AP US celebrates its 15th anniversary of entering the US market this coming September. AP US has grown continuously over the past not-so-short history of 15 years since September 2003, when AMOREPACIFIC opened a store in Bergdorf Goodman in New York. Brands that have entered the US beauty market through AP US, as of today, include AMOREPACIFIC, Sulwhasoo, LANEIGE, IOPE, Mamonde, innisfree, Goutal Paris, and HANYUL. Sulwhasoo, which entered the US by opening in Bergdorf Goodman in June 2010, created a new wave in the luxury beauty market. And Goutal Paris, which opened its no. 1 store in New York in 2014, further strengthened AP's position in the high-end beauty market. In September 2017, innisfree opened its flagship store in New York and quickly expanded by attracting American millennials and Generation Z beauty consumers. And recently, on July 19th, Innisfree has just opened its second store at Westfield Garden State Plaza. But it didn't stop there. LANEIGE, which first entered the US in 2014, joined Sephora.com in June 2017 and started offering its products at Sephora stores in September the same year. And recently in 2018, Mamonde started offering its products through Ulta Beauty, the largest beauty distributor in the US. As such, AP US continues to grow and expand by leading K-Beauty trends and implementing strategies, including entering the digital market and expanding into various channels.

 We were able to witness the achievements and prestige of AP US at Beautycon LA on July 14 and 15. Amorepacific Land – where AMOREPACIFIC, Sulwhasoo, LANEIGE, Mamonde, and IOPE took part in – was successful and popular among beauty fans who wanted to experience K-Beauty. The continuing wave of visitors to Amorepacific Land was a reminder of the fact that AP is a leader in K-Beauty trend. We heard from representatives of each brand at this exciting event where visitors enjoyed the global beauty trends led by AP US to learn more about the success stories of AP US's key brands.

 The AMOREPACIFIC US team pursues many activities with an incredibly diverse group of people working in harmony led by a fearless and passionate recently-appointed new leader Rose Pilato. Christine Noh of AMOREPACIFIC Marketing Team emphasizes one common ground uniting fellow team members who come from different backgrounds, cultures and experiences – that they all hold passion and love as members representing AMOREPACIFIC and its mission to spread Asian Beauty across the world.

"AMOREPACIFIC launched in North America in 2003 where it was named one of the fastest growing luxury skincare brands by delivering the values of Asian Beauty. Today, it's grown to be a cult favorite among celebrities and industry experts alike. Our unique ability to combine our expertise in precious Asian botanicals with technological innovation is what makes us a one-of-a-kind luxury Korean skincare brand in the US. The attitude and state of mind in which we approach our customers and products are based on the philosophy of artisanship: each decision made for our brand is meticulous and designed to deliver nothing but the best of Asian Beauty. I believe this is why AMOREPACIFIC holds credibility to the US consumers."

 Christine Noh also declared her aspiration of not being complacent in the now and continuing efforts to maintain growth as a leader in the luxury skincare market. She explained the team's goals to lead AMOREPACIFIC's continuing growth by constantly adapting to the ever-changing US beauty market environment, especially with the rapid growth of specialty retailers, such as Sephora, and immense growth in digital channels overall.

 Sulwhasoo's philosophy of 'Holistic Beauty from Asian Wisdom' is considered a differentiated positioning and value in the US luxury skincare market. Laura Chen of Sulwhasoo Marketing Team says that it is necessary to deliver and further explain Sulwhasoo's message to American customers. From 'Holistic Beauty' best represented by its Snowflower story and connecting it to the Wellness movement of mindfulness to 'Holistic Health,' Sulwhasoo delivers a holistic approach that encompasses taking time to care for ourselves, those around us, and our environment; these values allow customers to appreciate Sulwhasoo's beautiful message.

"Sulwhasoo surrounds itself with harmony and balance in everything we do. From the personality of the team and the day-to-day interactions with our partners, the brand's DNA is a guiding force behind our daily activities and long term vision. We value Holistic Beauty through harmony and balance. It is not unusual that we carry First Care Activating Serum and ground ourselves in a mind-calming and skin-soothing ritual before our meetings! And trust me, this is contagious – in a positive way."

 Sulwhasoo's growth engine in the US continues to be its iconic First Care Activating Serum. Laura Chen says that the product's #1 status in Korea, the leading capital of skincare innovation, reinforces the brand's credibility in the US. Additionally, makeup products of the Perfecting Cushion lines and new color products like the Lip Serum Sticks have gained the likes of influential makeup artists, media, and influencers. Sulwhasoo plans to maintain its heritage Korean skincare position, while communicating in relevant messaging and platforms to the increasingly wellness-oriented American consumers; and leveraging the appeal of recruitment color and makeup items.

 Stella Kim of AP US Marketing Team covering LANEIGE, IOPE, and HANYUL describes LANEIGE as 'your best friend'. She explains that LANEIGE is playful, approachable, and reliable, which beauty enthusiasts can easily relate to. LANEIGE especially differentiates itself by focusing and never losing sight of its core, the sleeping and hydration categories.

"As LANEIGE solidifies its position as the leading brand in sleeping beauty and hydration categories, having the most authentic relationships with consumers is vital. Once we define our authority in these categories, all else will fall into place and the possibilities will be endless. Our goal is to be the top-of-mind brand when you hear "sleeping mask" or "over-night skincare". An always-on media approach on our engine skus have truly helped build brand awareness and credibility in the US market and will be an on-going strategy."

 As soon as IOPE gets products into a new customer, influencer and editors' hands, they immediately fall in love with the brand. IOPE products, born out of the highest level of innovative technology based on plant science and more importantly, as it became known for its proven results in skincare, became IOPE's differentiating strategy. Stella Kim also emphasizes that IOPE's biggest strength is that the products speak for themselves.

"You cannot but fall in love with the brand. We are in a time where products are not simply just a day-to-day consumer good. IOPE's strong brand story combined with high-quality products with proven results is the ultimate recipe for success in the US market. Our key strategy is to solidify our brand story, implement differentiated strategies from our competitors, and grab various opportunities to let our consumers know that IOPE represents customers' lifestyle, values, and even at times, pride."

 Stella Kim informed us that members of the AP US LANEIGE / IOPE / HANYUL teams are all proud of the brands they represent. She describes them as energetic and adventurous women who are always looking for new and different marketing activations and never conform to standards – key word being always 'adventurous'. She also explained that they will always work with a consumer-first mindset and be very hands-on with every consumer touch point.

 Mamonde recently took its first step into the US market. Mamonde partnered with Ulta, one of the largest retailers in the US, as its exclusive launch retail partner, establishing Mamonde a prestige leader in the K-Beauty trend segment. The US Marketing team is intensely passionate about this blossoming brand. The three ladies led by Eber Bodmer, with Jisoo Lee as her right hand, are often seen dressed in flowing floral dresses, they fully embody the brand voice and DNA. Nicole Foley explains that she is proud to be on this small but mighty team who inspire one another as Mamonde Muses daily. She pointed out that it has been a major focus to strengthen the the brand's heritage: a K-Beauty skincare line powered by Flower Science, and defining differentiation as a "K-Beauty simplified" collection that makes Mamonde customized to the local market that has been key drivers behind Mamonde's growth.

 Mamonde is inspired by Flowers, we study flowers from root to petal and capture the vital efficacies within these flowers for peak skin benefits. Some of the brand's products are Vegan, and all of the products boast an element of Clean Inspired Beauty where we are free of most of the main nasties like synthetics. K-Beauty has been on fire here in the USA, but it is often quite overwhelming to the US consumer who typically will gravitate to only a couple of skincare products in the daily routine. So, Mamonde simplifies this K-Beauty phenomenon. Mamonde's products often are 2-in-1 or multi-benefits like our 'Petal Spa Oil to Foam Cleanser'. We plan to deliver the true Mamonde beauty to our US customers with these 'simplified' products. And in the future, we plan to further grow the Mamonde footprint to other retail channels both off and online. Stay tuned for this blossoming brand!

 These AP US key brands success stories give us high hopes for Amorepacific's continued growth in the US market. Both Goutal Paris and innisfree also continue to expand and lead global beauty trends in the US. Goutal Paris, which targets the high-end beauty market in the US, is solidifying its position as high-end perfumery by delivering differentiated values. It took part in New York Fashion Week 2014 Summer. Goutal Paris also opened its first store on New York's art street, Bleecker Street, and in June 2015, its second store on Madison Avenue and East 75th Street, the center of New York where the affluent and artists flock to the many museums and galleries.

 Last September innisfree was introduced in the US with the opening of a first NYC flagship store in Union Square - an urban oasis with a 450 square feet living green wall to evoke Jeju Island and the company owned green tea farm. The store opening celebrations generated a line of customers around the block from the early hours of the morning and created national buzz. The collection of 14 shades of cushion specifically developed to address the skin tone diversity of the US market went viral and was seen as a major milestone for a Korean brand. Since then innisfree has progressively continued to build its awareness and establish the brand as a new beauty destination for US Millennials offering a one of kind proposition in the US beauty landscape being at the cross roads of natural beauty, K beauty and affordable beauty. Innisfree's second location opened early July at Westfield Garden State Plaza, a great opportunity to test its dual distribution strategy with a smaller scale yet very experiential store model. Innisfree is now planning to accelerate new door opening and expand to California before the end of the year.

 AP US is delivering various activities and achievements, leading global beauty trends. We met with Jessica Hanson, Head of AP US, to hear about her thoughts on AP's role, vision and objectives in leading the US beauty market into the future.