Inside K-Beauty World with Sarah Chung Park

0:05Hey guys, welcome back to Skin Anarchy. Today is a very special episode because we have a true icon with us today. She is the CEO and founder of Landing International Incorporated and the creator of K-Beauty World, which a lot of you might have heard about because it comes to K-Beauty and knowing the leading brands. I mean, I think K-Beauty World is doing a fantastic job of bringing them to the forefront and really integrating them and introducing them into the U.S. market. And so I'm very, very excited. So without further ado, please welcome Sarah Chung. Welcome, Sarah. I'm so honored to host you.

0:38I'm so excited to be here. Thank you for having me. Yeah, no, it's truly an honor. And I can't wait to learn about your journey because you've truly, I mean, what you've done is remarkable, right, in the beauty space. And I would love to learn about where it all started for you from the business side. I mean, what made you go into this space and wanting to work with brands and do all the wonderful things you've accomplished? Yeah, I started my career, wow, over 25 years ago in beauty. And, you know, I started out helping brands expand, U.S. brands expand in the U.S. market, like writing business plans and doing market research.

1:16And so I think that learning about new markets, you know, and incubating brands was always part of my journey. And really how I came to beauty, K-Beauty was through technology. So I developed the idea for Landing International as a match.com between brands and retailers. And at the time, I didn't build it around K-Beauty, but I launched it in 2015. And that's really where the interest was. and you might be surprised that even though I'm Korean, I didn't know a lot about K-Beauty. So it really was an interesting point for me to source from a place that I grew up and really learning about what was popular.

2:03And I think that my journey with K-Beauty started there, but it's obviously taken many twists and turns over the years. Right. No, it's really fascinating to me because you've launched over 180 brands into U.S. retail. I mean, that's phenomenal. And, you know, just to see like the way K-Beauty came in, I remember the first time I was introduced to it as a U.S. consumer, it was the seven skin method. You know, I remember seeing that and being like, this is phenomenal. You know, like this is such an interesting take on skincare and the products were so different, right, than what we were used to.

2:40I think in the U.S., you know, it wasn't so much like cleanser and a cream that you would buy at the drugstore. It was a way more integrated approach. So, I mean, what were some of the, I guess, initial phases of K-Beauty that you remember in terms of how consumers were perceiving it or like, you know, just kind of interacting with the space? The first wave of Cape Beauty was a lot about kind of gimmicky and kind of, you know, ingredients that people had never heard of. And it was like more, I think, sensationalist, if that makes sense. So obviously today's snail mucin is a very, you know, well-known ingredient.

3:17But at the time, people were like snail, like, you know, we're getting mucin for snails now. and um you know there was like bee venom um serums and there was a lot of like um I think it was more shock and uh curiosity around um you know sheet masks like what they were and um I don't know if you remember all the animal sheet masks yeah and it seemed more um I think about that sense of oh my gosh that's so silly or crazy I can't even believe they have things like that and perhaps not so much about true adoption by the U.S. consumer no that makes sense it makes sense because it was kind of like gimmicking I see what you see what you're saying sorry because I think for the more advanced skincare consumer it's more like you know you didn't see that same level because you know we talk a lot about like clinical grade or medical grade skincare these days a lot, right?

4:17And efficacy and data is always like leading in that space. But so this time around, you know, to take the question further this time around, what do you see that's happening from that angle where like these kinds of things are being catered to? Yeah. I mean, I think in the past 10 years, there's been a, I would say a growing respect for K-beauty skincare technology. When we ask regular consumers if they've ever tried Kate Beauty, you'd be surprised to know that 7 out of 10 consumers say they haven't. But I'm not sure that they realize that a lot of the best-selling U.S. and European brands are actually made in Korea.

5:01So I think that even within the industry, there's just an acknowledgement of the technology that exists in Korea as it relates to beauty and then by the consumers as well. So I think this time it's really more about, oh, what are the ingredients in this product that I might not get from the brands that I'm aware of? And really a curiosity that is related to true retail conversion rather than just something that you might think is funny and interesting, but not something that you would put, you know, on your shelf. When it comes to gaps or any kind of patterns, what do you see across the brands you helped launch that ultimately inspired you to create Landing International and now K-Beauty World?

5:48Part of our sourcing methodology and philosophy is that it has to bring something unique to the table. And so we definitely look for products that are doing brands and products that are offering something that other brands or products aren't. We also try not to have overlap between the brands that we work with. So I think the different gaps, I mean, there's so many new innovations and ingredients and formulations and delivery mechanisms that there's, you know, we're really tapping into all of that. So whether that's like Spicul, whether it's PDRN, exosomes, we're really tapping into brands that are offering the best in category products.

6:30Yeah, I love that. I think it's such an important thing now because for me as a consumer, I'll tell you, I think innovation is something that I always saw very lacking in the space a long time ago. It was almost like you wanted. I remember the first time I tried to speak your product, right? And I was just like, oh my God, what is this? And it was like this mind-blowing experience as a consumer. And now to see that come through so robustly is wonderful because it kind of makes the consumer now step back and say, wait a minute, I think I've been approaching beauty a little differently than I should be, right?

7:07It's more of this intersection between true skin health versus just here's a pretty product when you put it on my face, you know, that kind of thing. So I think that's very fascinating to watch, you know, for me as a consumer. Yeah. And then just from personal experience, like my my skincare routine, my beauty routine in my 20s and 30s are like is completely different than it is in my 40s. So part of that is aging. But part of it, I think, is that I would over I think a lot of us suffer from this where we would just rely on one cream or like one toner to like solve all your problems. And really, I think the approach today is about layering and rebuilding the moisture barrier.

7:50That's a really big theme in Korea, like not to only address the signs of dehydration or dry skin, but to address the root, which is a depletion of your moisture barrier. so we talk a lot about that and I think that um now I mean I'm I probably do use about like 10 steps and I feel all unnecessary yeah no it is though it is I feel weird like if I'm only doing like a serum and a mist and I'm like I really need an ampoule in there yeah yeah exactly no I'm the same way I completely completely resonate with that I think it's um it becomes very very I think obvious, especially the older you get, right, about the hydration component.

8:35And this is where I find K-Beauty to be very fascinating because I think a long time, for a long time, consumers kind of overlooked hydration. I mean, I know we all wanted like a great moisturizer and like, you know, we want something for the night or the day. But then when you really think about like skin health, it's like a lot of it is just hydration. It's just if you don't hydrate your skin properly, you're going to experience maybe even the lines you think are aging lines, but they're really just dehydration lines, you know, something like that. So yeah, yeah. I'm all about the 10-step routine, to be honest.

9:08I love it. So one thing I want to talk about, you know, I think K-beauty is actually, you know, it's very synonymous with skincare. I know it was, and I think it still is. But now we're seeing things like color product, sun care, even like intimate wellness, you know, that are entering the space. What do you think is driving this kind of expansion? Yeah, I mean, there's definitely interest across many categories for K-Beauty beyond just skincare. And I think one is when it comes to things like color that you mentioned, and even, you know, fragrance, there's a lot of Indie K-Beauty fragrance brands that are becoming quite popular.

9:46It has more to do with culture. And I think what we're seeing just in general, like with, you know, K-pop Demon Hunter, I think it's like the number one show on Netflix. and there's so many movies and shows that U.S. consumers have really resonated with that I think there's more openness to Korean styles and preferences when it comes to like fragrance or even Korean makeup because, you know, we're launching two color brands at Ulta, Romand and Unleash. and you can get this you can get a similar u.s look but actually um there's different styles of makeup um and so k-beauty makeup is is really best used for sort of a more natural look and so i think there's more of a um an openness to that right no i i completely hear what you're saying because there were so many products like you know what i'm i'm always scrolling through social media for like you know my own my own knowledge and trying to understand and i there's been some products where i've seen i'm like oh this is a you know korean specific launch you know it's exclusive to korea it's not going to be available anywhere else and some of those products i'm like god i wish i could get my hands on them you know because they're so good you know and it's exactly what you said where it's like i feel like the approach that maybe you know consumers are taking in Korea, it would resonate, I think, with U.S.

11:17consumers, right? Like, I mean, I think there's a lot of overlap there. I just don't know why we don't see a lot of those products come over. So I want to ask you about, you know, because the Western consumer, I think, is just getting more sophisticated. I mean, that's what I'm noticing, at least. And how do you see that changing what Korean brands need to bring to the table now versus before? Yeah, I think that you're right that people are asking really in-depth questions about ingredients and also like skin types. Like, is this good for melanated skin? Is this good for fair skin, sensitive skin?

11:53So I think that Korean brands definitely have to do a lot more testing and product education around all of the different, you know, consumer profiles. So because if you can imagine in Korea, it's just one type of skin, really. It's an Asian customer. And in the U.S., you have like many shades and also differing, I would say, concerns. and I think that Korean brands are really showing up in that way of reaching out to different ethnicities different age groups to to test their product and to make sure that it's something that's resonating right right no I remember um tier tier the foundation they were I think they did such a great job because they immediately responded right to this idea of like hey listen you guys need to expand your shade range and they immediately came through and were like okay here you go you know like here's every possible shade you can imagine and I was like I remember seeing that and I was blown away with like just the execution and the time and you know what I mean like just how quickly they adapted to that I think there's so much we can learn from that approach you know where it's like yeah this these are products coming from a completely different part of the world a different culture but they're willing to say we are here to work with you.

13:18You know, we're here to make something that's really, truly inclusive. You know, what are your thoughts around that? Like in terms of bringing over something that does come from a different culture and then also incorporating inclusivity, you know, in the way that Western consumers want to see it? I think it's really important. And, you know, I am actually pretty dark in Korea and basic shades for a foundation would be like 21, 23, and I'm probably at 27. And so when I would meet with brands, I would say, why don't you make darker shades? Like even just like for my personal use, I can't use any Korean foundations.

13:55And they would respond that there's no market for it in Korea, actually. It's interesting, too, because when I see tier tier in Korea, there's no domestic market for most of the shades that they offer. So it really does take like a leap of faith of creating these products. And so one of the color brands that I mentioned, Alicia, also has a cushion compact that will be sold on Ulta. And they have about 30 shades. And I, you know, speaking with the founder, I was, you know, there is a definite conscious effort to expand shade ranges so that more people can participate in the technology of the cushion compact, which, you know, had largely not been available.

14:36So I think it's a shift in mindset and it's an important time because, you know, like previous to the last couple of years, most consumers weren't able to use cushion compacts. And so I do wonder if it will become a more popular format, because I think right now still liquid foundation is preferred by a lot of Western consumers. So I'm also interested to see if that will change now that more shades are available. Absolutely. Now, let's talk more about K-Beauty World. This is such a cool, cool initiative. I mean, at Ulta, I mean, you're bringing it to Ulta. It's so accessible. How is this different from like a traditional retail rollout?

15:19I think we really wanted K-Beauty World to be a platform where when they see K-Beauty World, they know that it is all the things that we talked about. It's innovative. It's inclusive. We really want to tell stories. We want to bring, you know, a good combination of viral products with, you know, products that we think are going to become the, you know, the mainstays of the next 10 years. And so I think there's a lot of it's definitely deeply curated and also translated for all of the different groups that we really want to reach. So it will be available at all altas, I think, starting next week.

16:05And you'll see even from the visuals that we've included people of all age ranges and different skin tones and really appealing to this idea that K-Beauty is for everyone. And so I think that's like a big differentiation point of connecting with different consumers. Yeah, absolutely. That's really cool that there is so much representation here. I mean, I think that that's so, so important when you're introducing, I think, especially a new culture, right, to consumers is like you have to have this inclusivity built in and like just the, you know, yeah, you have to have that, that flexibility of where everybody can relate in some way and understand.

16:50Because I feel like the first time K-Beauty came around, I'm not going to lie to you, it was kind of hard to find. You know, it was like, yeah, we heard about it, but it was like, where do we shop the brands? Like, you know, what are the good brands? What are they standing for? That kind of thing. So this is very exciting to me when I see what you're doing with K-Beauty World as a consumer because it gives you access. You know, it really gives you true access to these wonderful brands. Yes. And I think, like, you know, this was a personal pet peeve of mine when you would see K-Beauty brands. it would always be like a young Asian model, an East Asian model.

17:23And that doesn't really reflect most of the American consumer. And so we really wanted it to, one, for consumers to be able to see themselves and also the subconscious message of we're expanding what we believe is the beauty ideal and that everyone is included in our definition of what is beautiful. And I think that that's also something that is maybe not in the K-beauty DNA, but we want to change that. Yeah, that's really, I love that. I really love that. And, you know, speaking of that, I want to talk a little bit about this because you've mentioned, you know, educational ecosystems before. And I want to understand how does K-beauty world turn passive shopping into active cultural learning for you as consumers?

18:12Yes. Well, I think the K-beauty world in all of its different facets, whether it's eventing or education, we really try to focus on making it fit for your lifestyle. And so I think one, we, you know, we have different, we have these kits that we thought would be fun as an introduction. We have like K-Beauty beginner and advanced and we have like a viral kit so that people can kind of test the things that are, you know, are popular on TikTok. And so we're trying to bring K-Beauty to the consumer in a way that it's digestible and that it's relatable. And so I think in that way, you know, we we try to reinforce education and meeting consumers where they are.

19:01The other thing, you know, we do like to have fun with it. We have a lot of, you know, activations in the pipeline where we were kind of, you know, a nod to Korean culture, but also American culture and really like blending those two things. For example, one of our brands has, this is very popular in Korea to do photo cards of K-pop stars. And so they're like collectibles. And so we'll be doing, Seongwon Editor will be doing a photo card giveaway, an Ulta. And so that I think is kind of like a fun culturally Korean aspect of beauty and marketing that we're bringing to the U.S. And we want to do that with a lot of the fun merch merchandise that K-Beauty is known for.

19:47So I don't know, you probably have seen on social that like every brand has like a keychain. And so we want to bring some of that funness, the experience of K-Beauty in the U.S. as well. I love that. That's really, really cool. I think it gives people a feeling of this is what, you know, this is what it feels like. if you're going to shop in Korea and you're going to really experience the beauty culture there, that's really neat. I like that a lot. So, you know, I want to actually talk about glass skin with you for a minute because I think that's the big buzzy word everybody kind of associates with K-Beauty.

20:22And I mean, I'm all for it, right? I love a great like glass skin product. But in terms of, you know, you had mentioned this where it's like it's for, I think, more people now. Like, we're trying to be a lot more broad, right? So when you're with your work in terms of spotlighting broader age groups, deeper skin tones, just more accessible price points, how intentional is this shift and, you know, understanding, like basically going beyond glass skin. That's what I'm asking. I have a, I have a love hate with the word glass skin. I think also the way that it was shown to us initially it it felt very it the ideal felt like very young and very um fair-skinned and i think glass skin the true definition is really you know hydrated poreless look but it also kind of speaks to a like a very high beauty ideal it's almost like perfection right glass skin is the standard is really perfect skin.

21:26What we really strive for is healthy skin and being a better version of yourself, which is, you know, like we talked about hydration and it's about protection. Sunscreen is so important and also like calming the skin. So we really want to expand the definition of what is the ideal for a beautiful skin. Right. Like instead of just like, hey, this is just perfect, flawless skin. Like, you know, let's talk about what does good skin actually mean? Yeah, that makes a lot more sense, I think. I mean, it's really interesting, right? Because in the West, and I spoke to Michelle Lee recently, and she was talking about, you know, how Allure at one point, they kind of strayed away from that whole anti-aging narrative, right?

22:14And she made a really good point there about how that was just like, they had to do that because it was like trying to get consumers away from this idea of like, listen, anti-aging isn't the goal. You know, beautiful aging is the goal. And I feel like with, especially with K-Beauty now coming in so strongly, what you said really resonates in the same way. Where it's like, you know, listen guys, like we get it. You know, glass skin is great, but what does healthy skin really look like? So I think, you know, I don't know, I'm really excited to see the role KBD is going to play in that, you know, in terms of like that cultural shift for consumers.

22:50You know, I think it's going to be very exciting. Yeah. And it's interesting. It's interesting because, you know, I mentioned that for our visuals, we decided to have people from all ages. It was a bit controversial with the brands because in this way, you know, I think some of the brands might think, OK, well, we don't want to show mature skin because the ideal is this like very young look. But, you know, I think from the response that we've had to date, really seeing, you know, beautiful aging, it's so important. someone asked you know can can can people over 40 use k-beauty and i thought that was such an interesting um question because i i think this idea of like layering essences and hydration it's more important for mature skin um and we need to have more conversation about how when as you age you know we need to do more um in order to maintain um healthy skin and so i I think that a lot of conversation moving forward will be about, okay, like, what does K-beauty look like for mature skin?

24:02What does it look like for melanated skin, for sensitive skin? And really, you know, diving deeper into, like, different conditions and different, like, skin types. Right. No, I think that that's going to be really fascinating to see because, you know, one of the biggest, I think, you know, sticking points for me, especially as a scientist is that everybody talks about how you know Korea is like living in like 20 you know 75 or something like that right and we see that all the time and I'm like yeah you know I hear you I think that the innovation is off the charts but I think more importantly I'm very curious and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this about what you think this is going to do for the the benchmark, right, that is set for innovation in the skin space, you know, in terms of any kind of product that wants to launch in the U.S., whether it's, you know, Western or coming from Europe or anywhere.

24:59I mean, what do you think K-Beauty's role is going to be in that? I definitely think that K-Beauty pushes the envelope when it comes to new ingredients. And and exosomes. And I think that, well, it would be interesting to see, but I think that the sort of table stakes for launching a brand have gotten high, the standard has gotten higher to really offer something that's differentiated, that really, that is efficacious, and not just another Me Too product. So I think that with all of these innovations and the U.S. consumer becoming more aware that, you know, I should have higher expectations for how my products perform.

25:48I think it's going to just raise the bar for everyone. Right, right. No, I agree. I think it's well needed at this point, right? The bar needs to be raised because we do look at, you know, So even before like what the initiatives that you're working on with KBD World, like even before that, I think all of us were looking in that direction of like, OK, you know, what are we missing here? You know, because they've got something figured out we don't. And so I think that natural curiosity, I don't know, I think it might push consumers to think a little bit deeper, you know, into what does it really mean to invest in good skincare, you know, rather than just buying like 20 products that are the same, you know, which we've been doing for a long time.

26:33time. So, yeah. I want to talk a little bit about, you know, with you about the role of food and like just true Korean beauty culture and rituals. If you could speak to us a little bit about that. I mean, do you think that's also going to come over in terms of the whole, you know, understanding nutrition and how that plays a role in skin health and, you know, especially how it's embedded into the culture of you know of korean uh beauty wellness as it relates to you know skin health and beauty is huge in korea um and there's there's always like you know ingestible food and then plus you know beauty products that people would recommend when you know for like a skin condition so um i don't know if it's gonna come over i i hope that it will um i and i think that you know, US consumers also are getting more curious about wellness.

27:30I had a bunch of people come to Korea last month. And when we were beauty shopping, there's so many, you know, also supplements that people buy that aren't available here, like probiotics and, you know, collagen. And so I know there's like a huge interest. And I would, I'm also curious if that's going to translate. Yeah, no, I'm very, very excited to see if it does, because I think that would be very neat to have that kind of integrated into our wellness world over here, you know, because we're kind of stuck in that area as well. I'm not going to lie, you know, as a consumer, when I look into, you know, just ingest, ingestible supplements, all that, there is kind of a wall that we keep hitting, you know, and I think there's a lot of room for innovation and growth and learning from other cultures.

28:16And I think it's also a price point issue. A lot of things feel out of reach, you know, like, do I really need this? Is it a necessity? And I think that the, you know, even with like beauty products or wellness products in Korea, the price points are very accessible. And so it feels more attainable and more, you know, that you would be able to incorporate into your daily routine. Yeah, no, that's absolutely huge. Absolutely. Especially like now because I know a lot of brands like for example the ordinary you know or like the inky list I think a big reason people keep gravitating is that price point you know they just want something that they can use and it's gonna work and yeah I can definitely see that now in terms of k-beauty world I mean what does success truly look look and feel like for you personally I mean I'm not just talking like professionally but true success for you um yeah I mean I think um it's been it's been hugely satisfying to see the response of K-Beauty World, that people are like really interested in it, very interested in, you know, learning more about the Korean culture and where does, you know, these like beauty routines stem from.

29:29And I think that, you know, what would be an amazing moment for me is to see like a mom and a teen shopping K-Beauty at Ulta and, you know, having that moment where people are just, you know, experiencing the K-beauty brands. And I think, you know, as somebody who is Korean and who has been in the beauty industry for 25 years, it feels like a, you know, true 360 moment that I'm, you know, that I'm able to bring this collaboration into Ulta and that, you know, I'm able to work with brands that, you know, I hugely admire. And so I think that's been the payoff for me. I love that. I love that so much.

30:15And I, you know, just to close off, you know, Sarah, I would love to talk about because you are such a celebrated entrepreneur and a true thought leader in the beauty space. I would love for you to offer some advice and words of wisdom for anybody who's currently on their entrepreneurial journey or they're thinking about it, you know, especially in the realm of beauty, any advice you can offer for them? The biggest learning I've had is that opportunities always present themselves, but you have to be on the path. Meaning I think some of the biggest opportunities or things that I've accomplished professionally, like I could never have imagined or planned out, but you know, I was always going to that conference or asking for the meeting and just taking the steps that I could to to reach that next opportunity.

31:04And so I think that for any entrepreneur or business owner, and, you know, we've all been there and I experienced it as well of feeling, you know, okay, when is like, when's it going to get easier? Or, you know, what's next for me, maybe feeling stuck. I think that I truly believe if you keep yourself in the game, your next opportunity will present itself and maybe even better and bigger than you could have imagined. So I think that just like a word of encouragement that maybe you don't see the end goal today, but that that it will be there. I love that. Thank you so much for that wonderful advice.