AMOREPACIFIC President and CEO Kyung-Bae Suh is pleased to report record-breaking sales for Sulwhasoo, the company’s luxury brand of cosmetics made from Korean medicinal herbs. Since the release of Sulwhasoo First Care Serum (YoonJo Essence: 60ml/around 80,000 won), sales have reached 100 billion won  —a first for the industry.

First Care Serum has been Sulwhasoo’s best selling product since it was first introduced in 1997, the same year the Sulwhasoo brand itself was established. Total sales of this leading product have reached more than 16.2 million, with 1.75 million this year alone. That equals 9.2 sales per minute during 2011 (based on 9.5 business hours/day in department stores). In addition to performing strongly in the domestic market, First Care Serum has been Sulwhasoo’s best selling product across the globe, demonstrating the value of "Asian Beauty" since its launch in Hong Kong (China) (2004), the USA (2010) and Mainland China (2011).

Customers of all ages are drawn to First Cream Serum for its ability to keep skin moisturized, shiny and feeling refreshed. Applied immediately after face-washing to boost results, First Care Serum is a pioneer in a product category that usually instructs users to apply serums after skin emulsion. This unique method is so effective that it’s changing the usual beauty routine of Korean women.

The key to First Cream Serum’s success is simple - it provides excellent results. Sulwhasoo has continued to improve the product, testing new materials and applying innovative technology during renewal efforts in 2004 and 2009. These efforts also produced 100ml large capacity bottles celebrating launch in New York (2010) and in China (2011) to meet customer needs. These limited edition bottles received very positive responses from both Korean and overseas customers.

Jin-Soo Jeon, vice president of the Luxury BM Marketing department at AMOREPACIFIC, said, “Sulwhasoo is a global brand rooted in Asia’s profound wisdom and oriental medicine’s esthetics. First Care Serum embodies that philosophy and couples it with cutting-edge technology. The 100 billion record sales could only be achieved with our customers' deep trust and care, and we will continue our efforts to become the No.1 luxury serum beloved among women throughout the world." 

[Reference] About Sulwhasoo 
Sulwhasoo, which has become a luxury skincare brand since it was first introduced in 1997, is leading the domestic cosmetic industry in Korea with traditional herbal medicine, originated from  "ABC Concentrated Ginseng Cream" in 1966, and has continued to create many "world’s first" technologies with AMOREPACIFIC's herbal scientific knowhow. The Sulwhasoo brand reflects a strong pride in our culture and philosophy, and the products have been featured as special gifts at renowned international events such as the 2009 Korea-ASEAN summit meeting, the 2010 Seoul G20 summit meeting and the 2011 Seoul G20 National Assembly Chairmen meeting. They have also appeared on the top of the brand power list for women’s skincare products by KMAC for 5 consecutive years. In 2004, Sulwhasoo ventured into the Hong Kong market, the so-called battlefield of global brands and gateway to the Asian market. The brand continues to write its success story in China, selling well at Shin Kong Place in Beijing and Parkson in Beijing and Shanghai in 2011. Sulwhasoo products have been available at luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman in New York since 2010. Sulwhasoo products are produced using more than 200 kinds of herbal medicines cultivated in Korea under strict quality control. The brand currently has 105 registered patents involving herbal cosmetics and skincare (including 54 international patents) and has published 90 theses on the subject of herbal cosmetics (including 59 international theses).

Brand History
1966 | Release ABC Concentrated Ginseng Cream
1972 | Obtain a patent for the extract of effective ingredients from ginseng
1973 | Release "Ginseng SAMM", the cosmetic brand containing ginseng
1975 | Release "SAMMI" in Korea and export 22 items abroad
1981 | Release and export SAMMI GIN abroad
1987 | Release "Sulwha", the first product to combine skin physiology with herbal medicine
1997 | Release "Sulwhasoo" in joint research with the College of Oriental Medicine, Kyung Hee University
2004 | Advance into Hong Kong, Initial renewal for global brand
2009 | Second renewal, open "Sulwhasoo Spa" on Canton Road, Hong Kong
2010 | Sulwhasoo's advance into the USA, open a shop in Bergdorf Goodman in New York
 Selected as a special gift for G20 SEOUL SUMMIT 2010
2011 | Sulwhasoo's advance into China. Selected as a special gift for the Korean Chairman of National Assembly at 2011 G20 Seoul National Assembly Chairmen’s conference

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