[INTERVIEW] How Mediheal is evolving beyond sheet masks

L&P Cosmetic is expanding Mediheal beyond sheet masks into a comprehensive skin care brand for daily routines. In August, Mediheal introduced its Derma Skin Care Series in Japan, featuring toners, serums and serum masks built around tea tree, madecassoside and PDRN. The strategy has supported strong growth, with Mediheal surpassing 200 billion won in Olive Young sales in 2025 and expanding across Japan.

The Derma Skin Care Series used serums with purity levels above 99 percent and the company’s patented FLEX-SOME technology, which is designed to improve ingredient stability and absorption.

Mediheal’s 2022 brand overhaul renewed 10 mask types, whose cumulative worldwide sales exceeded 15 million units within six months.

Sales of the Madecassoside Blemish Repair Serum rose 820 percent in the year after its 2024 launch, while Mediheal’s overall skin care category sales grew 404 percent in 2025.

By 2025, Mediheal had introduced more than 250 product types, sold over 3.1 billion sheet masks and exported products to more than 40 countries.

Mediheal’s sales in Japan had increased more than tenfold by 2020 compared with its first year there in 2017, and the brand later expanded to 340 retail channels and 43,000 stores.

Published Oct 15, 2026 7:00 am KST

Updated Oct 15, 2026 2:05 pm KST

Beauty knowhow expands to broader skin care solutions

L&P Cosmetic's R&D Center in Seoul's Gangseo District / Courtesy of L&P Cosmetic

This is the third in a series of interview stories and feature stories about L&P Cosmetic, a company behind the globally popular facial sheet mask brand Mediheal, introducing the philosophies, insights and future strategies of leaders of the K-beauty company. — ED

Best known for turning sheet masks into a beauty routine staple, L&P Cosmetic’s Mediheal is building its next stage of growth around a broader portfolio of skin care solutions, ranging from toners to serums, cleansers, creams and sun care products.

The expansion reflects Mediheal’s evolution from a mask-focused label into a comprehensive skin care brand designed to address consumers’ needs across every step of their daily routines. Drawing on the recognition it has built through sheet masks, the brand is extending its ingredient expertise and research capabilities into products that can be used before, after and alongside masks.

L&P Cosmetic Chairman Kwon Oh-sub speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the company's headquarters in western Seoul, June 30. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

That strategy was on display in Japan in August when Mediheal introduced its new Derma Skin Care Series, featuring toners, serums and serum masks. The series used three ingredients closely associated with the brand: tea tree, madecassoside and polydeoxyribonucleotide, better known as PDRN, an ingredient now gaining attention in the skin care market.

The series' launch marked another major transformation for the brand since its entry into Japan with its masks in 2017. Rather than treating masks as a standalone category, the series introduced a connected skin care routine, in which consumers use a toner, apply a serum and finish with a serum mask.

The series’ serums use ingredients with purity levels of more than 99 percent and the company's patented FLEX-SOME technology designed to improve ingredient stability and absorption.

The serum masks were designed with wider cuts to better fit the face. The series also promoted the W-care routine, encouraging use of the serum and serum mask together. The approach represents an expansion from masks into a broader skin care lineup, while keeping masks at the center of the brand’s product portfolio.

The series' introduction came just four months after Mediheal released four Square Serums and four Toner Pads featuring the same FLEX-SOME technology. The back-to-back product launch gave the brand a more complete selection of toner, serum and mask.

“Good cosmetic products sell. It’s just a matter of time. That mantra had me sell a sheet mask for 3,000 won ($2.20) apiece in 2009 when you could buy five for just a 1,000 won," L&P Cosmetic Chairman Kwon Oh-sub said in an interview with The Korea Times, referring to the year he released his first mask label Clinie.

A researcher at L&P Cosmetic's R&D Center develops a low-viscosity emulsion formulation inside the Emulsion Lab in this October photo. Courtesy of L&P Cosmetic

"People called me crazy back then. But later on, the popularity of sheet masks surged and so did the price. I kept the momentum going with Mediheal, introducing different types of masks that were more efficient and convenient."

The fast-paced expansion in Japan enabled Mediheal to build on the customer trust it developed through sheet masks while increasing its presence across local online and offline retail channels.

The strategy boosted local awareness of the brand. Mediheal’s Madecassoside Blemish Pad, for example, ranked first in the toner pad category of VoCE magazine’s 2025 Korean Best Cosmetics awards. The top-tier beauty magazine in Japan mentioned the product's technology that breaks down centella asiatica-derived madecassoside into fine particles to help deliver the ingredient to the skin’s outer layer.

As Mediheal sought to apply its expertise in masks to a broader skin care lineup, the company began testing its capabilities beyond sheet masks in 2022 by introducing the Madecassoside Total Skin Care Line, which uses madecassoside as a key ingredient across the brand's cleanser, sheet mask, toner pad, serum, cream and sun serum products.

L&P Cosmetic’s in-house research capability has helped make that transition possible. Since launching Mediheal in 2012, the company has accumulated data across different product formats and skin concerns. Its portfolio includes formulas featuring tea tree, madecassoside, PDRN, collagen, vitamins and hyaluronic acid, giving its researchers a broad ingredient base from which to develop and renew products.

“With help of Korea’s major original development manufacturers (ODMs) like Kolmar Korea and Cosmax, our researchers planned products the market truly needed at the time," Kwon said. "Because we let the ODMs produce our products, we focused on how our products can be applied more easily and meet more diverse needs.”

This equipment inside the Scale-Up Lab at L&P Cosmetic's R&D Center is designed for pilot-scale manufacturing tests under actual factory conditions before full-scale production, with a maximum batch capacity of 10 kilograms. Courtesy of L&P Cosmetic

Mediheal in 2022 carried out an extensive brand overhaul, changing product names, ingredients, mask materials and packaging. Within six months, cumulative sales of 10 renewed mask types surpassed 15 million units worldwide. Olive Young sales made up most of the figure.

“Mediheal’s popularity among foreigners was first demonstrated when Chinese tourists around 2014 began buying more masks year after year. A store here at first sold 100 masks," he said. "The number jumped to 400 and 1,200 in each subsequent month. One reason behind such popularity, now I come to think about it, was that it was easy to pack when flying back to China, making it a great souvenir.”

The brand’s research-led market positioning extended to cooperation with medical professionals and institutions. Mediheal has introduced a medical device cream available through prescriptions in collaboration with the Korea University Medical Center. The brand also produced educational content with dermatologists. These initiatives allowed Mediheal to claim patented technologies and promote its scientifically proven product strengths.

Mediheal's beauty technologies led to strong sales growth. In 2025, Mediheal became the first brand carried by Olive Young to surpass 200 billion won ($147 million) in annual sales. The milestone demonstrated the brand's performance was no longer being driven by the masks alone.

Madecassoside Blemish Repair Serum particularly fueled this growth. Sales of the product increased 820 percent in just a year after its launch in 2024, while sales of Mediheal’s overall skin care category in 2025 grew 404 percent from previous year. The serum’s popularity demonstrated consumers’ willingness to follow Mediheal from familiar mask products into daily treatment products.

L&P Cosmetic's Madecassoside Blemish Pad, left, and Derma Serum Madecassoside Moisture Blemish products under the Mediheal brand / Courtesy of L&P Cosmetic

Mediheal ranked first in overall sales among beauty brands at Olive Young in 2024 and 2025 and is now seeking to extend it another year. Its expanding portfolio gives the brand more opportunities to reach consumers with different routines and affordable prices while generating cross-category demand among existing customers.

Japan has witnessed how brand recognition for Mediheal translated into the brand’s wide commercial growth. By 2020, Mediheal’s sales in the country had increased more than tenfold from its first year in the market in 2017. The company initially gained traction by offering products at accessible prices, establishing local production and tailoring package designs to Japanese consumers.

Mediheal has since built a presence across 340 retail channels and 43,000 stores in Japan. The company plans to expand the new Derma Skin Care Series from online sales to variety stores and general retail outlets, using its established mask distribution network to increase shelf space for toner, serum and other skin care products.

“Last year, our sales based on factory price reached about 400 billion won. I believe it won’t be long before that figure marks 2 trillion won,” Kwon said.

As of 2025, Mediheal introduced more than 250 product types and sold over 3.1 billion sheet masks. The company describes the figure as the highest domestic total for the category. Mediheal products are now exported to more than 40 countries.

Kwon, however, stressed that K-beauty could use more support from the government.

“We don’t have a single state-run research center dedicated to beauty industry, which is a shame when the government keeps mentioning K-beauty as a global success story. Unlike the semiconductor or food industries, beauty firms are now left to compete against each other without being able to share a high-end research facility here. It could also be a good place where tourists could come and learn about K-beauty,” Kwon said.

L&P Cosmetic正将Mediheal品牌从面膜拓展为涵盖日常护肤的综合护肤品牌。今年8月，Mediheal在日本推出了Derma Skin Care系列，该系列包括爽肤水、精华液和精华面膜，主要成分为茶树、积雪草苷和PDRN。这一战略推动了Mediheal的强劲增长，预计到2025年，Olive Young系列的销售额将突破2000亿韩元，并正在日本各地扩张。

Derma 护肤系列采用纯度超过 99% 的精华液和公司专利的 FLEX-SOME 技术，旨在提高成分的稳定性和吸收率。

Mediheal 于 2022 年进行了品牌重塑，推出了 10 款口罩，其全球累计销量在六个月内超过 1500 万件。

Madecassoside 祛痘修复精华液在 2024 年上市后的第二年销量增长了 820%，而 Mediheal 的整体护肤品类在 2025 年的销量增长了 404%。

到 2025 年，美迪海尔已推出 250 多种产品类型，售出 31 亿多片面膜，并将产品出口到 40 多个国家。

与 2017 年进入日本市场的第一年相比，到 2020 年 Mediheal 在日本的销售额增长了十倍以上，该品牌后来扩展到 340 个零售渠道和 43,000 家门店。

发布于2026年10月15日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月15日下午2:05（韩国标准时间）

美容知识扩展到更广泛的护肤解决方案

L&P化妆品公司位于首尔江西区的研发中心 / 图片由L&P化妆品公司提供

这是关于L&P Cosmetic（旗下拥有全球知名面膜品牌Mediheal）系列访谈和专题报道的第三篇，旨在介绍这家韩国美妆公司领导者的理念、洞见和未来战略。—— ED

L&P Cosmetic 旗下的 Mediheal 以将面膜打造成美容护肤的必备品而闻名，如今正围绕更广泛的护肤解决方案组合构建其下一阶段的增长，产品范围涵盖爽肤水、精华液、洁面乳、面霜和防晒产品。

此次产品线扩张体现了Mediheal从专注于面膜的品牌转型为全方位护肤品牌，旨在满足消费者日常护肤的每一个步骤的需求。凭借面膜积累的良好口碑，该品牌正将其在成分研发方面的专业知识和能力拓展至面膜前、面膜后及面膜配合使用的产品领域。

6月30日，L&P化妆品公司董事长权五燮在位于首尔西部的公司总部接受《韩国时报》采访。（《韩国时报》崔元硕摄）

今年8月，Mediheal在日本推出了全新的Derma护肤系列，包括爽肤水、精华液和精华面膜，充分展现了这一策略。该系列采用了三种与品牌紧密相关的成分：茶树油、积雪草苷和聚脱氧核糖核苷酸（PDRN），后者是一种目前在护肤品市场备受关注的成分。

该系列产品的推出标志着该品牌自 2017 年携面膜进入日本市场以来又一次重大转型。该系列产品没有将面膜视为一个独立的品类，而是引入了一套完整的护肤流程，消费者先使用爽肤水，然后涂抹精华液，最后敷上精华面膜。

该系列精华液采用纯度超过 99% 的成分，并采用公司专利的 FLEX-SOME 技术，旨在提高成分的稳定性和吸收率。

这款精华面膜采用更宽大的剪裁设计，以更好地贴合面部轮廓。该系列还推广了W-care护肤流程，鼓励精华液和精华面膜搭配使用。此举标志着该品牌的产品线从面膜拓展至更广泛的护肤领域，同时仍将面膜置于其产品组合的核心地位。

该系列产品的推出距离美迪喜推出四款采用相同FLEX-SOME技术的方形精华液和四款爽肤棉片仅四个月。这一系列产品的接连上市，使该品牌拥有了更完整的爽肤水、精华液和面膜产品线。

“好的化妆品总能卖出去，只是时间问题。正是这种理念让我在2009年以每片3000韩元（2.20美元）的价格出售面膜，而当时1000韩元就能买到5片。”L&P化妆品公司董事长权五燮在接受《韩国时报》采访时说道，他指的是他推出第一个面膜品牌倩碧的那一年。

这张摄于十月的照片显示，L&P化妆品研发中心的一位研究人员正在乳液实验室内研制低粘度乳液配方。图片由L&P化妆品公司提供。

“当时人们都说我疯了。但后来，面膜越来越受欢迎，价格也水涨船高。我趁势创立了Mediheal，推出了更多高效便捷的面膜产品。”

在日本的快速扩张使 Mediheal 能够巩固其通过面膜建立起来的客户信任，同时扩大其在当地线上和线下零售渠道的影响力。

这一策略提升了品牌在韩国本土的知名度。例如，Mediheal的积雪草苷祛痘棉片在VoCE杂志2025年韩国最佳化妆品大奖的爽肤棉片类别中荣获第一名。日本顶级美妆杂志也提及了该产品采用的先进技术，该技术能将积雪草提取物——积雪草苷分解成细小颗粒，从而更好地将有效成分输送到肌肤表层。

随着 Mediheal 寻求将其在面膜方面的专业知识应用于更广泛的护肤产品系列，该公司于 2022 年开始测试其在片状面膜之外的能力，推出了 Madecassoside 全效护肤系列，该系列以 Madecassoside 为主要成分，涵盖了该品牌的洁面乳、片状面膜、爽肤棉片、精华液、面霜和防晒精华液产品。

L&P Cosmetic 的内部研发能力助力公司实现了这一转型。自 2012 年推出 Mediheal 系列以来，公司已积累了涵盖不同产品形式和肌肤问题的各种数据。其产品组合包括含有茶树油、积雪草苷、PDRN、胶原蛋白、维生素和透明质酸的配方，为研究人员提供了丰富的成分基础，用于开发和更新产品。

权先生表示：“在韩国主要原始设备制造商（ODM）如科玛韩国和科斯玛等公司的帮助下，我们的研究人员规划出了当时市场真正需要的产品。由于我们让ODM公司生产我们的产品，因此我们专注于如何让我们的产品更容易应用，并满足更多样化的需求。”

L&P化妆品研发中心放大实验室内的这套设备，旨在为大规模生产前在实际工厂条件下进行中试规模的生产测试而设计，最大批量产能为10公斤。图片由L&P化妆品公司提供。

2022年，美迪海尔进行了全面的品牌重塑，包括更改产品名称、成分、面膜材质和包装。短短六个月内，10款全新面膜的全球累计销量突破1500万片，其中Olive Young面膜的销量占据了绝大部分。

“美迪喜尔口罩在外国人中受欢迎程度最早体现在2014年左右，当时中国游客开始逐年购买更多口罩。起初，这里的一家门店只卖出100个口罩，”他说。“随后每个月的销量都跃升至400个和1200个。现在想想，它如此受欢迎的原因之一是，口罩便于携带，回国时是很好的伴手礼。”

该品牌以研究为导向的市场定位延伸至与医疗专业人士和机构的合作。Mediheal与韩国大学医疗中心合作推出了一款需凭处方购买的医疗器械乳膏。该品牌还与皮肤科医生合作制作了教育内容。这些举措使Mediheal得以宣称其拥有专利技术，并推广其经科学验证的产品优势。

Mediheal的美容科技带来了强劲的销售增长。2025年，Mediheal成为Olive Young旗下首个年销售额突破2000亿韩元（约合1.47亿美元）的品牌。这一里程碑表明，该品牌的业绩增长不再仅仅依赖于面膜产品。

积雪草苷祛斑修护精华液尤其推动了这一增长。该产品于2024年上市，仅一年内销量就增长了820%，而Mediheal 2025年的整体护肤品销量也比上一年增长了404%。这款精华液的受欢迎程度表明，消费者愿意跟随Mediheal，从熟悉的面膜产品转向日常护理产品。

L&P Cosmetic 的积雪草苷祛痘棉片（左）和 Mediheal 品牌的积雪草苷保湿祛痘精华液 / 图片由 L&P Cosmetic 提供

Mediheal在2024年和2025年Olive Young美妆品牌总销售额排名中位列第一，目前正寻求再延续这一佳绩。其不断扩充的产品组合为该品牌提供了更多机会，使其能够以更实惠的价格触达不同护肤习惯的消费者，同时也在现有客户中激发了跨品类的需求。

日本市场见证了Mediheal品牌知名度如何转化为其广泛的商业增长。到2020年，Mediheal在日本的销售额比2017年进入市场的第一年增长了十倍以上。该公司最初通过提供价格亲民的产品、建立本地化生产以及根据日本消费者需求定制包装设计而获得市场认可。

Mediheal目前已在日本340个零售渠道和43,000家门店建立了销售网络。该公司计划将全新的Derma护肤系列产品从线上销售拓展至百货商店和综合零售店，并利用其已有的面膜分销网络，增加爽肤水、精华液和其他护肤品的货架空间。

“去年，我们按出厂价计算的销售额约为4000亿韩元。我相信不久之后，这个数字就能突破2万亿韩元，”权先生说道。

截至2025年，美迪海尔已推出超过250种产品，面膜销量超过31亿片。该公司称，这是国内同类产品销量最高的纪录。美迪海尔的产品目前已出口到40多个国家。

然而，权女士强调，韩国美容产业需要政府提供更多支持。

“我们竟然没有一家专门研究美容行业的国营研究中心，这实在令人遗憾，因为政府一直把韩妆吹捧为全球成功案例。与半导体或食品行业不同，美容公司现在只能互相竞争，无法共享高端研发设施。这里也可以成为游客了解韩妆的好去处，”权先生说道。