An advertisement for APR's skincare brand Medicube is displayed in Los Angeles. (APR)
An advertisement for APR's skincare brand Medicube is displayed in Los Angeles. (APR)

South Korean cosmetics company APR has become the top "K-beauty" firm by market capitalization with a valuation exceeding 8 trillion won ($5.7 billion), overtaking industry heavyweights Amorepacific and LG Household & Health Care.

The beauty tech company’s market cap reached 8.35 trillion won as of Thursday’s closing, surpassing the 8 trillion won threshold for the first time as of closing price. On the previous day, its market cap exceeded 8 trillion won during intraday trading but eventually wrapped up trading just below the mark at 7.93 trillion won.

With former industry leader Amorepacific’s market capitalization hovering around 7.5 trillion won, APR has surpassed its peers in valuation. The company had already overtaken LG Household & Health Care in June, exceeding its market cap of 4.6 trillion won.

APR's growth was buoyed by strong second-quarter earnings, which were announced on Wednesday. During the April-June period, the firm reported consolidated sales of 327.7 billion won and an operating profit of 84.6 billion won, marking year-over-year increases of 111 percent and 202 percent, respectively.

The company's growth in the second quarter was largely driven by overseas earnings, which accounted for 78 percent of its total revenue -- the second consecutive quarter overseas earnings exceeded 70 percent.

The US market alone accounted for 29 percent of quarterly sales, surpassing domestic sales to become the company’s largest market.

With the upbeat earnings, APR posted cumulative sales of 593.8 billion won and an operating profit of 139.1 billion won in the first half of this year, surpassing the company’s full-year operating profit of 122.7 billion won in 2024.

"Backed by strong support from global consumers, APR was able to deliver solid results in the first half of 2025, demonstrating strong growth in the beauty industry,” the company explained.

“We will continue to strive to meet annual performance targets and remain committed to shareholder-friendly management.”


silverstar@heraldcorp.com