Companies producing skin extracellular matrix (ECM) skin boosters are expected to begin full-scale product manufacturing alongside the enforcement of a new law a year from now, as the path opens for human-extracted fat to be used for medical purposes. Since adipose ECM can be produced using fat that was previously discarded after only the dermis layer was utilized in the existing skin ECM production process, the segment is expected to emerge as a new growth axis in the skin care product market. The global adipose ECM market is also analyzed to expand following recent news that a U.S. actress's facial contours changed after undergoing an adipose ECM procedure.
According to the industry Wednesday, L&C Bio plans to launch "Mega Adipo," an adipose-derived ECM product, in line with the law's enforcement next year. The company has researched human adipose tissue-based regenerative medicine materials since 2018 and completed patent registrations for adipose ECM production in Korea in 2022 and China in 2023. The product is designed to maintain skin volume by promoting cell influx and differentiation to induce self-organization. "We had to incur costs to discard adipose tissue with excellent efficacy because we could not use it," an L&C Bio official said. "The revision of the law has made it possible to commercialize adipose ECM-based products."
Hans Biomed also plans to expand its adipose-derived ECM product lineup starting next year. Although it had been researching and developing adipose-derived ECM skin boosters for several years, legal restrictions on securing raw materials prevented it from establishing a concrete commercialization strategy. "The revision of the law has allowed us to further expand the ECM skin booster business," a Hans Biomed official said. "The scope of cooperation with Hugel, which distributes dermis ECM skin boosters, will also expand."
Adipose ECM is evaluated as a next-generation material that can replace the skin volume-supplementing function of existing fillers. Adipose ECM contains various biological components that constitute a tissue regeneration environment, including collagen, growth factors and proteins. As a result, injecting adipose ECM induces the migration and proliferation of fat cells and promotes blood vessel formation, helping to form natural volume in body areas such as the face. While fillers form volume by physically filling space through the injection of materials such as hyaluronic acid (HA), adipose ECM promotes blood vessel formation and tissue regeneration to induce more natural volume recovery.
MTF Biologics' "Renuva," commercialized in the United States, is cited as a representative adipose ECM product. "The scope of use will expand beyond aesthetic medicine to areas such as improving fat-atrophied regions and tissue reconstruction," an industry official said. In fact, a U.S. actress is drawing attention in the United States after her skin that had sagged with aging and the sunken areas on her facial surface were revived following an adipose ECM skin booster procedure.
Until now, domestic companies have been unable to commercialize products due to regulations on securing raw materials, even though they had secured adipose-derived ECM processing technology. Accordingly, they pioneered the market by launching dermis-derived ECM skin boosters, which were eligible for commercialization. L&C Bio launched "Rituo," an acellular dermal matrix (ADM)-based skin booster, in 2024. Rituo quickly established itself in the market right after launch, recording revenue of approximately 8 billion won in the first quarter of this year. This surpassed last year's annual revenue of 6 billion won in just one quarter.
Hans Biomed also launched "Celldm," a skin booster with the same mechanism of action, in September last year. In April this year, it expanded its sales base by signing a domestic distribution rights contract with Hugel. Celldm's first-quarter revenue this year was 3.7 billion won, and its annual revenue is projected to grow to as much as 30 billion won.
Meanwhile, according to Shinhan Investment & Securities, the ECM skin booster market is expected to grow from 9.9 billion won in 2025 to 172.9 billion won in 2027. With adipose ECM able to enter the market in addition to existing skin ECM, the market size is expected to expand further. "Companies with expanded production capacity, stable raw material procurement and distribution networks will reap the real benefits of the ECM market's growth," said Kim Ji-young, a researcher at Shinhan Investment & Securities.
