Topical medicine Madecassol and Fucidin… Exploring the gold mine in cosmetics with their reputation

Pharmaceutical companies that have become renowned for their topical medications are also making their mark in the cosmetics market based on their technological prowess and reputation.

According to the pharmaceutical and bio industry on the 12th, cosmetics based on topical medicines such as Dongkook Pharmaceutical’s Madecassol, Dong-A Pharmaceutical’s Noscana Gel, and Dongwha Pharmaceutical’s Fucidin are doing well. It is evaluated that they are not only applying the technology, know-how, and reputation accumulated from topical medicines to cosmetics, but are also approaching consumers quickly by giving them similar names.

Among pharmaceutical companies, Dongkook Pharmaceutical is the one that is most active in the cosmetics business. In 2015, the company launched the brand ‘Centellian 24’ named after the main ingredient of the wound healing agent ‘Madecasol’ (Centella atiatica), and released ‘Madecas Cream’ using the same ingredient. This is an example of the wound healing effect of Madecasol being applied to the skin regeneration of cosmetics.

Since its launch, Centellian24 has achieved cumulative sales of 900 billion won as of June of this year, and Madeca Cream has sold over 60 million units. It is doing a great job. It is predicted that Centellian24’s cumulative sales will exceed 1 trillion won as early as next year.

Dongwha Pharmaceutical also threw its hat into the cosmetics market with its wound healing ointment, Fucidin. The company’s specialized care brand for trouble, ‘Fusidine’, launched last year, uses ingredients with the same origin as Fucidin. It is effective in correcting the damaged skin balance and soothing skin that has been irritated all day.

Dongwha Pharmaceutical’s ‘Fushidine Sunscreen’, released this year, ranked first in the ‘Derma Cosmetic Sunscreen’ category at Olive Young within three months of its release. As of July, Dongwha Pharmaceutical’s cumulative sales for its cosmetics business amounted to 25 billion won.

Dong-A Pharmaceutical has recently emerged as a rising star in the cosmetics sector. Dong-A Pharmaceutical’s trouble care brand ‘Partion’ launched in 2019 has ‘Noscanine’ as its representative product. This product is a cosmetics line created by Dong-A Pharmaceutical for acne and skin trouble care. It was created based on ‘Noscan Gel’, the No. 1 acne scar treatment topical agent in Korea. Partyion, which has been actively marketing recently, recorded sales of 11.2 billion won in the first half of the year, up 105% year-on-year. It has been growing by about two times every year since its launch.

HanDokdo launched the cosmetic brand ‘ClearT&’ based on the acne treatment ‘ClearTin’ in the form of a water patch. ClearT&, a compound word of ‘clear’ meaning clean and ‘teenager’, is expanding its business to focus on cleansers for relieving acne-prone skin and patches for troubled skin.

A pharmaceutical industry insider commented, “Companies that own topical medications have been researching for a long time how specific ingredients are absorbed and delivered to the skin,” and added, “They are at an advantage because they can apply that technology and know-how to cosmetics.”

Lee Young-ae, a professor of consumer science at Incheon National University, explained, “Cosmetics are products that are applied to the skin, so consumers also consider safety and functionality important,” and “Because they know that pharmaceuticals are made more strictly and meticulously than general cosmetics, cosmetics made based on pharmaceuticals also have a halo effect that they are products with guaranteed quality.”

The professor said, “In addition, if you use a name similar to a product that has been loved for a long time, it is easier to appeal to consumers in terms of advertising effectiveness because the name itself reminds them of the function.”