Med

Market position

Medicon positions itself as a manufacturer and developer of aesthetic and medical devices for professional and at-home markets, citing US FDA 510(k) clearance for its acne device, INNO-BIZ certification, exports to 45 countries in Europe and Asia, and ODM supply relationships with brands including L'Oreal.

Differentiation claims center on regulatory and research credentials (FDA 510(k) clearance, registered SCI research, INNO-BIZ certification), a patented 7MHz HIFU transducer described as enabling a very compact device, multi-frequency ultrasound combining 1MHz, 3MHz and 10MHz in one device, and a domestic Korean technology, production and distribution chain for its electronic air mask.

Technology

The company's technology base is light- and ultrasound-based skin treatment: blue light therapy combined with thermal shock and heat shock protein mechanisms for acne, red light therapy, iontophoresis/galvanic delivery of cosmetic actives, ultrasonic peeling, high-intensity focused ultrasound with a patented 7MHz transducer and multiple depth cartridges, and multi-frequency (1/3/10MHz) ultrasound intended to act at epidermal, dermal and subcutaneous depths. Medicon reports 19 patented technologies registered in South Korea and abroad and states that effectiveness and safety have been assessed through specialized clinical institutions, with registered SCI research for CLEANE ACNE.

Go-to-market

Products reach consumers through exports to distributors, home shopping channels and skin care service providers, while professional devices target clinics, spas, salons and dermatology and plastic surgery practices. ODM agreements with established cosmetics and pharmaceutical brands provide an additional channel. The company also promotes products through trade shows and conferences, including CES 2023 and a 2024 beauty and healthcare show, and through video and TV broadcast marketing content.

Consumers buying at-home skin care and medical devices; professional aesthetic operators such as skin clinics, spas, salons and Korean medicine clinics; hospital-based dermatologists and plastic surgeons; and brand partners seeking ODM manufacturing.

Geography

Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea (Seongbuk-dong, Seongbuk-gu), with exports to 45 countries across Europe and Asia and partner relationships in France.

History

Founded in 2006, Medicon focused initially on blue light therapy for at-home skin care. In 2008 it introduced the hand-held CLEANE ACNE blue light therapy device to international markets, which received US FDA clearance in February 2012. From 2010 the company supplied CLEANE under the partner tradenames "CCB" and "Thermo Active", and subsequently developed CLEANE RED and CLEANE PEELING as the CLEANE brand grew. It received INNO-BIZ certification in June and reports partnerships with Beauté Créateurs, L'Oreal S.A., Tony Moly, Green Cross and Korea Kolmar. ULTIGHT, a HIFU lifting and tightening device, was introduced in 2018, and the ULKIN dual ultrasound device for face and body care followed in 2020, the same year the company published marketing material for the BIO2 AIR MASK.