LG H&H’s Massage Roller as Popular as Main Cosmetic Product

Sometimes, giveaways gain more popularity than the main product. This is the case for the Gold Anti-aging Massage Roller which was developed as a component of the WhooBichupJa Yoon Cream Set produced by LG Household & Healthcare (LG H&H).

The manufacturer of the rollers is Pauco Co., which is located in the Namdong Industrial Complex in Incheon, South Korea.

Pauco developed the massage rollers with support from from LG H&H. This year is the 30th year the two companies have worked together. While pondering on a method to enhance the absorption of cosmetic formulas into the skin, LG H&H decided to create the massage roller with Pauco. The decision was based on the trust LG H&H had in Pauco’s technology. The two companies began research in December 2015 and introduced the first Gold Anti-aging Massage Roller in April 2016. LG H&H backed Pauco with technology, manpower and money worth 25 million won (US$22,500) for research and development.

In the initial stage, Pauco and LG H&H put in their utmost efforts to establish the angle of the balls in the massage rollers. Kim Seok-rin, CEO of Pauco, said, “The angle of the roller balls was patented on a large scale, which caused us troubles.” He added, “To avoid the existing patents, we conducted research together in multiple dimensions. In four months, we could see fruits of our ccoperation.” For better durability, a special plating method was applied. This was because the surface of the massage rollers could easily erode from friction with direct contact with the skin.

Thanks to a favorable market response, LG H&H and Pauco launched an exclusive massage roller for premium cosmetics line, Isa Knox. Currently the Isa Knox massage rollers are exported to Taiwan. At the beginning of last year, the two companies also launched an exclusive massage roller for Su:m 37°. The rollers have secured a place in the cosmetics tools market.

Pauco, which had been producing aluminum caps for decades, saw a big jump in their sales as it started producing the high value-added metal massage rollers. Its sales stood at 2.9 billion won (US$2.6 million) in 2014, but jumped to 4.3 billion won (US$3.8 million) in 2015 and 7.9 billion won (US$7 million) in 2016. Last year, the sales exceeded 10 billion won (US$9 million) for the first time.

Meanwhile, the two companies have recently launched Hwayul Jewel Massager, gaining a lot of attention from customers at home and abroad. LG H&H and Pauco are currently applying for a joint patent on this product. Pauco recently landed a contract for 4,000 massage rollers from China.