Global beauty technology company APR plans to expand its anti-aging skincare market by strengthening its in-house production capacity for compounds PDRN and PN, which it calls advanced anti-aging materials, and then entering the “skin booster” and biotechnology markets, the company said on Wednesday.
PDRN (Polydeoxyribonucleotides) and PN (Polynucleotides) are extracted from DNA taken from the sperm and gonads of salmon and trout. Both substances have regenerative and anti-inflammatory properties and are produced using similar manufacturing methods, but their uses differ depending on the length of the chain and the size of the cells. They were first introduced to the Korean market in 2008 with the approval of the National Food and Drug Safety Agency (NIFDS). Initially used mainly for medical purposes, PDRN and PN have recently been increasingly used as cosmetics for their skin rejuvenation effects.
The PDRN and PN-related markets have high business potential. According to the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the global PDRN market is expected to reach $7.68 billion by 2024. The market for skin boosters for “cosmetic purposes” is also promising, with global market research institutes predicting the market will exceed $1.45 billion by 2030.
APR has jumped on the opportunity and acquired PDRN and PN’s in-house production facilities. To be built in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, the facility will produce a wide range of products as APR continues to diversify its offerings. The factory will occupy a site area of approximately 13,200 square meters (142,000 square feet), with the building area alone being approximately 49,600 square meters. APR hopes to complete construction and have the factory operational and release prototypes by the end of the year.
![An exterior model of APR's second factory, the APR Factory Hirasawa Campus No. 2. [APR]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/07/18/d9d00e77-cfbd-426b-a2fb-5281a84aa4ec.jpg)
An exterior model of APR’s second factory, the APR Factory Hirasawa Campus No. 2. [APR]
Through investment in PDRN and PN, the company aims to complete the “PDRN value chain,” and will not only become an agent that supplies materials to companies that manufacture products using PDRN/PN, but will also develop a cosmetics line that incorporates its own PDRN under its own brand, Medicube.
APR continues to research synergistic effects of combining Medicube’s beauty device “Age R” with cosmetics, and hopes to discover new synergistic breakthroughs. Ultimately, APR aims to expand its business into the biotechnology and healthcare industries from a dermatology perspective, using PDRN and PN in Class IV medical devices such as “skin boosters” (dermal injections) and implants/artificial biomaterials (knee arthritis treatment).
“The skin regeneration effects of PDRN and PN indicate that they will emerge as important materials in the future skin cosmetics industry,” said an APR official. “We plan to draw up a consistent blueprint for our anti-aging and skin care business through our own supply and production, synergy between cosmetics and beauty equipment, and expansion into the healthcare industry.”
Kim Young-soo [kim.yeonsoo1@joongang.co.kr]
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