[Interview] The Team Behind ‘Pill Shot,’ the Peeling Ampoule That Sold 10 Million Units

Inyoung Na, Senior Researcher at Cosmecca Korea

Geonseok Kim, Team Leader of Domestic Sales Team 1 at Cosmecca Korea

Cosmetics Development Sparked by a Single Business Card

Viral on TikTok, Overseas Sales Soar

A Hit Product Created by Collaboration Between Sales and R&D

"Are you from the cosmetics industry?"

Last year, at a cafe in Seongsu-dong, Geonseok Kim, Team Leader of Sales Team 1 at Cosmecca Korea, happened to overhear a conversation at a neighboring table. The names of competing cosmetics Original Development Manufacturing (ODM) companies came up. Concluding that they were industry professionals, Kim hesitated but ultimately approached them and handed out his business card.

This brief introduction led to a new collaboration. Subsequent meetings with the Brand501 team followed, and Kim proposed a new product idea that reflected changes in the global beauty market. The result was the creation of the flagship product of the derma brand, Dr. Melaxin—“Pill Shot.”

On the 4th, at Cosmeca Korea's Central Research Laboratory in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, Senior Researcher Nayoung Na (left) and Team Leader Geonseok Kim of the Domestic Sales Team 1 (right) are seen in an interview with this newspaper.

Pill Shot is a peeling product where, when the ampoule is applied to the skin, dead skin cells come off like eraser shavings. Although relatively unknown in Korea, videos showing immediate changes on the skin quickly spread through short-form platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, captivating overseas consumers. Since its initial release in January 2024, cumulative order volume (as of June 5, 2026) has surpassed 10 million units.

Demand surged especially from mid-2025, about one year after launch. In 2025 alone, over 7.5 million units were sold, accounting for more than 70% of the total volume and firmly establishing it as a “mega hit.” Considering that selling over 1 million units per year is typically regarded as a hit in the industry, this is an exceptional achievement.

When met at the Cosmecca Korea Central Research Institute in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, Team Leader Geonseok Kim and Senior Researcher Inyoung Na both said, “Pill Shot is a product that embodies Cosmecca’s capabilities in sales and R&D,” adding, “We were confident that it would succeed in the market.”

"Captivate Consumers in 15 Seconds"

Powerful influencer and famous American rapper Cardi B, who has over 100 million Instagram followers, revealed a video of using Dr. Meloxin Phil Shot on YouTube. Photo by Jaehee Kwon

Kim focused on the growing influence of short-form content in the global beauty market. He realized that, rather than lengthy explanations about ingredients and functions, what matters is grabbing consumers’ attention in a short time.

Kim explained, “These days, consumers watch videos before checking ingredient lists. You have to attract attention within 15 seconds, so we needed a product that could be instantly understood and evoke an immediate reaction.”

The idea was clear: the moment a consumer applies the product, they must see a visible change. Only then would it have a competitive edge on short-form video platforms.

However, turning this idea into an actual product posed a different challenge. Most existing peeling products are highly viscous gel types. In contrast, Pill Shot needed to be in an ampoule form, dispensed with a dropper. The challenge was to achieve a watery texture that could still visibly remove dead skin cells when rubbed on the skin.

'Pill Shot' Born After More Than 300 Experiments

"Make it as watery as an ampoule, but with better exfoliating power than peeling gels."

The task given to Researcher Na was simple in theory but not in practice. The biggest hurdle in developing Pill Shot was satisfying two seemingly incompatible conditions: it had to be fluid enough to be dispensed with a dropper, yet provide a strong visible peeling effect as soon as it was applied to the skin.

Generally, the stronger the exfoliating power, the thicker the formulation; conversely, the thinner the formulation, the weaker the effect. For this reason, most peeling gels on the market have a thick, toothpaste-like consistency, requiring prolonged rubbing to remove dead skin cells.

Pill Shot upended this conventional wisdom. Although it is watery enough to be dispensed with a dropper, dead skin cells are rapidly removed the moment it is applied to the skin.

Ninyeong Na, Senior Researcher at Cosmecca Korea, led the development of the fill shot for the steady-seller "Dr. Melaxin," which has recorded cumulative orders of 10 million units. The photo shows Researcher Na deeply engaged in formulation development at the laboratory. Photo by Ninyeong Na

The secret lies in the formulation transformation. As soon as it touches the skin, the liquid contents turn into small clumps, creating the visual effect of dead skin being sloughed off. Researcher Na meticulously adjusted the ingredient ratios down to decimal points to achieve the optimal formula and maximize this effect.

Na explained, “If all you wanted was a lot of exfoliation, that wouldn’t be difficult. The key was to minimize skin irritation while ensuring consumers could instantly feel a visible change.”

Even after achieving the desired results in the lab, maintaining consistent quality in mass production was another challenge. Na noted, “When scaling up from laboratory to production line, viscosity and texture can change. It took considerable time to stabilize the formula so that quality would remain the same, even when producing tens of thousands of units.”

Whereas general products undergo about 10 tests over three months, Pill Shot was different. Dozens of researchers conducted more than 300 experiments over three months. There were even nights when the lights in the lab stayed on until dawn.

The result was a positive market response. Kim said, “Pill Shot was a decisive turning point for Dr. Melaxin’s growth, and the global response exceeded expectations.”

Following Pill Shot’s success, requests poured in to develop similar formulations. However, Cosmecca Korea chose not to supply the same core concept to competing brands. Kim emphasized, “We believed it was more important to grow together with our clients, prioritizing partnership and trust over short-term sales.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.