What’s tatt? Korea’s LG H&H ventures into beauty tech with mini tattoo printer for North American market

On January 25, LG Household & Health Care (LG H&H) announced that after a year in development, it was set to enter the beauty tech space with the launch of a mini tattoo printer.

The mini tattoo printer, which has been dubbed with the working name of Printly, is roughly 10cm in size. The device is linked to a companion mobile application where users can select the image they want to get temporarily printed on their skin.

The compact printer uses a vegan ink cartridge that was developed by the LG H&H Colour Research Institute. The firm claimed that the vegan ink was safe to be used on everybody, regardless of age and gender.

According to the company, Printly utilises an optical sensor to detect the skin and produce temporary tattoos that feel like the real thing.

Printly is set to debut in the North American market through Arctic Fox, a US-based vegan hair care brand it acquired in 2021.

The brand has been popular among millennials and gen-Z consumers with over two million followers collectively on Tiktok, Instagram and Facebook. The firm said it would utilise Arctic Fox’s existing channels which it plans to expand this year.

In his new year address, Cha Suk Yong, vice chairman and CEO of LG H&H highlighted​ the importance of strengthening the company’s position in the North American market.

“To leap forward as a truly global luxury beauty company, we must continue to expand our business in the North American market, which is the world's largest market, and creates trends,” ​said Cha.

Furthermore, the firm’s venture into the blooming beauty tech space aims to tap into the important millennial and Gen Z demographics.

It believes a fashion and beauty product like Printly would resonate with younger consumers who value individual expression.

This news follows the announcement that Société Bic, the maker of the iconic Bic pens, has acquired Inkbox, a Canadian temporary tattoo start-up for U$65m in bid to diversify its consumer product offerings.

Inkbox offers semi-permanent tattoos are made with plant-based ink and caters to younger consumers that are keen to express themselves, but not willing to make the commitment of a permanent tattoo.

LG H&H said the mini tattoo printer is only the start, and in the future, it plans to expand the usage of Printly by developing cosmetic products such as primers and cleansers that can be used with the technology.

Earlier, on January 13, the company announced the launch of an LED scalp care device under its brand CNP Rx, the premium spin off brand of CNP.

The CNP Rx Tunage device combines LED, microcurrent, and vibration stimulation to improve the condition of the scalp.
Along with the device, the company also launched the CNP Rx Pro Keratin scalp tonic which can be used in conjunction with the device to alleviate hair loss symptoms.