Medicube launched in 2016 as part of APR Corp (which includes other famous skincare brands, such as Aprilskin). Medicube promised to be different from the outset, with each of their products undergoing ‘in house’ trials with participants to see the real effect of their products and ensure they could stand behind them with confidence. This has changed a lot about how other companies present their products – as taking on a ‘scientific’ branding changed K-Beauty from natural, traditional skincare to something that was leading clinical studies and dermatology. 

Part of my job is reading dermatology studies for hours on end, compiling data of – okay, should we recommend this product based on the results? Is it safe? Is it going to produce visible results for the user? So, having a company push forward with real data and say – “Look! It does make a difference!” is exciting. But, unfortunately, although these are tested by Medicube, it doesn’t always translate to a robust scientific study. It doesn’t mean their results aren’t real – but they are not published in a full report for the rest of us to divulge into.  

For example, their famous Collagen Night Wrapping Mask (a pearly, peel off mask that can be used overnight to lock in moisture) has been a revolution of sleeping mask technology. Nobody can take away how it has changed up people’s routines and became a viral darling of the K-beauty world. But the data behind it [Medicube reports a 31% improvement of skin elasticity, 24% improvement of 24hr moisture retention of skin and 23% skin-deep hydration], cannot be verified by us. A good scientific study cannot be confirmed unless we know how they performed their study (how many people, mask technique, how many times was the mask used) and we are able to repeat it.  

It’s like performing a home test on how good your home-made lasagna is. Surely, you can taste it, confirm it has a 10% improved umami flavor, a 15% improved crunchy crust and 12% improvement of creamy cheese sauce – but unless you invite a bunch of us over, take a neat survey and publish the honest results, we can’t confirm outside of your home study that, yes, your home-made lasagna is amazing. 

However, Medicube has been listening to this feedback and has since been publishing several of their clinical trials to back-up their data. It’s not available for all products, but on average it appears their own tests involve up to 20 participants and do conduct in-depth techniques to assess hydration, skin texture and absorption. It’s not enough for us to conclude 100% that their science is perfect – but it is neat to see real-time testing of skincare products before they’re released to market. 

Dermatology has been an area of science that hasn’t been getting a lot of attention – until very, very recently. People were pretty happy buying a moisturizer, as long as they were told that it would be beneficial to their skin. However, there has been a massive shift (driven by K-beauty) where people want visible and true results. So, there’s been an influx of people actually testing ingredients, techniques and devices – and there’s been one company hungrily reading these. Medicube!

PDRN was first entering skincare in 2014, with the rise of injectables under the skin. But it wasn’t until the late 2010s that people started really studying the why, who and benefits of it. And Medicube launched their response, releasing a line in 2020 that burst out of Korea and became viral across the globe. They added PDRN to sunscreen, serums, exosome serums and even night masks and cleansers – giving users the ability to select any format they wanted. 

Exosome (microneedling technology) was well known and established, but on the rise in the late 2010s. VT Cosmetics led the way with the release of their famous Reedle Shot line in 2023, which included natural freshwater sponge needles that had been broken apart to absorb easily into skin and boost natural collagen. Medicube was more than excited to join the train – with their launch a few months later of their Zero Pore Exosome Shot (which infused niacinamide, panthenol and trumpet flower extract to exfoliate) and their PDRN exosome shot (which infused PDRN and niacinamide into skin barrier). Both have been massive hits – for firmness, boosting skin as well as improving the skin barrier. 

Medicube is perhaps most famous for their devices. Previously, skincare devices would utilize a singular technology to draw a crowd – such as using vibrations, or LED light masks or using electroporation to boost absorption. But Medicube asked “How about all of it?” leading to their famous AGE-R Booster Pro device line. It is a 6-in-1 device that contains changeable LED therapy, blended with electroporation therapy (to boost skin absorption by up to 600%) all in an easy-to-use device that comes with a tracking app. It has revolutionized a lot of skincare routines and essentially is the iPhone of skincare devices. It is the most advanced skincare device on the market – and likely will stay that way for the foreseeable future (until we get some more cool clinical studies in). 

If you’ve seen a popular beauty trend – chances are Medicube has a product for it. From capsule creams (Medicube has a whole range of them), to hydrogel masks (The PDRN Collagen mask is everyone’s favourite) to acid sprays (Medicube formulated their Hypochlorous acid spray to refresh acne and resurface rough skin) and more! They are determined to stick with and even lead trends – including the newest trend for Medicube; turmeric!

Turmeric you might wonder? Why is that trending? Well, turmeric has been used for thousands of years for skin concerns, but is only just getting those sweet, sweet scientific studies completed. Studies only published in the last year have discovered that turmeric is a wonder to refresh dark spots, reduce inflammation as well as protect skin from UV-related aging. And being the new forefront – Medicube has released their latest line, all for managing dark spots and hyperpigmentation (Kojic acid + Turmeric).

You can read our review on its toner here, but it has already flooded socials and shopping carts alike. Not only has Medicube blended dark spot-lifting and radiant kojic acid, but infusing turmeric has created a very soothing line that is a boon to oily skin with hyperpigmentation. We’re seeing turmeric being added to a range of popular skincare products – including Dr Althea’s 345 Barrier Cream, Purito Seoul Retinol Spot Cream and Skin1004 Hyalu-Cica Moisture Cream. 

We’re likely to see turmeric being infused into more products as the benefits become clearer and clearer with research- but Medicube is already on the forefront, where they are happiest to be. 

Medicube is a really interesting K-Beauty brand that we’re likely to see surf the trends for a while yet. They’re ambitious, up-to-date on their scientific reading and at times more excited to explore the science than dermatologists are. But the real lesson is, if Medicube is releasing a new line – check out the trend, it’s likely to hit the world market before you know it.

Shop the best and brightest of Medicube's latest innovations (including their Kojic acid and Turmeric range) on Arktastic!