Riding the 'K-Beauty' Wave... Dong-A Pharmaceutical Accelerates Overseas Expansion of 'Patheon' and 'Lactobibe'

Dong-A Pharmaceutical is accelerating its entry into overseas markets by leveraging cosmetics and health functional foods.

Donga Pharmaceutical's cosmetics brand 'Patheon' (left) and health functional food 'Lactobive Ginosolution' [Photo by Donga Pharmaceutical]

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's '2023 Export-Import Trends' on the 29th, the export scale of cosmetics last year was $8.5 billion (approximately 11.5 trillion KRW), marking a 6.4% increase compared to the previous year. This indicates that the K-beauty market has entered a recovery phase again, supported by the endemic (periodic outbreak of infectious diseases) and subsequent reopening.

Dong-A Pharmaceutical is targeting these overseas markets with its dermocosmetic brand, Pation. Pation is a derma brand born from Dong-A Pharmaceutical’s skin research technology. It offers products primarily composed of HepaRin RX Complex, a proprietary ingredient based on the key component of Noscana Gel, an acne scar treatment.

Pation operates exclusive brand stores on major online malls in China, Japan, and Vietnam, advancing its overseas expansion. In China, a live shopping broadcast with influencers surpassed 200 million KRW in sales within one second. In Japan, Pation recorded its highest performance since entering Qoo10 Japan’s largest online shopping mall during the mega discount event MegaWari. It achieved first place not only in Qoo10 Japan’s beauty and skincare categories but also in the overall rankings.

Dong-A Pharmaceutical’s probiotics specialist brand, Lactobibe, is also actively expanding overseas. Lactobibe’s Gino Solution product was selected as the number one product in the health functional food category upon its launch on Qoo10 Japan in April. Lactobibe Gino Solution is a vaginal health probiotic recognized by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, containing zinc and selenium to help support normal immune function and female antioxidant function.

A Dong-A Pharmaceutical official stated, "We will expand our influence in the Southeast Asian market with products tailored to the global market and localized marketing strategies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.