From a one-woman camellia oil business in the 1930s to one of the world’s most innovative beauty behemoths. We discover Amorepacific's history and impact in beauty today.
It all began in a humble beauty shop in Gaeseong, Korea. A young boy would cycle for miles between the city and Seoul to run errands for his mother’s camellia oil business, setting the wheels in motion for his vision of a business that would extend beyond the region to the Pacific.
It wasn’t a frivolous dream. In fact, the boy had a mind ahead of his time. Suh Sungwhan would go on to establish Taepyeongyang (Pacific) Chemical Industries, later renamed as Amorepacific—South Korea’s largest beauty conglomerate and one of the world’s most innovative companies.
With more than 20 brands under its belt, including its five global champion brands Sulwhasoo, Laneige, Mamonde, Etude House and Innisfree, the beauty behemoth has effectively penetrated into each distinctive niche in the consumer market. While Amorepacific has benefited from the Korean wave—endorsements in hit dramas My Love from Another Star and Descendants of the Sun led to a craze for IOPE and Laneige products respectively—its beauty brand is anything but a passing fancy. In fact, the beauty giant has spearheaded many firsts in the Korean cosmetics industry and subsequently, the global beauty landscape.