Caregen

What Caregen does

Caregen Co., Ltd. (주)케어젠 is a South Korea-based biomimetic peptide synthesis company founded in 2001 and listed on the KOSDAQ exchange since November 2015. The company develops synthetic peptides that mimic biological functions for use across cosmetics, health functional foods, pharmaceuticals, and veterinary applications, backed by a portfolio of more than 360 peptide-related patents. Caregen's commercial reach spans 130+ countries through direct sales, a global distributor network, and an exclusive supply agreement with BASF covering four cosmetic peptides, with additional markets served via professional medical channels for aesthetic products such as DR.CYJ hair fillers and CG Styler 600 dermal fillers. The company operates cGMP manufacturing facilities in Gunpo and a dedicated Hwaseong Peptide Synthesis Plant (completed 2021), enabling scaled production of pharmaceutical-grade peptides including Deglusterol, which in March 2022 became the world's first synthetic functional peptide to receive US FDA New Dietary Ingredient approval and is commercialized globally as the ProGsterol blood sugar control supplement.

Caregen's business model combines B2B raw material and ingredient sales to cosmetics, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical manufacturers with branded finished product distribution in health functional foods and aesthetic medicine. Revenue streams include licensing/royalty arrangements via exclusive supply agreements, sales of branded consumer health products (ProGsterol, Korglutide, Myoki), and professional medical device sales (DR.CYJ, CG Styler 600). The company is pursuing pharmaceutical expansion through IND-stage candidates including a nasal spray COVID-19 treatment (SpikeDown) and a wet macular degeneration therapy, both preparing US FDA Phase 1/2a clinical trials, alongside a veterinary peptide initiative in partnership with Knotus. Caregen is led by CEO Dr. Chung Yong-ji, who also serves as Chief Technology Officer, and reports a headcount of 1-10 in the firmographic data (which appears inconsistent with the operational scale evidenced by 130-country distribution, multiple manufacturing plants, and FY2020 revenue of approximately KRW 60.3 billion).

Name

Caregen

Legal name

CAREGEN LTD.

Website

https://caregen.co.kr

Company type

Public

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Caregen is a South Korean biomimetic peptide synthesis company that develops synthetic peptide ingredients and finished products for cosmetics, health functional foods, pharmaceuticals, and veterinary applications, selling through a 130-country distribution network and an exclusive BASF supply agreement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Peptide-based biotechnology (cosmeceuticals, health functional foods, and aesthetic pharmaceuticals)

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Dermocosmetics & Medical-Grade Skincare (CRABAAAF)

Keywords

• Biomimetic peptides
• Cosmetic peptide ingredients
• Health functional foods
• Aesthetic dermal fillers
• Pharmaceutical peptide R&D

Headquarters

HQ city

Anyang

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Cosmetic Peptide Ingredients: Sale of synthetic peptide raw materials and ingredients to cosmetics manufacturers. Peptides sold under exclusive supply agreements (e.g., BASF) for use in dermocosmetics formulations. Revenue from facial fillers and cosmeceuticals represents a significant portion of sales.
2. Health Functional Foods: Branded health functional food products including ProGsterol (Deglusterol-based blood sugar control supplement), launched as drink and powder formats in 2022. Commercial products marketed under proprietary brand for healthy blood sugar management.
3. Medical Devices / Dermal Fillers: DR.CYJ hair fillers and CG Styler 600 dynamic functional dermal fillers sold to professional aesthetic practitioners. Hair loss related products grew 27.5% YoY for professional use and 62.3% for home care in Q3 2021.
4. Pharmaceutical Pipeline: Development-stage revenue from pharmaceutical applications including nasal spray-type COVID-19 treatment 'SpikeDown' and wet macular degeneration treatment, both preparing for US FDA IND submissions for Phase 1/2a clinical trials.
5. Veterinary Products: Peptide-based animal medicine and functional feed products developed through MOU with Knotus, targeting the growing companion animal healthcare market.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Caregen develops and manufactures biomimetic peptides sold as raw materials to cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and health food manufacturers, and as finished branded products (Dermaheal cosmeceuticals, DR.CYJ hair fillers, CG Styler 600 dermal fillers, ProGsterol and Korglutide supplements, Pelo Baum anti-hair loss products) for aesthetic clinics, health food distributors, and consumers in 130+ countries. The company also operates a pharmaceutical pipeline (SpikeDown COVID-19 nasal spray, wet macular degeneration treatment) and veterinary peptide products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dermaheal: Product line for aesthetic treatments and skin care
• ProGsterol
• DR.CYJ
• CG Styler 600
• Pelo Baum
• Korglutide
• Myoki
• CG-Dimono

Products and services

• Biomimetic Cosmetic Peptide Ingredients
• Dermaheal
• DR.CYJ Hair Fillers Peptide-based hair filler products for hair restoration, sold to dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and aesthetic clinics. Professional-use product line that grew 27.5% YoY in Q3 2021.
• CG Styler 600 Dynamic functional dermal filler for anti-aging aesthetic procedures, sold to professional aesthetic practitioners.
• Pelo Baum Anti-hair loss and hair regrowth peptide product leveraging Caregen's cosmetic hair loss prevention peptide technology (top 10 global patent applicant category).
• ProGsterol (Deglusterol-based) Health functional food drink and powder format for healthy blood sugar control, based on Deglusterol — the world's first US FDA-approved NDI synthetic functional peptide. Mass-produced at Caregen's Hwaseong Peptide Synthesis Plant.
• Korglutide Oral GLP-1 peptide supplement for weight loss / weight management, based on Caregen's biomimetic peptide platform.
• Myoki Peptide dietary supplement for muscle growth and muscle function, leveraging Caregen's biomimetic peptide platform.
• CG-Dimono Dermaheal sub-brand cosmeceutical product utilizing Caregen's peptide technology.
• PTx Peptide Botulinum Toxin Peptide-based botulinum toxin product providing Botox-like effects without injections, using a topical peptide lipolysis mechanism and skin delivery technology. Introduced by Caregen at the IMCAS World Congress.
• SpikeDown (COVID-19 Nasal Spray) Development-stage nasal spray-type COVID-19 therapeutic using Caregen's peptide platform, with US FDA IND submission completed for Phase 1/2a clinical trial via Target Health CRO. Phase 1 trial initiated in 2022.
• Wet Macular Degeneration Peptide Therapeutic Development-stage peptide treatment for wet macular degeneration, with US FDA IND submission prepared for Phase 1/2a clinical trial via GCT CRO.
• Veterinary Peptide Products Peptide-based animal medicine and functional feed products developed through MOU with Knotus for the companion animal healthcare market.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hair loss related products grew 27.5% YoY for professional use and 62.3% for home care use in Q3 2021
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals (India)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2025Partnership with Indian pharmaceutical company Akums to launch specialized cosmeceuticals in India market, leveraging K-beauty trends and rising demand for therapeutic cosmetics in the region.
• INTERTEKcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 11 August 2021Global CRO engaged for regulatory approval applications in US and Europe for health functional food products including Deglusterol (ProGsterol). Working to advance global market entry through regulatory submissions.
• TARGET HEALTHcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 11 August 2021Global CRO engaged for nasal spray-type COVID-19 treatment 'SpikeDown' IND submission to US FDA for Phase 1/2a clinical trial. Completed pre-IND consultations.
• GCT (Global CRO)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 11 August 2021Global CRO engaged for wet macular degeneration treatment IND submission to US FDA for Phase 1/2a clinical trial.
• KnotuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 January 2021MOU signed for development of new drugs for veterinary medicine and functional feed. Caregen applies its proprietary peptides to animal medicine and feed while Knotus conducts R&D utilizing CRO projects, professional human resources, and facilities linked to Korea's largest animal hospital. Targets growing companion animal medical and health market.
• BASFcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 January 2021BASF signed a global, exclusive supply agreement with Caregen for four cosmetic peptides with anti-aging and anti-pigmentation properties. BASF plans to launch these peptides for prone-atopic and prone-acneic skins in 2021. The partnership combines Caregen's functional peptides with BASF's global cosmetics ingredients distribution network.
• ZHENGUO Group (China)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2016Joint venture agreement signed with Chinese partner ZHENGUO Group for market development and distribution in China.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• LG Household & Health Care: Major Korean cosmetics and household products company with overlapping dermocosmetics and peptide-based skincare offerings. Comparable as a Korean peer developing functional cosmeceutical products for similar consumer segments.
• Amorepacific: Korea's largest beauty company and a strategic investor in Caregen (2023 funding round). Operates in the same Korean cosmeceutical and dermocosmetics space and serves as both a customer relationship and competitive reference point for peptide-based skincare.

Direct peers

• Evonik Industries: German specialty chemicals company with a significant cosmetic peptide and bioactive ingredients portfolio (Evonik Bioactives). Directly comparable as a peptide and specialty ingredient supplier serving the same cosmetics and personal care customers.
• Bachem: Swiss peptide CDMO and manufacturer serving pharmaceutical and cosmetic markets. Directly comparable to Caregen's peptide synthesis platform and serves overlapping customer bases in pharma and aesthetic medicine.
• PolyPeptide Group: Swiss-listed peptide CDMO specializing in therapeutic peptide manufacturing. Comparable as a peptide manufacturer with pharmaceutical-grade cGMP capabilities serving similar end markets including aesthetic and metabolic therapies.

Broad incumbents

• DSM-Firmenich: Dutch specialty ingredients giant with broad personal care, nutrition, and health portfolio including peptide offerings. Overlaps with Caregen across cosmetic peptides and functional food ingredients, though DSM-Firmenich operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Croda International: UK specialty chemicals company with major personal care ingredients business including Sederma, a direct competitor in cosmetic peptides. Comparable as a supplier of bioactive ingredients to cosmetics manufacturers globally.
• Lubrizol (Berkshire Hathaway): US specialty chemicals subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway with a significant personal care ingredients portfolio including peptide offerings. Overlaps with Caregen in supplying functional cosmetic ingredients to global brand owners.
• Ashland: US specialty chemicals company with a personal care and pharmaceutical ingredients portfolio. Overlaps with Caregen in supplying functional ingredients to cosmetics and personal care manufacturers, though at broader scale.

Emerging players

• Corden Pharma: Specialty CDMO with peptide manufacturing capabilities serving pharmaceutical and cosmetic customers. Comparable to Caregen in peptide synthesis expertise and cGMP manufacturing infrastructure for regulated peptide products.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6Ckm8oKXYP27zx3wHBwcdA/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/caregen.official
• Instagraminstagram.com/caregen.official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caregen-nordic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Caregen