What’s My ‘Real’ Hashtag?
#GoGetter

The espoir BM team operates in a rapidly evolving beauty market, reading consumer sensitivity and needs to design compelling colors, textures, and user experiences.
My 'real hashtag' that captures this proactive attitude and my desire to deliver fresh inspiration to others is #GoGetter. Let me introduce my work and daily life through three keywords embedded in this hashtag: Career and Identity #espoir Be Velvet Cover Cushion, Work Insights #Magnets, and One-and-Only Trend Catcher #K-POP Merch. Let me introduce the keywords that define Nakin Kim at espoir!

espoir’s Core Lineup, My Pride #espoir Be Velvet Cover Cushion

Since joining espoir, I’ve progressed from eye makeup and lip makeup product development to my current role overseeing the face makeup category. I’m particularly responsible for planning and developing espoir’s core product lines: cushions and liquid foundations. I’ve led the planning for lineups including ‘Be Velvet Cushion and Foundation,’ ‘Be Glow Cushion and Foundation,’ and ‘Be Natural Cushion.’ Throughout this process, I’ve focused not just on creating products but on establishing each lineup’s unique universe and sensibility, solidifying the brand’s identity.

There are many rewarding and moving moments in this work. Among them, the #Be Velvet Cover Cushion color expansion project to accommodate diverse global skin tones remains a source of great pride. This project involved redesigning our shade range to match various skin tones, positioning espoir to compete not just domestically but in global markets. It was far from easy—we had to move beyond familiar Asian tones to carefully examine the undertones of diverse ethnicities and analyze usage behaviors and purchase motivations. But through this process, I broadened not just the brand’s but also my own standards for color sensibility.

Recently, when I saw the full shade range of the cushions I developed displayed by type at espoir’s renovated Yeonnam store, I felt genuinely proud. The experience of building color expertise and materializing espoir’s distinctive sensibility and values into products gave me tremendous satisfaction.

New Stimuli for Work Insights #Magnets

I try to maintain a prepared mindset by drawing on insights from new experiences, no matter what I’m working on. The color cosmetics market moves especially fast, so to sustain a cutting-edge sensibility, you need to expose yourself to the broader world more often than you do by staying behind a desk. That’s why I naturally gravitate toward places that offer fresh stimuli. I accumulate experiences across exhibitions, music, travel, and more—then at some point during the planning stage, those fragments connect intuitively.

Travel-derived insights have become my favorite focus lately. My anticipation for unfamiliar cultures, landscapes, and people runs so strong that I've naturally come to enjoy visiting new countries and cities. I’ve become completely absorbed in observing each city’s unique atmosphere and character, interpreting and defining them through my own lens. When I travel, I buy #magnets from each city as souvenirs. I try to pull out the insights gained during those experiences later at work to fuel idea-rich planning.

Because I believe new attempts always start from an incomplete state, I trust rapid execution and flexibility over a single perfect plan. I believe that an attitude unafraid of new experiences and ready for immediate action is the driving force that grows the brand while growing me as well.

The Power of a One-and-Only Character #K-POP Merch

The aesthetic value I ultimately pursue can be summed up in one phrase: ‘one-and-only.’ I dream of someday becoming a brand creator who combines both sensibility and strategy. The very fact that I’m building my career as a male BM at Amorepacific’s makeup-specialized brand reflects this pursuit. Through projects that others haven’t done or couldn’t do—like braille makeup or global shade expansion—I want to strengthen both espoir’s and my own distinctive character. In other words, I want to become a planner who’s remembered for having ‘Nakin Kim’s sensibility.’

This pursuit connects directly with #K-POP Merch. When you look into the K-POP industry, you encounter each group’s one-and-only character, while simultaneously reading the trends of the rapidly changing beauty market. I capture these from my perspective and connect them to makeup product planning in a way that leads trends. For example, I draw product launch concepts and marketing ideas from idol groups' comeback strategies and merchandise planning, and K-POP groups’ universe storytelling also serves as a source of inspiration.

I gather these intuitive fragments of ‘feeling,’ analyze why this particular vibe works, then refine it into espoir’s language. Filling up on sensory experiences and then organizing them intelligently—that’s my insight know-how.

MINI INTERVIEW

Nakin Kim’s Recruitment Tip

I believe what’s most important for BMs is ‘deep understanding of the market and trends’ and ‘genuine passion for cosmetics.’ It’s crucial to develop the ability to closely track market movements—why a new product was launched, why a brand chose a particular strategy—and explain these in your own words. Cosmetics industry external activities, marketing competition participation, and internship experiences will be significant assets toward this goal.

Especially if you’re aspiring to be a makeup BM, I also recommend taking classes that deepen your understanding of color or obtaining certifications, such as colorist credentials. BMs need to communicate deeply with various researchers about textures and colors. The denser and more accurate this communication, the faster you can achieve high-quality results. Ultimately, the core is ‘how much you love cosmetics and how logically you can articulate that.’