Very few people in aesthetics have operated at the level Carrie Strom has. Fewer have influenced the direction of the industry while doing it.
In this episode, Dr. Randi sits down with the CEO of Hugel for a rare, inside look at what is driving one of the fastest-moving industries in medicine and beauty.
Carrie has spent more than a decade building and scaling brands that set the standard for the category. Now, she is leading Hugel through a pivotal phase of global expansion as K-Beauty, K-Aesthetics, and a more complete view of beauty begin to reshape the market.
Dr. Randi and Carrie get into:
• Why aesthetics remains one of the strongest models across medicine and beauty
• What it takes to build brands that define entire categories
• How K-Aesthetics is influencing treatment philosophy on a global scale
• Why “subtle, not snatched” is becoming the new standard
• How skin health, wellness, longevity, and full patient experiences are reshaping expectations
Carrie also shares what’s ahead for Hugel, including the U.S. launch of Letybo, the expansion of Korean skincare and skin boosters, and the broader vision to evolve from a leading Korean aesthetics company into a global force.
At its core, this episode is about where aesthetics is going next and who understands the market well enough to lead it. If you want a true insider perspective on the future of this industry, this is the conversation to watch.
Sponsored by NewBeauty 💄
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Episode FAQ
What does this episode of The Dr. Randi Show cover?
In this episode of The Dr. Randi Show, host Dr. Randi Boyette sits down with Carrie Strom, CEO of the South Korean medical aesthetics company Hugel and former president of Allergan Aesthetics. Strom shares her perspective on the current state of the aesthetics industry, the rise of Korean aesthetics, the U.S. expansion of Hugel and its neurotoxin Letybo, and what it takes to build brands that endure. Drawing on more than a decade in aesthetics and 11 years before that at Pfizer, she discusses industry resilience, competition, holistic treatment, and her vision for Hugel’s next chapter. The answers here reflect Carrie Strom’s professional perspective and personal experience and are not medical advice.
What is Hugel and why is it expanding in the U.S. aesthetics market?
Hugel is a South Korean medical aesthetics company with a portfolio that, according to Carrie Strom, spans botulinum toxins, hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers, skincare, and HA-based and topical skin boosters. In the episode, Strom explains that Hugel is well established in South Korea and that its goal now is to transform from a leading Korean aesthetics company into a leading global one, with the United States as a major focus. She points to the FDA approval of Hugel’s neurotoxin as the milestone that made this the right moment, and describes the company as well capitalized with strong margins, so the current work is about building the U.S. team and deciding where to invest. Strom frames this as her own reason for joining Hugel, not as a claim about any treatment’s results.
What is Letybo and why is it significant?
Letybo is Hugel’s botulinum toxin (neurotoxin) product. In the episode, Carrie Strom describes it as the number one best-selling cosmetic neurotoxin in South Korea for the past 10 years, and notes that while it is new to the United States, it is already available in around 70 markets worldwide with roughly 44 million vials sold. She explains that Hugel is launching Letybo in the U.S. through a partnership with the distributor BENEV, which serves one set of customers, alongside Hugel’s own sales representatives serving another. Strom presents this as Hugel’s business strategy and global track record rather than as medical advice or a promise of individual outcomes.
What is the difference between K-beauty and K-aesthetics?
In this episode, Carrie Strom distinguishes K-beauty from K-aesthetics. She describes K-beauty as more retail-focused, the Korean skincare brands widely available at stores like Sephora and Ulta, while K-aesthetics refers to in-office procedures and more elevated, professional treatments. According to Strom, K-aesthetics is also a philosophy rather than just a set of brands: it prioritizes skin first, prevention, and a youthful, natural look, which she summarizes with a colleague’s phrase about being “subtle, not snatched.” She notes that she travels to Korea about once a month and sees this approach as deeply embedded in the culture, with consumer penetration she estimates at roughly five times that of the U.S. This reflects Strom’s observations and opinion.
What is holistic or multimodal aesthetic treatment (treatment stacking)?
Carrie Strom describes holistic or multimodal treatment, sometimes called “stacking,” as combining several complementary treatments in one visit rather than relying on a single modality. Sharing her personal experience at a clinic in Korea, she recounts starting with a relaxing facial massage, then a numbing step in a room using aromatherapy, followed by multiple injectable treatments at once, including a toxin, an HA skin booster, PDRN, and PLLA. According to Strom, the Korean aesthetics philosophy treats the whole patient because treatment goals are often not met by one modality alone, reflecting a broader industry shift toward wellness, vitality, and longevity. This account describes one person’s experience and is not a recommendation or medical advice.
Is the medical aesthetics industry in a strong place right now?
In the episode, Carrie Strom expresses the view that the aesthetics industry has very strong fundamentals and describes it as a “winning proposition” for everyone involved: consumers who feel like the best version of themselves, the providers and med spas who care for patients, and the companies serving them. She acknowledges that, like any industry, it has highs and lows, and points to COVID and the period that followed as an example. According to Strom, the pandemic was frightening for providers with no playbook, but the surge in consumer demand afterward showed the market’s resilience and people’s enduring interest in aesthetics. These are Strom’s professional opinions.
Does more competition in the aesthetics industry help or hurt the market?
Carrie Strom shares the view that more competition strengthens the aesthetics market rather than diluting it. In the episode, she explains that for consumers, more options mean more awareness and education, and for providers, more choices allow a customized approach to patient care. Using the phrase “high tides float all boats,” she argues that investment in genuinely novel innovation, provider education, and helping practices run profitably is healthy for the whole industry. According to Strom, the concerning scenario would be an industry that new players no longer found interesting enough to join. This reflects her professional perspective.
What does it take to build an aesthetics brand that lasts?
According to Carrie Strom, the “secret sauce” in aesthetics is people, because it is fundamentally a relationship-driven, people industry. In the episode, she emphasizes a customer-first and provider-first orientation, staying externally focused and continually listening to what med spas, plastic surgeons, and dermatologists need. She explains that because providers, not manufacturers, treat patients, helping providers succeed, grow their practices, and train skilled injectors is what ultimately grows the whole market. Strom also stresses a long-term view, noting that decisions should be judged by what is right for the market over the next one, five, and ten years, not just for the company today. These are Strom’s leadership views.
What are the biggest risks facing the aesthetics industry?
In the episode, Carrie Strom suggests that the main vulnerability for the industry is becoming too inwardly focused, concentrating on internal portfolios and financials at the expense of anticipating what consumers need. She frames the greater opportunity as bringing genuinely innovative products to consumers, which in turn benefits providers and helps the whole industry thrive. Strom also points to the importance of staying attuned to macroeconomics and shifts in how consumers spend, including interest in GLP-1 medications, and to positioning aesthetics as part of a broader wellness and lifestyle approach rather than a narrow niche. These reflect Strom’s opinions on where the industry is heading.
What aesthetic treatments will still matter in the years ahead?
Carrie Strom shares her view that toxins have long been and will remain the mainstay of aesthetics, with HA fillers as a natural complement, even as she notes some shift in that category. In the episode, she also predicts that skin health and skin quality will remain central, supported by advances in topicals, energy-based devices and lasers, and injectable treatments. According to Strom, a strong foundation of skin health helps other treatments deliver better results, and skin-quality treatments can also address one of the two main reasons she says people hesitate to get injectables: a fear of an unnatural look, the other being cost. This reflects Strom’s professional outlook and is not medical advice.
