Korean mask company IK HealMade on Thursday said that it is more than ready for the full-fledged global exports of its FFP2-certified and US FDA-approved masks.

The company’s remark is targeted for Europe, as in January the southeastern German state of Bavaria made it compulsory for people to wear FFP2 masks in shops and on public transport.

The FFP2 certification signifies the mask has passed some 20 tests and demonstrated successful filtration of more than 94 percent of aerosol content.

According to German local news, FFP2 respirators typically cost between 1 and 5 euros ($1.20-$6), which is a significantly more expensive rate than standard medical masks.

Bavaria has reportedly pledged to provide 2.5 million FFP2 masks free of charge for its more vulnerable cohort. The state has a total population of around 13 million.

Following the Bavarian example, many member nations of the European Union, such as Switzerland and Austria, are said to also be mulling similar measures.

An FFP2 mask is of the same grade as N95 and KN95 masks, which are the equivalent of Korea’s KF94 mask. In Korea, the KF94 masks are worn daily as first-line protection against the spread of COVID-19.

Despite the widespread use of and trust in KF94 masks, the Korean masks must go through additional screening overseas to stand on the same footing as the aforementioned masks.

Just as Korean mask makers fervidly attempt to get their products FFP2 certified, IK HealMade has acted ahead.

The company’s mask brand “Healmade” passed the medical FFP2 mask test conducted by Europe’s overarching product certification body Conformite Europeenne in the second half of 2020, and concurrently begun exporting to Germany. It has also earned the US’ Food and Drug Administration’s nod as a surgical medical class 2 product.

Global recognition for the Healmade mask can go on; it has passed the multinational SGS product safety test for Substances of Very High Concern, where it came out clean of all 211 worrisome chemicals.

The masks also gained a mark of excellence in a skin irritation compliance test from German Dermatest.

An IK HealMade official told The Korea Herald that the company is confident in its capability to produce top-quality masks. It is a leader in Korean mask exportations, and has a well-grounded ambition to become the global No. 1 mask company, the official said.

IK HealMade is currently in talks to supply a large volumes of masks to multiple European nations, according to the company.

In 2020, KF94 Healmade masks were supplied to major Korean businesses such as Kakao and Woori Bank, as well as to overseas destinations such as the Netherlands, the US, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, China and Canada.

IK HealMade manufactures its own products at its factory in Korea, which has been recognized by the International Organization for Standardization.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)