Part of EPR's Beauty coverage. K-Beauty profile series.
By EPR Editorial Team. Published June 2026.
LG Household & Health Care (LG H&H) is the second-largest Korean beauty conglomerate after Amorepacific. Listed on the Korea Exchange (KRX: 051900), LG H&H generated approximately ₩6.8 trillion (~$5 billion USD) in 2024 revenue across Beauty (HDB), Home & Daily Beauty (HDB), and Refreshment segments. The Beauty division anchors the company's global expansion narrative and includes prestige Korean heritage brands — The History of Whoo, Su:m37°, OHUI — alongside contemporary skincare brands (Belif, CNP Laboratory, Dr. Groot) and the broader portfolio that competes with Amorepacific across Korean prestige beauty.
Company background
LG H&H was established in 2001 when LG Chem spun off its household goods and cosmetics division as a separate subsidiary of the broader LG Corporation. The company operates three primary segments — Beauty (skincare, cosmetics, fragrance), Home & Daily Beauty (personal care, hair care, oral care), and Refreshment (beverages including Coca-Cola Korea). The Beauty segment is the highest-margin and most globally focused division.
Cha Suk-yong is the current CEO of LG H&H, having taken the role in 2023 following the departure of long-serving CEO Cha Seok-yong. The Cha leadership has navigated the post-2022 China weakness that affected most Korean beauty conglomerates, with sustained restructuring focus and accelerated U.S. market expansion.
The LG H&H beauty portfolio
The History of Whoo. The prestige heritage brand. Royal court-inspired skincare with luxurious packaging, sold primarily through Korean department stores, duty-free, and Chinese cross-border. The Bichup Self-Generating Anti-Aging Essence is the hero product. The History of Whoo was once Korea's largest single beauty brand by revenue before the post-2017 China duty-free volatility reshaped the market.
Su:m37°. Naturally fermented skincare positioning. The Secret Programming Essence anchors the brand. Premium pricing tier just below The History of Whoo.
OHUI. Department-store-tier prestige skincare. Co-branded campaigns and Korean celebrity endorsement. Positioned between mass and ultra-premium tiers.
Belif. Botanical-anchored skincare with British apothecary heritage positioning. The Aqua Bomb gel moisturizer reached global cult status through Sephora distribution beginning 2016. Belif anchors LG H&H's most successful U.S. retail expansion.
CNP Laboratory. Dermatologist-developed skincare brand. The Propolis Ampule line drove early viral adoption in Western markets. CNP operates dermatologist-clinic positioning with mass accessibility.
Dr. Groot. Scalp and hair care. One of LG H&H's most successful crossover brands from home care into beauty-adjacent territory.
VDL. Color cosmetics line with Pantone collaboration heritage. Younger consumer positioning.
The Face Shop. Acquired by LG H&H in 2010 for approximately $446 million. Mass-market Korean skincare with sustained global retail footprint. Through 2020–2024, LG H&H restructured The Face Shop's global operations, exiting some markets while sustaining presence in major Asian and European retail channels.
How LG H&H operates marketing
LG H&H operates one of the most sophisticated Korean beauty marketing infrastructures, with sustained editorial relationships across Korean and Asian beauty press, Chinese cross-border ecommerce optimization (despite post-2017 headwinds), and the broader K-Beauty global narrative that the company helped define.
The company's marketing playbook combines three components. First, Korean heritage anchoring — The History of Whoo's royal court narrative, Su:m37°'s fermentation tradition, OHUI's department-store prestige. Second, ingredient and formulation transparency — particularly through Belif's botanical positioning and CNP's dermatologist clinical claims. Third, retail partnership depth — sustained Sephora, Ulta, Amazon, and broader international retail presence.
The post-2022 strategic priority has been U.S. market acceleration. China weakness (duty-free volatility, broader political tensions affecting Korean brand acceptance) pushed LG H&H and the broader Korean beauty industry toward American market expansion. Belif's sustained Sephora presence is the company's strongest U.S. proof point.
The competitive position
LG H&H competes directly with Amorepacific as the two-conglomerate Korean prestige beauty market. Amorepacific operates Sulwhasoo, Laneige, Innisfree, Etude House, Mamonde, Hera, IOPE, plus Cosrx (acquired through Kolmar Korea relationship). LG H&H operates The History of Whoo, Su:m37°, OHUI, Belif, CNP, Dr. Groot, VDL, The Face Shop.
Beyond the Amorepacific competition, LG H&H competes with Estée Lauder Companies, L'Oréal, and Shiseido across Asian prestige beauty distribution. The recent Estée Lauder acquisition of Dr. Jart+ (2019, ~$1.7B) brought a major K-Beauty brand into the Western conglomerate portfolio — direct competitive pressure on LG H&H's Korean prestige positioning.
The communications challenges
LG H&H navigates three sustained communications priorities. Post-China-weakness narrative — explaining the operational shift toward U.S. and Southeast Asian markets while maintaining the Chinese consumer relationship. Sustainability communications — particularly around packaging, fermentation processes, and Korean botanical sourcing. Brand-portfolio coherence — communicating distinct positioning across The History of Whoo, Su:m37°, OHUI, Belif, and CNP without portfolio dilution.
LG Household & Health Care — the second-largest Korean beauty conglomerate after Amorepacific. Listed on the Korea Exchange (KRX: 051900). ~₩6.8 trillion (~$5B USD) 2024 revenue across Beauty, Home & Daily Beauty, and Refreshment segments.
Who owns LG H&H?
LG H&H is a subsidiary of LG Corporation, the South Korean industrial conglomerate. Publicly listed on the Korea Exchange. Cha Suk-yong is the current CEO.
What beauty brands does LG H&H own?
The History of Whoo (prestige heritage), Su:m37° (fermented skincare), OHUI (department-store prestige), Belif (botanical skincare), CNP Laboratory (dermatologist-developed), Dr. Groot (scalp/hair), VDL (color cosmetics), The Face Shop (acquired 2010, mass market).
What is The History of Whoo?
LG H&H's prestige Korean royal court-inspired skincare brand. Once Korea's largest single beauty brand by revenue before post-2017 China duty-free volatility reshaped the market. The Bichup Self-Generating Anti-Aging Essence is the hero product.
What is Belif and where can I buy it?
Belif is LG H&H's botanical-anchored skincare brand with British apothecary heritage positioning. Available at Sephora U.S. since 2016. The Aqua Bomb gel moisturizer is the hero product that drove global cult adoption.
How does LG H&H compare to Amorepacific?
Amorepacific is larger (~₩4 trillion 2024 cosmetics revenue alone) and operates a more globally-distributed portfolio. LG H&H operates a deeper Korean heritage portfolio (The History of Whoo, Su:m37°, OHUI) plus contemporary brands (Belif, CNP). Both compete across Korean prestige beauty and global K-Beauty expansion.
What is LG H&H's strategy in the U.S. market?
Post-2022 China weakness pushed LG H&H toward accelerated U.S. expansion. Belif's sustained Sephora presence anchors the strategy. CNP Laboratory and the broader brand portfolio also pursue U.S. distribution through Sephora, Ulta, and Amazon.
Related: Beauty · Amorepacific Beauty PR · Beauty PR Pillar
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