What’s My ‘Real’ Hashtag?

Around this hashtag, let me introduce three keywords that show my work and my everyday life: #Product AtoZ, for the entire process of how a product comes to be; #Global Eyes, rooted in a childhood dream of film marketing that has evolved into understanding global consumers; and #Healthy Is Beauty, the belief that preserving and protecting matter more than simply adding. With these three keywords, let me tell you my story.

How a Product Comes into the World #Product AtoZ

When people hear BM, most think of marketing first, but I see myself as closer to someone who builds the entire process of bringing a product into the world. From market research to product planning, development with the R&D center, clinical testing, cost review, production, and launch. Experts from many fields come together to complete a single product, and the BM’s job is to keep it all moving along a single track, shaping the best choice at each step.

Recently I’ve also taken on ILLIYOON’s global work, collaborating with overseas subsidiaries and gaining experience introducing the brand at global events. And I think it’s a draw unique to this job — you get to watch up close how one product is received in markets beyond Korea.

The journey after a product launches matters just as much to a BM. I always come back to the same question: ‘If I were the consumer, would I want to buy this?’ Why do popular products keep getting chosen? What makes consumers repurchase, or not? I comb through reviews and sales data, thinking about where the product should head next, because I believe that making products and watching how consumers respond are connected.

A product I’ve developed from the very beginning hasn’t come into the world yet, but I imagine that moment often. Spotting my own product in an Olive Young store, or coming across that first review online saying ‘This one’s really good’ — I think I’d find that deeply satisfying as a BM. There’s no single right answer in this job, so I want to keep learning from the experienced colleagues, keep questioning, and find my own answers.

The Same Story, a Different First Impression #Global Eyes

My childhood dream was to become a film marketer. I moved to Canada in the fourth grade and spent my school years there, naturally absorbing different cultures and perspectives. I noticed that the same film has different posters and trailers in each country, and that each person watches it from a different angle. That way of seeing still helps me today as I build products in my BM role. Even with the same product, each country expects a different feel on the skin and values different things.

Watching ILLIYOON’s strong run continue in overseas markets recently, on Amazon and beyond, I can feel the market itself shifting. K-Beauty was once consumed as a trendy, sensory image; now more and more global customers are looking for essential functions such as skin barrier care, gentle formulas, and clinical backing. I think that’s exactly why ILLIYOON, a brand even people with sensitive skin can use with confidence, is loved by customers worldwide. My goal is to keep reading global trends as they change, understand what customers need, and create a global hero product that stays in people’s memory, like a masterpiece that’s loved no matter how much time passes.

Beauty That Protects Rather Than Adds #Healthy Is Beauty

Working on a derma brand has changed the way I look at skin and health. I used to be so far from exercise that people joked breathing was my only workout, but these days I’m hooked on running. After a run alone, my thoughts and my body both feel much lighter. The way I look at products has changed just as much. I used to think a good product was one with a long ingredient list and plenty of reviews; now I believe a good product also has to be safe and reliable enough that you can trust it for years. For the body and the skin alike, protecting their natural balance seems to matter more than adding something new. So for me, New Beauty is what ILLIYOON pursues: ‘protecting the skin’s natural health’. Beauty that keeps me healthy as I am, and that I can sustain comfortably as time passes. That’s the value I’ve learned through derma beauty, and the standard of beauty I want to keep protecting.

MINI INTERVIEW

Loen Naeun Kim’s Recruitment Tip

I joined through the first-half 2025 open recruitment for entry-level positions. I passed the application, the AI competency assessment, and the first interview, then completed an internship, during which I went through the culture-fit interview and the final interview. When I first started preparing, I wondered, ‘Do I need to know a lot about cosmetics and brands?’ But what I learned from actually going through it is that how you view brands and consumers matters more. Since I was applying for a Global Sales & Marketing position, I tried to bring as much as I could to the interviews by connecting my overseas experience with consumers and markets to my own thinking. Looking back, I think what helped wasn’t having perfect answers, but showing my perspective — how I see brands and consumers, and the kind of thinking I bring.

There’s one more story I’d like to share. In my first interview, I was asked if there was anything I wanted to say before we finished, and I remember answering like this: ‘The moment I received the email about passing, I booked a flight to Korea. I flew 15 hours from Canada carrying both excitement and fear. I hope this opportunity leads to a final offer, so that I can fully demonstrate at Amorepacific the abilities and passion I couldn’t fully show in today’s interview.’ I think what mattered was showing who I am through real action and sincerity, not just words. So why not show your own passion and potential through action, too? When you put your sincerity into action, I believe it always gets through!