1. isoi is one of the leading natural
Korean skincare brands that is reputable for refusing to use harmful, synthetic
chemicals in its products. After successfully launching in Whole Foods Market
stores nationwide and being the first ever Korean brand to receive top scores
from the EWG, isoi is rapidly gaining a reputation in the U.S. as a leading
natural skincare brand. What was the motivation and inspiration behind isoi?
When I was younger, I had a phase of
acne and I had used various steroid creams to combat it. However, my skin had
become incredibly sensitive and dry as side effects of the medications, and often
my face reddened, with skin peeling off as colder seasons approached. At the
time, a task as simple as rinsing my face with water was painful. This led me
to reach out to online community by creating a forum website. My question
gained much traction and many people have tried to help me with my skin
concern, but the various tips made little difference for my condition. In 1999,
however, I happened to read a report issued in Europe that would change my
perspective on skincare.
The article stated how the use of
chemically-derived synthetic ingredients has a high likelihood of disrupting
the skin’s natural processes, and that applying exclusively naturally-derived
compounds can help treat skin symptoms. I followed this radical advice and
incorporated a blend of Bulgarian Rose Oil as well as other plant-based oils
and extracts into my skin regimen. In less than a year, I saw incredible
changes. My skin had become clearer and more radiant and exuded this healthy
glow that was beyond what I had originally hoped to see. For the next decade, I
travelled the world to gain expertise in developing natural cosmetics, and
sought after these key components: safe, healthy, and quick yet long lasting
results. After much research and trial-and-error, I succeeded in launching isoi
in 2009, providing natural cosmetics without any harmful ingredients. Since
then, the brand has substantially grown thanks to the consumers who appreciate
and love our products and philosophy.
2. As the CEO of a globally-revered
Korean cosmetic brand and as a successful entrepreneur, what are the top three
priority assets or skills that you believe lead to such success?
If I had to choose three assets that
led isoi to its success, the first would be a sense of mission one would hold
as a CEO. This one in particular has great personal meaning to me. Since the
establishment of the brand, our team at isoi have run the company with a
mission to upgrade not only the outer appearance of women, but also their
quality of life. We’ve also carried out various communication activities and
made it a top priority to always be in touch with our consumer base as not mere
customers, but women with struggles that we know too well of. I firmly believe
that we were able to expand our company at the rate we did because we never
forgot our core goal in improving the welfare of women.
Next, we encompass a set of values.
Among them include one, the “no additive principle,” where we pledge to never
add toxic, or any high-risk ingredients that may pose harm to the human body.
Two, we make it a priority that the raw materials be the primary ingredients in
our products, which we call the “best ingredient principle.” Three, the “low
skin irritation principle” ensures that our products minimize skin irritation
through the use of high quality, gentle ingredients. By employing these
principles in the production and development of isoi’s cosmetics, we’ve been
able to achieve a rapid growth in sales and an increase in brand awareness.
The last asset I would like address
are the employees of isoi. The growth of a company is primarily contingent upon
the employees, and not on the CEO alone. Therefore, it is incredibly vital to
me that a healthy and stimulating work culture is cultivated for them, and that
they genuinely recognize themselves as invaluable contributors to our brand.
Furthermore, employee satisfaction ultimately leads to positive consumer
experience of our products and service. isoi has spared no effort to support
the education, leisure, and cultural activities for our employees in order to
ensure that they are truly content with their work environment. A few examples
of our educational support include sending our employees abroad to experience
worldwide trends of cosmetics and offering to enroll in an MBA curriculum to
all our team members. Also, at our company, we provide corporate dining with
organic and healthy food options as well as Pilates classes and refreshment
rooms for optimal health and relaxation.
3. Korean beauty, often termed as
K-beauty, became a big trend in the global beauty industry. How do you differentiate
isoi from competing cosmetic companies? Can you please explain isoi’s
strategies, mission, and activities to our readers?
isoi is a brand offering functional
cosmetic products that exclusively use natural ingredients to enhance the
skin’s self-sustenance abilities, as I’ve mentioned earlier. The most
distinguishing feature of our products, I would say, is our unique, yet
carefully thought out selection of raw materials. Bulgarian Rose Oil, for
instance, is isoi’s signature ingredient, and offers an incredible array of
benefits for the skin.
We acquire this particular rose
extract by repeatedly boiling and cooling 3,000 Bulgarian roses, and among the
various grades of Bulgarian Rose Oil, we specifically employ the initial
extract oil, which is namely used for medical purposes, in order to help
improve the skin’s natural repair and maintenance mechanisms. Our unique
selection of raw materials is consistent with isoi’s brand philosophy that
“good ingredients are destined to change the skin,” which is something we
remain committed to despite the rising prices in such raw materials every year.
Another distinguishing quality of
isoi amongst other cosmetic brands is our brand concept of completely banning
the use of harmful, toxic, and synthetic ingredients in our products.
With growing industrialization
across the globe, adverse effects related to chemically formulated, and
potentially toxic ingredients have risen amongst consumers. Despite this, a
number of cosmetic companies give insufficient regard to the source of their
products’ ingredients, and therefore isoi has built its own territory and
differentiated itself by committing to making products completely free of
high-risk, toxic ingredients. Going beyond what are in our products, isoi also
puts an emphasis on helping women learn of, select, and use healthy and safe
cosmetics with the execution of our brand promotion and marketing activities.
We also carry out various
communication activities aimed at promoting women’s health and their rights by
relaying self-empowering, positive messages.
Continuing on into the future, we,
at isoi, are keen on becoming more than a simple cosmetics brand. By expanding
our practices in social movements and relaying more women-positive messages, we
anticipate that isoi gains recognition as a company that centers its values and
principles on the health and happiness of women.
4. What are some significant changes
you have noticed in the beauty industry for the past years? And how do you
forecast the global and Korean beauty industry will be like within the next
five years?
Today’s cosmetics market is
saturated with a variety of trends, many of which are rapidly changing as we
speak. However, what we personally pay most attention to is the increased
consumers’ awareness of the ingredients making up the cosmetics they apply
regularly.
There has always been a high demand
for “newer”, “more convenient”, yet still “effective” cosmetics, but nowadays,
a new buzzword has emerged. Consumers now prioritize their health, and now also
search for “safe” products that still uphold the previously mentioned
qualities. Beauty companies have long been involved in social activities,
especially those promoting women’s health. Yet, ironically, their products
continue to contain significant amounts of potentially harmful and high-risk
ingredients that, in the end, are likely to compromise the health of so many of
their consumers.
Due to the lack of information on
the ingredients themselves and a stronger emphasis on the general values these
beauty companies would like to represent, consumers continue to purchase and
use such products, not knowing their health may be negatively impacted by them.
In recent years, people have begun to pay better attention to what goes into
the cosmetics they use, and thus they’re becoming more aware of this irony.
The past few years have especially
headlined various incidents where consumers reported adverse effects from the
hazardous ingredients in their cosmetic products, as well as those related to
the environmental surroundings. In either case, their skin and other parts of
their body have been affected and has led to the eventual increase in their
demand for safe cosmetics.
This change in what the consumers
now seek for in beauty products is now being reflected in the marketing
strategies of beauty brands. Unlike the past, where cosmetic companies put a
greater emphasis on the aesthetic appeal of their products, especially through
their use of models and vibrant color schemes, brands are now advertising that
their cosmetics are “free” of a disreputable ingredient, or that they are
formulated with “non-toxic ingredients” in order to reestablish and gain the
consumers’ trust. Isoi expects that this isn’t a mere trend, but a fundamental
criterion that will remain.
5. WKMJ has readers from over 10
countries globally. Please share your final thoughts or words with our readers.
isoi will continue to preserve its
philosophy in providing safe and natural cosmetics and remain committed to
further research and development in order to meet the healthy beauty standard
held by people all over the globe. As one of the few pioneering Korean cosmetic
brands founded on the natural concept, we seek to become the top company within
this realm of the beauty industry and will always strive to achieve this
objective in an honest and transparent manner, never to disrupt the trust we’ve
established with our consumers.
The team at isoi, including myself,
kindly bid to the WKMJ readers that they become more aware of their skin
health, and thereby the ingredients in the beauty products they currently use.
We would also greatly appreciate that the readers accompany us on our journey,
which can be at times difficult due to our growing, yet still niche concept,
and watch over us with encouragement. Please keep an eye on isoi, as it will
hopefully grow into a beauty company that can fulfill its social roles and
responsibilities as an integral member of global society
Jinmin
Lee, M.A.
Chief Executive Officer and Founder, isoi
Jinmin Lee is the Founder and current Chief Executive Officer of isoi, a South Korean beauty brand founded on the philosophy that beauty should never compromise one’s health. Her previous titles include being the youngest Creative Director at Cheil, a marketing company under the Samsung Group, where she participated in brand consultation for the Samsung Anycall TV Commercial in South Korea. With an especial interest in women’s health and rights, she is also a founding member of Miclub, the South Korean internet portal site for women. Furthermore, she is a member of the Board of Directors at the Hope Institute, as well as an Advisory Board Member at the Seoul Culture Forum with interests in promoting civic duties around social, educational, environmental and political topics. Jinmin Lee has earned a Master of Arts degree in Korean Language Education at the Ewha Woman’s University.