Beauty-tech startup Makemake raises $2.2M pre-Series A led by Signite, AmorePacific

What's the deal? MakemakeDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the South Korean company behind swim-care beauty brand SOOODealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has raised a US$2.52M pre-Series A round. New investors Signite PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, AmorePacificDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and IgniteXLDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → joined, alongside existing seed backer Bluepoint PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The valuation was not disclosed.

What does it do? SOOO tackles hair and skin problems caused by residual chlorine after swimming, using in-house water-response technology and patented materials. Makemake has since added a scalp-care line, ScalptureDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, positioning itself as a beauty-tech firm targeting water-related issues.

Why now? The company points to early traction: it exported 50,000 products to South America this year, its first overseas market, and signed a distribution deal with global beauty distributor Silicon2Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. It also won top prizes at Cosmoprof Asia 2025 and Shanghai K-Beauty Glow Week.

What's the endgame? Makemake plans to advance its core materials and product technology and push into North America and other global markets. It also intends to expand from swim-care into scalp-care, hair-care, and beauty-tech devices.

Chief executive officer Kwak Hyo-seop framed the round as more than capital. "This investment is significant less for the funding itself than for securing strategic partners to build SOOO's global growth together," he said (translated from Korean).

The signal: The investor mix — a corporate beauty giant in AmorePacific, plus specialist funds SigniteDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and IgniteXL — suggests strategic bets on niche beauty-tech that solves specific, technical consumer problems. For Makemake, the follow-on from Bluepoint marks a quick re-raise as it moves from validation to global expansion.

Read more: wowtale.net

Image credit: Generated with Gemini