How Mediheal is evolving beyond sheet masks

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.

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.

“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.”

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.

Market reception

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.

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.