve as a forward base to secure rapidly increasing global orders more reliably."
C&C International, the No. 4 cosmetics ODM in Korea, posted 282.9 billion won in sales and 29 billion won in operating profit in 2024. Sales rose 28.4% from a year earlier, while operating profit fell 9.7%. In 2025, sales totaled 215.3 billion won through the third quarter.
During the same period, sales at Kolmar Korea (including other businesses) and COSMAX were 2.0669 trillion won and 1.7978 trillion won, respectively. The No. 3 player, Cosmecca Korea, posted 462.5 billion won in sales, reflecting a large gap between the top two and the third and fourth places.
Han Yong-hee, a researcher at Growth Research, said, "C&C International plans to strengthen its competitiveness in basic skincare through the new plant," adding, "In line with the trend of integrating color and basic cosmetics, the company is expected to secure the capability to launch new products such as functional color cosmetics."