Korea’s top antiaging brand, Amorepacific-owned Iope, is entering the U.S.
Iope will debut Monday at Sephora with nine products across its retinol, vitamin C, XMD and PDRN ranges, which range in price from $6.50 to $69.
The expansion comes as K-beauty buzz is reaching a fever pitch in the U.S., which the brand credits to skin care. “Korean skin care is the engine that has propelled Korean beauty to become mainstream in the U.S., and this is certainly driven by an appetite for all things Korean — entertainment, K-pop, food as well,” said Giovanni Valentini, chief executive officer of Amorepacific North America. “What’s relevant in terms of a brand like Iope is the shift toward clinical science-based skin care, and we’ve been in the drivers’ seat with that.”
Gesturing to the U.S. launch of fellow Amorepacific brand Aestura last year, Valentini said the success of dermatologist-recommended brands from South Korea gave him the confidence to bring in Iope next. “We have to double down on the dermatological and clinical brands. The shift toward more science-based efficacy is one of the factors that has brought the skin care toward the mainstream,” he said.
Valentini said this area of the portfolio was becoming a greater strategic priority in the U.S. given the success of other luxury brands it owns, such as Sulwhasoo. “Our strategy has been laser focused on continuously building sustainable and fast growth, and that will evolve from prestige skin care in the next two to three years to hair care, makeup and wellness,” he said.
Furthermore, the innovation underpinning the products is a key differentiator. “We’re vertically integrated and we have exceptional capabilities,” Valentini said. “The technology on stabilizing retinol is protected by 56 patents and more than a dozen scientific publications. This is an example of something that was not invented overnight or fueled by an algorithm, but it’s the result of a rigorous kind of scientific development and we feel confident about introducing it now.”
The brand’s introduction also dovetails with other Korean beauty trends that are making waves Stateside. “We are laser focused on each of the nine product targets, each of which has their own differentiator,” Valentini said. “While we’re leveraging the rise in awareness for professional treatments in [South] Korea, such as PDRN or collagen injections, and draw parallels on the clinically demonstrated results with a similar level of efficacy and no downtime.”
There will also be coming partnerships with dermatologists and the medical community, though nothing has been finalized. “We fly under the radar, but very fast,” Valentini said. “We’re maybe not as focused as being as outspoken as some of our competitors, we’d rather focus on doing the work and seeing the brands’ success speak for themselves. And we still have an opportunity in the U.S.”
