【Makichalle 2025 Commemoration Interview】From Data to Beauty: LILLYCOVER’s AI-Driven Revolution in Personalized Skincare

Makinohara City, which is located in the Shizuoka prefecture of Japan, organised a contest for start-ups in August 2025. The contest, titled as “Makinohara-shi Challenge Business Contest” (Makichalle 2025), provided a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs to present innovative ideas. 

In Makichalle 2025, startup companies from all over the world presented their ideas and business plans to address market gaps in the local community by utilising the “industrial resources” and “tourism resources” of the city. EXPACT CEO, Mr. Takachi participated as a judge in the second edition of the contest.

In this article, we interviewed Sunhee An, CEO of Lillycover Co.,Ltd., one of the finalists in Makichalle 2025, about the service they provide and their perspective towards Makichalle 2025 and the future plan in the Japanese market.

LILLYCOVER’s Mission, Origins, and Core Technology

-Thank you for your time today.

Thank you.

-Could you begin by giving us an overview of LILLYCOVER’s service and mission?

LILLYCOVER is a Korea-based beauty-tech company that develops AI-powered diagnostic tools and automated formulation systems for personalized skincare and scalp care. The company’s mission is rooted in the belief that beauty should be tailored to the individual. Instead of relying on standardized, mass-produced cosmetics, LILLYCOVER focuses on creating formulations that reflect each person’s skin condition, lifestyle and surrounding environment. The vision is to redefine skincare as something data-driven and scientifically personalized rather than uniform.

-What inspired the founding of the company?

The idea began with a simple but powerful question from CEO and founder Sunhee An during her years working closely with patients in a hospital setting: “Why do we all use the same cosmetic products when our skin is so different?” She consistently met individuals struggling with skin concerns that could not be properly addressed by conventional products. This convinced her that skincare must move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions and toward personalized formulations supported by data and scientific diagnosis. That realization became the foundation upon which LILLYCOVER was established in 2016, followed by the development of its diagnostic devices and automated formulation machines.

-Could you explain the core products and how the system works?

LILLYCOVER’s personalized skincare ecosystem consists of four interconnected elements. Muilli,  a diagnostic device, analyzes facial and scalp conditions using a 60-times magnification camera, moisture sensors and a multi-zone scanning method that identifies four skin types and 48 scalp types. The results are seamlessly transferred to the SkinDia mobile application, where AI analyzes the scanned images, interprets the skin condition and recommends appropriate ingredient combinations.

Once the diagnosis is complete, customers can immediately produce their personalized products through ENIMA, LILLYCOVER’s automated cosmetic dispenser. This system blends bases, oils and active ingredients according to the AI recommendation, enabling users to create customized toners, lotions, essences, ampoules, as well as shampoos and treatments within minutes. The final component is LILLYCOVER’s own high-quality cosmetic line, designed to work within the system and to allow full personalization according to each user’s needs. Together, these elements provide a seamless “diagnosis to formulation” experience that traditional factory-made cosmetics simply cannot match.

-Where are these devices typically installed?

Most installations are found in aesthetic salons and skin clinics. After receiving treatments, customers often require personalized home-care products tailored to their immediate skin condition. Clinics and salons use the diagnostic device and the ENIMA machine to craft customized products on the spot, enabling customers to leave with formulations that truly match their current needs. This close integration with the medical-beauty environment strengthens LILLYCOVER’s positioning in the high-precision skincare category.

-Are there competitors offering similar services in Korea or elsewhere?

According to the company, there are effectively no direct competitors—either in Korea or globally—offering the same fully integrated system of AI diagnosis, automated formulation and scalable product manufacturing. Building such a system requires extensive time, capital and technical expertise. Many large cosmetic companies have considered entering this field, but their existing business structures make it difficult to provide genuine personalization without conflicting with their mass-production-based brand portfolios. LILLYCOVER’s model, which has been built around personalization from the start, allows it to move swiftly and maintain a pioneering position in this market.

-What feedback have you received from users and partner clinics?

Customers consistently report that personalized formulas feel more compatible with their skin, with far fewer issues such as irritation or oil imbalance. While LILLYCOVER products do not replace clinical treatments, many customers experience noticeable improvements in stability and comfort after switching from generic products. Even internally, staff report the same effect. For instance, using hotel amenity products during travel often led to irritation, whereas LILLYCOVER’s personalized formulas avoided those problems entirely. These experiences reinforce the value of personalized skincare that adjusts not only to skin type but also to environment, water quality and seasonal changes.

-Do you plan to expand into Europe as well?

The company has already engaged with clients in Turkey and is seeking reliable local partners across Europe. While the European market is highly conservative and tightly regulated, LILLYCOVER believes that with the right partnerships, its personalized manufacturing ecosystem can be effectively introduced and scaled.

LILLYCOVER’s Challenges and the Road Ahead

-What is LILLYCOVER’s long-term vision internationally?

The long-term vision is to build a global infrastructure that enables clinics, salons and beauty brands to manufacture personalized cosmetics on demand. Over the next decade, LILLYCOVER aims to expand across Japan, Southeast Asia and North America, supported by localized data centers and product hubs. The company envisions a future where beauty becomes a science of individuality rather than uniformity, with personalized formulations available anytime and anywhere.

-As a role of an industrial frontier, what challenges have you faced?

The greatest challenge lies in market education. Many consumers are unfamiliar with the concept of personalized cosmetics and often question why they should purchase personalized products when conventional items appear more affordable. Since most cosmetics on the market are mass-produced, the value of personalization is not immediately understood. LILLYCOVER must continuously demonstrate that personalized formulations offer benefits that pre-made products cannot deliver. As the first mover in this industry, the company has had to not only develop the technology but also build awareness of an entirely new category of skincare.

Participation in Makichalle 2025

-What did you gain from participating in Makichalle 2025?

Makichalle 2025 provided deep insight into the Japanese market. Through mentorship and engagement with local stakeholders, the company learned the importance of cultural adaptation, trust-based business relationships and eco-conscious product design—elements that are highly regarded in Japan. Being selected as a finalist also validated that LILLYCOVER’s precision-driven personalization aligns well with the expectations of Japanese consumers.

-Is there a success story that reflects your positive impact?

One notable achievement is the rollout of LILLYCOVER’s AI Cloud Personalized Skincare Stations in collaboration with aesthetic salons and clinics in Korea. Customers receive real-time diagnosis and are able to create their own cream or serum immediately on-site. This model has strengthened customer loyalty, elevated user experience and improved profitability for partner salons. The results demonstrate how data-driven personalization can transform the beauty service landscape.

The Future of Beauty

-How do you see beauty services evolving as personalization becomes more common?

LILLYCOVER believes the future of beauty will be “phygital,” meaning a seamless integration of physical experience and digital intelligence. Skincare will adapt dynamically to environmental conditions, seasonal changes and individual biological factors. AI-powered systems will deliver real-time formulation updates and continuous personalized recommendations, enabling truly adaptive beauty management. In the future, the beauty industry will move away from uniform products and toward a world where each individual receives a formulation crafted uniquely for them.

I look forward to LILLYCOVER’s continued growth as they redefine what personalized skincare can be. Their innovative fusion of science, data, and beauty positions them as a transformative force in the industry—one that is poised to elevate the global standard for truly individualized care.

Company Overview

LILLYCOVER Co., Ltd.
Established in 2016
Representative: CEO/Founder    Sunhee An
URL:   https://www.lillycover.com/en
Address:  35 Gil 9, Alphacity 1 ro, 2F, Suseong-gu, Daegu, 42250, Republic of Korea
Contact: https://www.lillycover.com/en/contact

Directed and Supervised by: Yoshito Denawa ｜CF Startup Partners Inc.

Interview & Writing: Rion Namba｜EXPACT Inc.