Part 1.
Leading Global Beauty Culture Since 1964

Amorepacific pioneered overseas markets as the first in the domestic cosmetics industry, opening the door to K-beauty. The fifth episode tells the story of the Amazon team trio, who are decisively demonstrating K-beauty’s presence in countries around the world in the global business arena. The protagonists are Inho Kim, who handles Japan; Heeyoung Nho who manage the European region; and Dongju Seo, who covers North America.

“We’ve been crossing borders since the Pacific era!”

Starting with the export of Oscar cosmetics to Ethiopia in 1964, Amorepacific expanded its export scope to the United States and Japan in the 1970s, also establishing a New York branch. The 1970s were a period when the “import quota system” was implemented, distributing a certain amount of imports to each company based on export performance, making entry into the US market challenging. To build export records, Amorepacific even directly exported niche items like fishing bait, leather products, and acoustic guitars—an interesting anecdote. Later, when a US raw material supplier requested pearl essence, research was conducted, and this pearl essence became popular as nail lacquer. As a result, following the United States and Southeast Asia, Japan also recorded substantial export volumes, achieving “shining success.”

From the 1990s through the 2000s, Amorepacific established subsidiaries in China and France, embarking on full-scale localization. Currently, Amorepacific is making its presence felt worldwide through Amazon and e-commerce platforms across the Americas, Japan, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

Amorepacific’s global expansion doesn’t stop at simply selling products. The distinctive feature is that it exports Korean beauty culture alongside its products. In particular, Heeyoung Nho, responsible for Amazon Europe, highlighted “skin routines,” while Dongju Seo, responsible for Amazon North America, cited “cushion foundation” as representative cultural elements. While Europeans rarely use multi-step skincare routines, interest in Korean skin quality, seen through K-beauty culture, has increased, leading to a trend of adopting skincare routines. Accordingly, Amorepacific is spreading “skin routine” culture along with product exports.
Additionally, cushion foundation was an unfamiliar product in North America until just 4-5 years ago. The concept of liquid foundation contained in a compact and applied by patting with a puff was novel. However, the cushion category has now established itself in North America, forming a new beauty culture.

Part 2.
Current Hit Items Taking Amazon by Storm

While Amorepacific’s various products are establishing themselves successfully in global markets, there are particular “star products” generating excellent responses by country. The Amazon platform often gains word-of-mouth through “genuine reviews,” and in North America, ILLIYOON’s “Ceramide Ato Intensive Cream” is a prime example. A consumer with ultra-sensitive skin posted detailed reviews showing weekly skin improvement photos after using the product, demonstrating how the skin soothed. Additionally, AESTURA’s “Atobarrier 365 Cream” has gained popularity in the US market and was launched at Sephora earlier this year.

An interesting point about the European market is that products popular in the United States are also receiving positive responses in Europe. “AESTURA” and “ILLIYOON” received many customer inquiries about launches even before export, resulting in very positive reactions upon launch. Europe is a market with a strong perception as “the birthplace of derma cosmetics.” The fact that Amorepacific’s derma brands are gaining popularity in Europe represents a very meaningful achievement. ILLIYOON is receiving excellent responses in Spain, while AESTURA is popular in the UK. Recently, European consumers’ interest in LANEIGE’s “Sleeping Mask,” which is gaining popularity in the United States, is also increasing.

Meanwhile, on Japan’s Amazon, mise en scène’s “Perfect Serum” is gaining popularity. Through Amazon and influencer marketing, it recently ranked on Japan’s Amazon bestseller list.

Part 3.
Amorepacific’s Heritage: ‘Breakthrough Challenging Spirit’

What do the global business team members leading K-beauty culture in global markets think about the heritage that has continued “From Pacific to Amore”?
The heritage that Heeyoung Nho, responsible for Amazon Europe, envisions is “breakthrough.” This stems from the strength of constantly attempting new changes and exploring various methods to break through barriers in each country during the global expansion process. The reason the brand can be loved for a long time, rather than being a brand that briefly shines and disappears, might be the sincerity through the power of a breakthrough.
Inho Kim, responsible for Amazon Japan, chose “heart.” All journeys began with Amorepacific’s heart to think of customers and transform the world beautifully. Through products that embody this heart, they are providing consumers with both beauty and joyful experiences simultaneously. Above all, he placed significant meaning on the fact that this heart has remained unchanged and consistently continued regardless of circumstances.
Finally, Dongju Seo, responsible for Amazon North America, defines it as a “challenge.” Amorepacific has always continued to challenge new markets in new ways, and it is precisely these processes that have led to further growth.

Amorepacific, full of a challenging spirit, was the first to step into global markets where no one had ventured before. Now, through e-commerce, the company is advancing to an even broader stage, spreading K-beauty culture to the world. With sincere hearts toward customers and a spirit of breakthrough, we anticipate Amorepacific’s future steps in delivering positive beauty vibes to even more people.
In the series ‘From Pacific to Amore,’ we explore the present and future of Amorepacific, an evolution that has spanned 80 years since its inception at Pacific. Discover the heritage of Amorepacific, which continues to write the history of beauty even today.