Table of Contents
medicube is the Korean skincare brand from APR, best known abroad for its AGE-R beauty devices and, on the skincare side, for exfoliating pads, PDRN serums, collagen toners and creams, vitamin C and kojic acid brighteners, and the Red line for blemish-prone skin. Start with the Zero Pore Pad 2.0, then add one serum for your main concern.
medicube is one of the biggest names in Korean skincare right now, and one of the hardest ranges to navigate: our shop carries well over a hundred medicube products across pads, toners, serums, ampoules, creams, masks and even a collagen supplement. This guide groups them by line, explains what each is marketed for, and names a sensible first purchase.
At Daebak, a Seoul-based Korean culture and product company, product descriptions come from medicube's product pages and the company facts from the sources listed at the end. We describe what products are marketed for, not what they will do for you. medicube products in our shop are shipped by the brand.
The brand in brief
medicube belongs to APR, a Seoul company that started with cosmetics and then built a second business in at-home beauty devices. The Korea Herald reported in December 2025 that APR's medicube AGE-R line had become a breakout success in the global beauty device market: the company said it had sold more than 5 million devices worldwide since launching its first in 2021, including 2 million in the first nine months of 2025, and that overseas markets generated more than 80 percent of its third-quarter 2025 revenue, with the US at 39 percent. An APR official told the paper that the company stands out by "combining skin care and devices" into at-home routines.
The skincare side has grown fast as well. Edaily reported in August 2026, citing filings, that APR's first-half 2026 revenue reached 1.36 trillion won, up 129.2 percent, with cosmetics revenue of 648.3 billion won in the second quarter alone, and that North America and Europe had risen from 40 percent of sales in the first half of 2025 to 68 percent in the first half of 2026, helped by new listings at Target and Walmart in the US. Those are APR's company-wide numbers rather than a ranking of individual medicube products.
One thing to keep straight: APR has also been developing medical-device "skin boosters" under the medicube name. The Asia Business Daily reported in October 2026 that these are polynucleotide products approved by Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety as medical devices and supplied to clinics, starting in Latin America. They are a different category from the topical products in our shop.
medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0, the product to start with. See details.
The lines, by concern
Which product first
- Zero Pore Pad 2.0. A two-sided toner pad: the brand describes an embossed side for gentle exfoliation of dead skin cells and sebum and a smooth side for a final polishing step, used after cleansing. It is the easiest entry to the brand if texture and pores are your concern. Read Korean Toner Pads first if you are new to pad exfoliation, and start a few times a week.
- One serum for your main concern. Hydration and glow: the PDRN Pink Peptide Serum, a glow serum with salmon DNA PDRN, peptides and niacinamide (see What Is PDRN? for what the ingredient is). Dullness and uneven tone: the Kojic Acid Turmeric Niacinamide Serum, which the brand lists with 1 percent kojic acid and 5 percent niacinamide, or the Deep Vita C Capsule Serum (read Vitamin C in Korean Skincare before starting). Add one at a time.
- A moisturizer. The Collagen Jelly Cream is a transparent jelly-textured moisturizer with niacinamide, collagen, squalane and hydrolyzed elastin; the Hyaluronic Ceramide Jelly Cream is the barrier-minded alternative. Topical collagen is a humectant and film-former, not a way to add collagen to the skin; our collagen mask guide explains the difference.
- For redness-prone or blemish-marked skin: the Red Erasing Cream 2.0, which the brand positions for redness, blemish marks and uneven tone while supporting the skin barrier. Our acne-prone routine covers how to fit it in.
medicube Collagen Jelly Cream. See details.
A routine by skin type
| Skin | Morning | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| Dry or dull | PDRN Pink Niacinamide Milky Toner, PDRN Pink Peptide Serum, Collagen Jelly Cream, Collagen Firming Sun Cream | Triple Collagen Toner 4.0, PDRN Pink Collagen Bubble Serum, Hyaluronic Moisturizing Capsule Cream |
| Oily or pore-prone | Red Toner 2.0, Zero Pore Cream 2.0, sunscreen | Zero Pore Pad 2.0 a few nights a week, Kojic Acid Turmeric Niacinamide Serum, Zero Pore One Day Cream |
| Sensitive or redness-prone | Exosome Cica Toner, 3H Relief Cream, sunscreen | Exosome Cica Calming Pad, Red Erasing Cream 2.0 |
| Dullness and uneven tone | Deep Vita C Pad or Capsule Serum, Hyaluronic Ceramide Jelly Cream, sunscreen | Kojic Acid Turmeric Vita Capsule Cream or TXA Niacinamide 15% Serum, moisturizer |
Use a sunscreen every morning with brightening or exfoliating steps; our Korean sunscreen guide helps you choose. Patch test anything with strong actives, and do not stack several at once.
medicube Kojic Acid Turmeric Niacinamide Serum. See details.
How medicube compares
medicube leans toward actives, with product names that state the ingredient and the target concern, which makes shopping easy and over-layering easy too. Anua and Round Lab lean gentler and calming (see our Anua guide and Round Lab guide); COSRX, covered in the COSRX guide, is ingredient-led across a wider range. For where each brand's hero sits, see the most popular Korean skincare products and Best K-Beauty Brands.
Brand products in our shop are shipped by the brands. If you would rather try a set of Korean skincare chosen for you each season, the Daebak K-Beauty Box is a separate, curated option.
FAQ
What is medicube best known for?
Internationally, the AGE-R beauty devices, which APR says have sold more than 5 million units since 2021. In skincare, the Zero Pore pads, PDRN Pink serums, collagen products, Deep Vita C and Kojic Acid lines, and the Red line.
Which medicube product should I start with?
The Zero Pore Pad 2.0 for texture and pores, or the PDRN Pink Peptide Serum for hydration and glow. Add one active at a time.
Who makes medicube?
APR, a Korean company that also makes the AGE-R devices. The Edaily and Korea Herald reports in the sources list describe APR's growth.
Is medicube the same as medicube skin boosters?
No. The skin boosters reported on by the Asia Business Daily are medical-device products supplied to clinics. The products in our shop are topical skincare, makeup and a supplement.
Can I use kojic acid or vitamin C every day?
Follow the directions on each product page. Many people start a few times a week, use sunscreen every morning and stop if their skin reacts.
Does PDRN replace a moisturizer?
No. PDRN serums and toners are treated as treatment steps; finish with a moisturizer and, in the morning, sunscreen.
Sources
- K-beauty goes hardware: Tech revolution more than skin-deep (The Korea Herald, December 2025)
- APR, Which Has Signaled Its Entry into the '3 Trillion Club,' Expands into New Medical Device Business (Comprehensive) (Edaily, August 2026)
- APR Begins Supplying Medicube Skin Boosters in Latin America, Expanding Global Reach (The Asia Business Daily, October 2026)
