Global Medical Research Center

What Global Medical Research Center does

Global Medical Research Center (GMRC; 주식회사 글로벌의학연구센터) is a Seoul-based, privately held clinical trial research organization founded in 2018 and operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of L&C BIO, a Korean tissue regeneration medicine company. GMRC conducts safety and efficacy evaluation for general cosmetics, functional cosmetics, quasi-drugs, beauty medical devices, health functional foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetic raw materials, executing work under GCP, ISO, and MFDS frameworks. The customer base is concentrated in Korean enterprise manufacturers, with named clients including Amorepacific, LG Household & Health Care, LG Electronics, Cosmax, Kolmar Korea, Hugel, Dr. Jart+, Dong-A Pharmaceutical, Innisfree, and AHC.

The company delivers services through five specialized research centers — Cosmetics, Health Functional Food, Solar Light, Nonclinical, and Safety & Hair — each with dedicated teams and protocols. Underlying technical capabilities include a broad in vitro menu (cytotoxicity, anti-wrinkle, whitening, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-glycation, anti-obesity, moisturizing, wound healing, anti-inflammation, microdust, skin absorption, eye-irritation alternatives, anti-hair loss, hair improvement, antimicrobial), solar-light protection testing using approximately 20 Multiport Solar UV Simulators (the largest such footprint claimed in Korea for UVA/UVB/infrared/blue light), and 3D human tissue models for animal-alternative testing of wrinkle, barrier, whitening, aging, and inflammation endpoints — a capability described as first-in-Korea. The Health Functional Food Research Center was expanded to approximately 400 pyeong (around 1,320 sqm) in April 2022 to absorb rising demand for skin-health, hangover-relief, immunity, cognitive, and body-composition functional claims. GMRC also issues a proprietary G MARK certification mark tied to products verified for efficacy and safety under its protocols and is extending this mark into differentiated functional categories such as lifting, complex functionality, and wrinkle gene expression.

GMRC generates revenue primarily through professional-services fees per test or project under a quote-based B2B model for enterprise cosmetics, health-functional-food, quasi-drug, beauty-device, and pharmaceutical clients. A secondary licensing/royalty stream arises from G MARK certification issuance. Distribution is direct enterprise sales supplemented by industry seminars, government voucher programs (notably selection for the 2023 SME Innovation Voucher program), and web/email/KakaoTalk/Instagram channels, with English- and Chinese-language website localization in place to support overseas K-beauty testing demand. The company is led by Prof. Lee Joo-hee of Yonsei University Severance Hospital, appointed Representative Director in March 2026, with a Yonsei dermatology advisory board supporting clinical credibility.

Name

Global Medical Research Center

Legal name

주식회사 글로벌의학연구센터

Website

https://gmrc.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Global Medical Research Center (GMRC) is a Seoul-based clinical trial research organization that evaluates safety and efficacy of cosmetics, quasi-drugs, beauty medical devices, health functional foods, and pharmaceuticals for Korean enterprise manufacturers, operating five specialized centers and serving clients including Amorepacific, LG H&H, and Cosmax.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Services (CRO for Cosmetics & Health Functional Foods)

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Feed & Nutraceutical Analytical Testing (HLAGADAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Release Testing & Batch Certification (QC) (HLAGADAC)

Keywords

• Clinical trial services
• Cosmetics efficacy testing
• Health functional food testing
• In vitro safety testing
• Solar light protection testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Clinical Testing Services: Safety evaluation, efficacy testing, and clinical trials for cosmetics, health functional foods, quasi-drugs, and beauty medical devices. Fees charged per test or project.
2. Nonclinical Testing Services: In vitro testing and animal alternative testing services for product development and regulatory compliance
3. G MARK Certification: Product-specific certification marks issued for products verified for efficacy and safety through GMRC testing

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Global Medical Research Center (GMRC) provides clinical and nonclinical testing services for cosmetics, health functional foods, quasi-drugs, beauty medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics raw materials. Services span human application clinical trials, in vitro efficacy and safety testing, solar light (UVA/UVB/infrared/blue light) protection testing, and preclinical research using 3D human tissue animal alternative models. The company also issues G MARK certification marks for products that pass efficacy and safety verification.

Product overview

Global Medical Research Center (GMRC) is a clinical trial research organization offering specialized testing services across five dedicated research centers: Cosmetics Research Center, Health Functional Food Research Center, Solar Light Research Center, Nonclinical Research Center, and Safety & Hair Research Center. The core service portfolio includes human application testing (clinical trials) for cosmetics, quasi-drugs, and health functional foods; in vitro laboratory testing for efficacy validation; solar light protection testing for UV, infrared, and blue light; nonclinical preclinical research including animal replacement testing; and safety/hair clinical assessments. GMRC issues G MARK certification marks for products that pass efficacy and safety verification. The company follows ISO and KFDA standards under GCP protocols and operates from facilities in Seoul, South Korea.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cosmetics Clinical Trial Services
• Health Functional Food Clinical Trial Services
• In Vitro Testing Services
• Solar Light Clinical Trial Services
• Nonclinical Research Services
• Safety & Hair Clinical Trial Services
• G MARK Certification Mark

Quantifiable outcome

• Skin dermis density increased 31.8% after 6 weeks of LG Pra.L eye care device use
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• L&C BIO (엘앤씨바이오)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGMRC is a subsidiary (자회사) of L&C BIO, an organization regeneration medicine specialized company. L&C BIO established GMRC as its clinical testing subsidiary for cosmetics and health functional foods.
• Severance Hospital (세브란스병원)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDermatology professors from Yonsei University Severance Hospital serve as medical advisors. Dr. Lee Joo-hee (이주희), Severance Hospital professor, appointed as new CEO in March 2026.
• Lulu Lab (룰루랩)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration announced in January 2021 for joint business development in clinical testing services.
• Onyu (온유)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMutual business cooperation signed to promote cosmetics industry development.
• WYS Environmental Technology (와이에스환경기술원)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement signed for environmental technology cooperation related to cosmetics testing.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dermatest: Dermatest is a German dermatological research institute specializing in cosmetic claim substantiation and clinical safety/efficacy studies, directly comparable to GMRC's cosmetics clinical trial and dermatology advisory offering.
• Spincontrol: Spincontrol is a French CRO specialized in cosmetic and personal care clinical studies, with deep experience in efficacy and tolerance trials — closely comparable to GMRC's Cosmetics and Safety & Hair Research Centers.
• Eurofins Cosmetics & Personal Care: Eurofins' Consumer Product Testing division is the global leader in cosmetics, personal care, and beauty device clinical and analytical testing, including in vitro, in vivo (human), SPF/UV, and claim-substantiation studies — directly overlapping with GMRC's core service portfolio across cosmetics and health functional foods.
• SGS Consumer & Retail — Cosmetics Testing: SGS provides dedicated cosmetics and personal care testing (safety, efficacy, claim substantiation, regulatory support) to global CPG brands, mirroring GMRC's clinical trial and in vitro testing services for cosmetics and health functional foods.
• Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL): KTL is South Korea's leading government-affiliated testing laboratory, providing testing and certification across CPG, cosmetics, and food products. It is GMRC's most direct domestic competitor for Korean cosmetics and health functional food claim substantiation.
• Intertek Consumer Goods — Cosmetics & Personal Care: Intertek operates a global network of cosmetics and personal care testing labs offering clinical efficacy, safety, SPF, and regulatory services — a close direct competitor to GMRC's five-center service model in both cosmetics and quasi-drug testing.
• IDEA Lab Group: IDEA Lab Group is an Italian CRO focused on clinical and instrumental evaluations for cosmetics, personal care, and dermocosmetics — comparable to GMRC's efficacy testing and Severance-anchored dermatology positioning.

Broad incumbents

• TÜV SÜD: TÜV SÜD is a global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) company with cosmetics, personal care, and food testing capabilities — comparable in service type to GMRC but operating as a broad incumbent across many product categories and geographies.
• Charles River Laboratories: Charles River is a global, publicly traded CRO with a broad portfolio spanning safety assessment, nonclinical research, and clinical support — overlapping with GMRC's nonclinical/in vitro and clinical offerings, but at vastly larger scale and broader scope.
• Bureau Veritas Consumer Products: Bureau Veritas provides cosmetics, personal care, and food testing alongside broader TIC services, overlapping with GMRC's efficacy and safety testing but serving a much larger and more diversified global customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/gmrc_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Global Medical Research Center