Cosmetics Giant Turns Its Focus to Makeup for Muslim Women
- Korea’s Amorepacific targets Southeast Asia amid China tension
- Looks to adapt beauty products for use by Muslim women
A employee organizes products in the store of Innisfree, an Amorepacific Corp. cosmetic brand, at the Ngee Ann City shopping and commercial center in Singapore, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017.
Photographer: Nicky Loh/BloombergSouth Korea’s biggest cosmetics maker is revamping its products to suit Muslims and darker-skinned women in Southeast Asia as it tries to make up business lost because of political tensions with China over a missile-defense system.
Amorepacific Corp. is pushing harder into Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam with a lineup that takes into account skin tones, the region’s humidity and the need for Muslim women to wash their faces five times a day before prayers. It marks a significant shift for the Seoul-based company, which generated about 90 percent of its revenue last year in South Korea and China -- where many women are fairer-skinned and the weather more variable.