South Korea is undoubtedly the global hub of cosmetics products and innovations. K-Beauty products and brands set the benchmarks of the industry. Maybe it becomes less surprising knowing that the origin of Korean makeup can be traced back to 57 BC when the Three Kingdoms of Goryeo, Baekje, and Haja ruled the land. Today, South Korea accounts for $1.76 billion in cosmetics sales annually, with extreme competition in the industry. It’s quite commendable how Klavuu— an award-winning Korean cosmetic brand—carved its niche in a market known for cut-throat competition and built a robust global footprint. Klavuu invented the concept of Cleanical (Clean + Technical) Beauty— its USP today, and has been on Asia Business Outlook’s radar ever since!
A green brand, Klavuu reuses clean, natural raw materials and packaging materials that are easy to recycle. This helps them stand out in the clean beauty market. The company has coined the term 'Cleanical (Clean + Technical) Beauty' to describe this philosophy.
Klavuu’s CEO, Kim Hyun Bae, explains, “We have discovered that being 'clean' does not necessarily mean being 'effective'. Natural ingredients alone are not enough to ensure the quality and performance of our products. We need to combine them with the best synthetic ingredients that are safe and compatible with our skin. This way, we can create a unique and powerful synergy that offers the ultimate clean beauty experience.”
The success of Klavuu's ‘Cleanical Beauty’ philosophy is quite tangible, with the skyrocketing demand for Klavuu’s products, including the top-seller, Actress Backstage Cream, being a strong testament to this. Also known as Boosting Base Cream, the product enhances the skin makeup by giving the skin a fresh and elegant glow. Another popular product is the Lip Sleeping Mask, which is especially favored in western regions.
The Cleanical (Clean + Technical) Beauty
Kim adjoins, “Clean beauty has been our core value since our renewal project in 2022. We have done extensive research
and deliberation to find out how to stand out in the clean beauty market.” Over the past decade, Klavuu paved the way for its success with an innovative and inventive approach. For instance, the company kick-started its journey by launching its products with the concept of pearl and marine ingredients—first-of-its-kind in Korea. The company extracted the appropriate pearl ingredients without destroying them and developed technical features for applying them to cosmetics and maximizing their effectiveness.
We have done extensive research & deliberation to find out how to stand out in the clean beauty market
Sustainability & Vegan Product Line
Klavuu had its baptism of fire in the K-Beauty market, which never offers an easy day. Indeed, Korean consumers are exceptionally knowledgeable about the cosmetics industry and ingredients, making them extremely demanding of product quality. Moreover, they are used to paying a low price for their cosmetics. Hence, providing good value, intact quality, and constant innovations is a basic market expectation. Today, Klavuu has intrinsically adapted to the cosmetic industry's changing trends, technology, and key factors by undergoing the renewal project to focus more on clean beauty and sustainability. The company has aligned itself with the current consumer’s interest and effective ingredients, giving the brand more opportunities to grow globally.
Beyond its ‘Boosting’ line of products, Klavuu today has a dedicated Real Vegan product line. The Real Vegan line uses vegan ingredients and clean, sustainable packaging for skin and cleansing products. The Boosting line also uses vegan ingredients but focuses on enhancing the makeup performance and effectiveness. Furthermore, Klavuu uses eco-friendly packaging, such as the Earth pack and the PCR, which are made of 100 percent recycled plastic. It also uses clean ingredients for its products, such as the Real Vegan Cleansing Pad, which comes in a 100 percent recycled plastic container.
A Bright Future
Having had a remarkable growth journey (100 percent year-on-year increase in sales) across domestic and overseas markets, Klavuu has also been highly involved in giving back to society. Through its CSR programs, the company has helped to protect the Jeju Haenyeo, which UNESCO recognizes as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It also runs the ‘Blue Breath Campaign’ every May-Jun to save the sea from desertification and preserve marine life. Going forward, with an already established export footprint in more than 15 countries across East Asia, Southeast Asia, the U.S., Europe, and Russia, Klavuu is setting its wings on fire.
Kim Hyun Bae, CEO
A passionate leader, Kim possesses extensive experience in the K-beauty industry. He loves to lead from the front, and believes in setting examples for his team to follow.
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