Signature Duo

12. KRIBS (Korea Research Institute of Bio Science) # Brief History of KRIBS Korea Research Institute of Bio Science (KRIBS, 한국생명과학연구소, company website ) was established in Techno Park Bio Center located in Chungcheongbukdo, Korea in 2006. The founder and CEO Kim Yun-Gyu, Immunology Ph.D, used to worked in bio research  and pharmaceutical companies such as KIST (Korea Institute of Science & Technology), KRIBB (Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology), Hyundai Pharmacy, Chong Kun Dang (a major pharmaceutical company in Korea), etc.

11. EYESOME (Oxygen Development Korea) ▲ Eyesome (Oxygen Development Korea) Website # Brief History of EYESOME EYESOME (아이썸) was established in 2005 as a cosmetics manufacturer and achieved various certificates, approvals, and partnerships in the same year: CGMP certificate, certification for R&D center, certified venture company, and academic collaboration with Daegu Haany University. However, because of conflicts among shareholders of the company, EYESOME did not make a good presence in the market until 2008 and deficits accumulated had got bigger. In 2009, EYESOME appointed Heo Nam-Mok, an engineer since high school graduation, as the CEO and it was the beginning of EYESOME growing in the cosmetics manufacturing industry.

#10 IMINE 이미인 ▲ IMINE Company Website #Brief History of IMINE IMINE (이미인) is a sheet mask focused skin care manufacturer established in 2006. The founding members consisted of researchers and engineers who used to work at Amorepacific and the largest shareholder Kim Joo-Won has been the president and CEO of IMINE since its beginning.

#9 Seoul Cosmetics 서울화장품 ▲ Seoul Cosmetics website #Brief History of Seoul Cosmetics Han Kwang-Seog, the founder and president of Seoul Cosmetics (서울화장품), was a salesperson in the beauty distribution industry in 1980's when he was in his middle of 30's. With his ambition and conviction that sales is the key point in terms of business, he decided to acquire a beauty manufacturer "Seoul Perfume & Cosmetics" in 1982 to start his own business. "I closed saving accounts and sold the house to make the budget to acquire. Moreover, I borrowed money from private loans with high interest rate as well. Now I know that I was pretty reckless at the time."

#8 OUTIN FUTURES 아우딘 퓨쳐스 ▲ OUTIN FUTURES Homepage #Brief History of OUTIN FUTURES The founder of OUTIN FUTURES Choi Young-Wook studied Chemical Engineering at AJOU University and joined Amorepacific as a researcher in 1995. He did various works regarding product management at Amorepacific: developing makeup products, design, management of imported products, etc. He always wanted to be a brand manager to develop a full range of a brand but his dream did not come true at Amorepacific. He decided to leave the company to start his own business and founded a cosmetics manufacturing company OUTIN FUTURES in 2000.

#7 GENIC 제닉 ▲ GENIC #Brief History of GENIC GENIC (제닉) was founded in 2001 by Yoo Hyun-Oh, a holder of mater's degree in textile engineer and doctor's degree in chemical engineer (both from Hanyang University). He always dreamed to start his own business when he was studying and working at Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) as a lab researcher.

#6 HANKOOK Cosmetics Manufacturing 한국화장품제조 #Brief History of HANKOOK Cosmetics Manufacturing HANKOOK Cosmetics Manufacturing ( website ) is a manufacturing subsidiary of HANKOOK Cosmetics (한국화장품) which was established by two co-founders Kim Nam-Yong and Im Gwang-Jeong in 1962. The former chairman Im Gwang-Jeong, from Gaeseong in North Korea, used to work for a pharmaceutical company as a salesperson and visited Japan several times. As he realized that cosmetics industry could grow in Korea, he offered his close friend Kim Nam-Yong who was running a distillery and a rice mill to start a cosmetics business. Since then they have been running its company HANKOOK Cosmetics as one of the biggest cosmetics company in Korea and they also established another big company HANBUL Cosmetics (running It's Skin) in 1989 as well. Although those 2 have passed away already, Kim Nam-Yong and Im Gwang-Jeong then had become a family-in-law and their descendants still run the business to...

#5 COSVISION 코스비전 ▲ COSVISION Website # Brief History of COSVISION (코스비전) COSVISION, a professional cosmetics manufacturer as OEM/ODM, was founded in the industrial site in Daejeon Metropolitan city in 2006. They produce various cosmetics items like skin care, make up, body & hair, etc. mostly for those brands under Amorepacific group like Innisfree, Etude House, eSpoir, Mamonde. There are not that much information of COSVISION until 2011 when Amorepacific Group officially acquired the company.

#4 COSON 코스온 ▲ COSON # Brief History of COSON (코스온) COSON's founder and CEO Lee Dong-Gun (profile) was born in 1968, studied Chemical engineering at Yeonsei University, and joined Amorepacific as a lab researcher. As he always dreamed to start his own business, he left Amorepacific and founded a new cosmetics manufacturing company 'Nabion' with some of his colleagues from Amorepacific Skin Care team.

#3 COSMECCA KOREA 코스메카 코리아 ▲ COSMECCA KOREA # Brief History of COSMECCA Korea " COSMECCA Korea Co. Ltd. 코스메카 코리아 ( website )" is the 3rd largest cosmetics manufacturer in Korea. The company was founded by current chairman & CEO Cho Im-Rae in 1999. He was born in 1953, studied Chemical Engineering at Sung Kyun Kwan University, and started his career at a leading Korean cosmetics company Peeres as a skin care researcher (The company Peeres later became Skinfood). He was the first research director of Kolmar Korea in 1992 and moved to Taewoong Cosmetics as a manufacturing director in 1993.

#2 COSMAX 코스맥스 ▲ COSMAX # Brief History of COSMAX ' COSMAX 코스맥스 ( company website )' is one of the biggest cosmetics manufacturers (OEM/ODM) in Korea and compete with Kolmar Korea for the biggest and leading Korean ODM title. Lee Kyung-Soo ( Bloomberg profile ), the founder/Chairman/CEO of COSMAX, graduated Seoul National University with a major pharmacy in 1970 and worked for several companies like Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co., Oricom (advertising agency) and then joined Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. just like the found of Kolmar Korea Yoon Dong-Han.

#1 KOLMAR KOREA 한국콜마 ▲ KOLMAR KOREA # Brief History of Kolmar Korea Korean cosmetics ODM business started in 1990 by ' Kolmar Korea 한국콜마(주) ' ( link to company website ), which is one of the biggest ODM companies in Korea. Kolmar Korea's founder Yoon Dong-Han ( Link to his biography ) got his first job as a banker at Nonghyup as this job offered him the best salary. He worked for the company for about 4 years and realized that this banking work was not meant for him as he wanted something dynamic job.

Have you heard of Kolmar Korea, Cosmax, or Cosmecca Korea? Do you know that the K-beauty brands such as Cosrx, Klair's, or even Missha actually do not produce any cosmetics?  Assume many people already know this fact but I like to address this manufacturing and sales of Korean cosmetics as this may give us quite different point of views how we select "reliable" Korean beauty products.