Please tell us about yourself.

I’m Eric Yoo, the head of the BM team at VITALBEAUTIE. I am a food engineering and food chemistry scientist by training. I first joined Amorepacific as a green tea product researcher in 2004. In 2010, I participated in a new growth initiative project for beauty foods and relocated to corporate headquarters, later joining the VITALBEAUTIE team in 2013. My experience as a green tea product development researcher, experiencing the entire value chain related to food products and dry foods – starting with testing raw green tea materials cultivated at Amorepacific’s green tea fields, product development, brand strategies, marketing, communication, to sales – has been a great resource for supporting the VITALBEAUTIE brand.

Can you also tell us about the brand, VITALBEAUTIE?

For over 70 years, Amorepacific has delved into the topic of beauty and health. As a beauty company that started in a mother’s kitchen, there have been many attempts to make breakthrough discoveries not just in cosmetics but also in health foods. Amorepacific was the first company to launch ginseng supplements and even export them in the 1970s. We were also among the first to introduce can/bottle green tea drinks. These endeavors led to the launch of VITALBEAUTIE in 2002, which means that ‘Vitality = Beauty.’ Today, the brand that began with just over ten products in 2002 now has over 40 products, and sales have grown over fortyfold. Starting with Jaeumbo, the first Korean herbal beauty dry food, VITALBEAUTIE products now include Slimmer DX, which was released in 2008, Super Collagen in 2010, Meta Green in 2012, and Ginseng Extract Ampoule in 2013. Meta Green currently tops the domestic weight loss supplements market, and Super Collagen is popular among customers in the inner beauty sector. It has also launched abroad in China, the US, and Vietnam.

Tell us about the research accomplishments at VITALBEAUTIE. What is the science behind the products?

The growth of the VITALBEAUTIE brand has resulted from scientifically proven products developed with years of research into Amorepacific’s heritage ingredients—ginseng, green tea, and soybeans—combined with our study of various materials and their efficacies. Health supplements are, after all, a food, so quality natural ingredient creates the difference – the right ingredient, its effectiveness, and creating the best formula is what makes it special. And VITALBEAUTIE has the technology and know-how to perform a wide range of jobs well, from material development based on biotechnology to research on efficacy, product development, and production. This makes us stand out in Korea, and it has led to results that are fundamentally different from our competition. To give you an example, in 2009, we succeeded in developing a functional ingredient called ‘APIC’ derived from soybeans, which help to reduce abdominal fat. We won a Jang Young-shil Award from the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT, which recognizes new technology and innovation for this discovery. We also successfully researched ginseng fruit, a part of the ginseng plant that is potent but less studied in the past. We also won a Jang Young-shil Award in 2014 – a first in the red ginseng market. Moreover, we are developing various manufacturing technologies, including nutrition delivery system (NDS), absorption enhancing technology for collagen by reducing the size of enzyme treating molecules, and the ‘snow powder’ process, making it easier to consume probiotics.

There are many health supplement options in Korea. How can you choose a product that’s right for you?

The Korean health supplements market is worth 5 trillion KRW as of 2020 and grows steadily 5 to 7% every year. Health functional food has become indispensable for Korean consumers, with over 80% of households having purchased them in the past. The aging population is a megatrend, and thus people are buying them to lower the risk of illness or take care of their health in general. COVID-19 has also upped the purchase rates of various health supplements. Today, rather than buying a product made from a ‘trending’ ingredient, more people are selecting what they need based on a clearer understanding of the ingredients and the products they need. There are countless products and manufacturers, so it may be challenging to choose which product to purchase. While it is easy to select by ingredient or price simply, it is best to check the origin and grade of the ingredients used. Some products may use raw materials without verifying the safety, so considering if they are from a reliable company or a brand and whether the product has been sold for long periods can help make the right choice.

What are the implications of health supplements in today’s beauty trends? What is the current trend in the market?

In addition to the aging population, there is another megatrend where more and more people are pursuing overall wellness. It encompasses the previous well-being trend - the wellness business is an extension of health care and covers a spectrum of solutions from treating diseases to improving general health. It is an industry that integrates well-being activities and lifestyles in daily life. The global wellness market has increased to a 4.2 trillion-dollar business. As consumers today define beauty as a concept that includes both inner and outer well-being, the barrier between beauty and health industries is blurring. Beauty influencers, for instance, are not only producing feeds on skincare or makeup but also food, exercise, or health remedies. This trend is similar to VITALBEAUTIE’s philosophy: ‘beauty begins with health; beauty completes health.’ Our goal is to provide quality solutions in the new market created where health and beauty merge, becoming a leading brand in the collagen and diet food markets. We are preparing future solutions which include microbiome products – because the health of the digestive system is connected to overall health, and mental care products – for stress relief and sleep.

Which products are most popular at VITALBEAUTIE? And what’s in store for the brand in the future?

Our flagship product is Super Collagen, which was first launched 11 years ago. In addition to developing a great product, our main effort has been to communicate Super Collagen’s results to customers who were initially not familiar with the idea of beauty foods or inner beauty. Now that the market has started to grow, we’ve revamped the product line this year and has now more than doubled in growth compared to last year. This year, we also used this as our stepping stone to introduce the line to Chinese and Vietnamese customers. Our goal is to become a leading brand representing K-Inner Beauty in Asia over the next several years.
Another key product is Meta Green, currently number one in the Korean weight loss supplement market. We have just launched through Amazon US in July this year as our testbed for global sales. Our Probiotics from Green Tea is also gaining international recognition for its research significance and is preparing to launch in the Chinese market starting in September. Moving forward, we hope to introduce our flagship inner beauty products with more customers in Korea and abroad to become a leading brand in health supplements and foods.