Asian Impression

Amorepacific’s journey started with a Korean woman concocting quality hand-pressed camellia oil from her kitchen in the 1930s, to become one of the world’s most innovative beauty behemoths today. Chloe Pek charts its revolutionary impact on the world of beauty

- Chloe Pek

IT ALL BEGAN IN A HUMBLE BEAUTY SHOP IN Gaeseong, Korea. A young boy would cycle for miles between the city and Seoul to run errands for his mother’s camellia oil business, setting the wheels in motion for his vision of a business that would extend beyond the region to the Pacific. It wasn’t a frivolous dream. In fact, the boy had a mind ahead of his time. Suh Sungwhan would go on to establish Taepyeongyang (Pacific) Chemical Industries, later renamed as Amorepacific—South Korea’s largest beauty conglomerate and one of the world’s most innovative companies.

With more than 20 brands under its belt, including its five global champion brands Sulwhasoo, Laneige, Mamonde, Etude House and Innisfree, the beauty behemoth has effectively penetrated into each distinctive niche in the consumer market. While Amorepacific has benefited from the Korean wave— endorsements in hit dramas My Love from Another Star and Descendants of the Sun led to a craze for IOPE and Laneige products respectively—its beauty brand is anything but a passing fancy. In fact, the beauty giant has spearheaded many firsts in the Korean beauty industry and subsequently, the global landscape.

“A more pacific is a beneficiary of K-pop and K-drama, and we are very grateful for the K-beauty wave, but we are also continually responding to trends and considering the needs of customers,” says Robin Na, head of Amorepacific’s Asean business. Apart from product placements in K-dramas, Amorepacific’s luxury cosmetic label Hera has been the sponsor for Seoul Fashion Week since 2015. “In Korea, we are the leader in exposing people to beauty trends through make-up shows,” says Na.