FICC is a company that operates the high-functional skincare cosmetics brand ‘AROCELL.’ It was founded in March 2019 by Eui Hoon Park (55).
“The company name FICC is an abbreviation of ‘First In Class.’ First In Class is a term in the pharmaceutical industry that refers to a new drug capable of treating diseases through an innovative mechanism of action. While K-beauty has enjoyed significant quantitative growth, its global standing remains mostly at the ‘Best In Class’ level. Our company applies new materials derived from biopharmaceuticals to cosmetics, creating First In Class cosmetics that address the unmet needs in beauty.”
FICC develops and sells high-functional skincare cosmetics. The representative hero product is the AROCELL Super Collagen Mask Pack. It is a skin-friendly mask pack made with human umbilical cord blood stem cell culture fluid and ultra-low-molecular-weight collagen.
“A single sheet mask weighs 43 grams. You can think of it as solidifying an entire jar of collagen cream into a mask pack. The longer this product is used, from at least 2 hours to overnight as a sleeping pack, the greater the effect it delivers. Customers have responded that using just a single sheet gives the feeling of having received a complete aesthetic care treatment. Through its anti-aging effects, it has been clinically proven to improve the skin aging index by more than 8 points. Despite its high price of \8,000 per sheet, more than 8 million sheets have been sold since its launch, and recently, sales have reached 1 million sheets per month.”
Its flagship product is the AROCELL Super Power Cream. A 50-gram jar is sold at \390,000 in Korea and €365 at European spas. The product is a functional cream containing transdermal botulinum toxin and human umbilical cord blood stem cell culture fluid, and it has been selling steadily. In particular, it is gaining popularity for the response that it makes the skin comfortably regenerate after high-priced skin treatments.
FICC is developing cosmetics using new biopharmaceutical materials that are currently undergoing new drug approval.
“We have developed products that directly act on skin cells by using transdermal botulinum toxin, human umbilical cord blood stem cell culture fluid, and nano-sized graphene oxide. Through their high functional efficacy, AROCELL brand products are well-received as premium treatment products and home-care cosmetics at Europe’s top luxury aesthetic spas. AROCELL cosmetics are products whose anti-aging and skin improvement effects have been proven through official clinical test results.”
For FICC, the fandom of loyal customers on its own online mall plays the most significant role in its marketing efforts. Since 2020, it has been engaging with 230,000 members and 110,000 KakaoTalk Plus Friends through its own online mall.
“I personally engage as AROCEO, directly communicating with over 2,500 top-tier VIP members of our online mall. Through this, we are developing new products that reflect customer feedback and needs. Additionally, the in-house brand marketing team directly handles content and viral marketing. Through this, we are generating over 200 pieces of content each month, more than 60% of which are created organically.”
In the overseas sector, from the early stages of the business, the company positioned itself as a high-functional, premium product in luxury aesthetic spas in Europe and the United States. Since last year, it has begun working to secure overseas distributors. This year, global sales are expected to exceed \10 billion. CEO Park said, “We held a pop-up event at Printemps Department Store in France,” adding, “We will expand our local buyers by opening booths at exhibitions in six countries, including the United States, Türkiye, the Middle East, and Australia.”
FICC secured an investment of \2 billion from TS Investment in May 2024 and another \2 billion from Hanwha Investment & Securities in May 2025. Currently, in connection with its selection for the Startup Scale-Up Package, the company is in discussions to secure a \1 billion investment from Timeworks Investment.
FICC is composed of the CEO, CFO, Digital Business Group (D-Commerce Team, Brand Marketing Team), Global Business Group, Anti-Aging Research Institute, Design Research Institute, Customer Success Team, Strategic Planning Team, and Finance & Accounting Team, with a total of 47 members.
Regarding future plans, CEO Park said, “We want AROCELL to become a pioneer in bio-beauty cosmetics,” adding, “Our goal is for customers to think of AROCELL first when it comes to collagen mask packs.”
Date of Establishment: March 2019
Main Business: Development and sales of cosmeceuticals
Achievements: Ranked No1 in the high-functional premium hydrogel mask pack market, surpassed 2,200 simultaneous orders on CJ OnStyle TV’s “Get It Beauty with So E-hyun” (a new record in the cosmetics category within 15 years, leading to early broadcast termination with 35 minutes remaining)
reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com