KSECRET: a skincare brand drawing more attention worldwide
Named Amazon's Choice as soon as its new line launched: how KSECRET is winning globally, from brand philosophy and marketing to IP protection strategy.
Irene Lee4 min read
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KSECRET is a fast-growing global skincare brand winning attention and fans in markets including North America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Russia. Its SEOUL1988 line, launched this year, made an impact the moment it hit the market and was named “Amazon’s Choice,” drawing wide attention. That result comes from focusing on the essentials of skincare and capturing KSECRET’s own philosophy.
KSECRET blends traditional Korean ingredients with modern functional ingredients to accompany customers on a journey back to their skin’s natural beauty. It focuses on giving consumers brighter days and the best possible beauty experience. In this interview, find out why KSECRET is growing fast and winning fans in global markets.
What we cover in this interview
- KSECRET’s brand story
- What makes KSECRET special: ingredients and storytelling
- The secrets to global success
- Growing the business with MarqVision
- New challenges and goals ahead
KSECRET’s brand story
KSECRET keeps expanding across global markets including North America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Russia. In 2024 it passed 18 billion won in revenue (including overseas subsidiaries), sustaining a remarkable average annual growth rate of 70%.
We believe all of this comes from focusing on the essence, improving skin, and sincerely trying to deliver it. Guided by the belief that “good ingredients make good products,” KSECRET does its best without compromise, from ingredient selection to research and development (R&D).
Our brand slogan, “Inspired by Seoul, Protected by Derma,” stands for the perfect harmony between Korean ingredients inspired by Seoul’s rich heritage and modern functional ingredients. We think it captures KSECRET’s philosophy of accompanying customers on the journey back to their skin’s natural beauty.
Building on this effort and philosophy, KSECRET develops products for sensitive skin to deliver a safe beauty experience. In particular, we’ve introduced skincare that safely applies high-concentration retinal so consumers can use it with confidence, and used a Korean ingredient, rice, to make products even more effective for skin.
What makes KSECRET special: ingredients and storytelling
KSECRET plans products by thinking about what will make them compelling for consumers and influencers to share. In an era of oversupply, “the product is good” alone isn’t enough to move consumers and influencers. That’s why we focus on storytelling. We want consumers to know the brand’s story when they use a product, and for that story to be woven naturally into the product so they connect with it emotionally.
We think influencers, too, find more value in sharing a story that carries the brand’s philosophy and narrative than in simply introducing a product. For example, through our “Seoul 1988” line, we tell the story of where K-beauty began and the roots of Korean beauty. That era, when Korea hosted the Olympics, was when industrialization and standards of beauty really took shape, which connects to our brand philosophy of defining K-beauty’s origins. Combining story with the philosophical elements of our products is how we set ourselves apart.
The secrets to global success
One of KSECRET’s biggest strengths is its reasonable pricing. Consumers care about product quality and experience, but price is often the deciding factor. To meet those expectations, KSECRET keeps prices reasonable through efficient production and supply chain management, even though its costs are somewhat high.
When we started the brand and began registering trademarks overseas, we worried a lot: “Isn’t it too early for a brand as little known as ours to register trademarks in multiple countries?” But contrary to our expectations, overseas influencers often discovered our brand first and reached out to us directly. At the same time, it was very rewarding to see consumers leave product reviews on their own, organic content build up naturally and word of mouth about the brand spread. The experience reminded us how much authentic communication matters.
Q: Conveying a brand’s story through influencer collaborations sounds difficult. Do you have tips for successful collaborations?
(Source: KSECRET)
The key to a successful collaboration is finding influencers who fit the product. We search carefully on social media using target product and ingredient keywords. We also keep monitoring creators who work with other beauty brands to find people who can tell our brand’s story effectively. What matters in this process is that we prioritize working with people who deeply understand the product and brand story and can express it authentically, rather than influencers with the most followers.
Growing the business with MarqVision
Q: What worried you most about entering global markets, and how did you try to address it?
These days, going global isn’t optional. To survive beyond the limits of the Korean market, expanding abroad is essential, and with K-brands’ standing so high, now is the time. In the beauty industry especially, many rising brands have fewer than 10 employees, so you have to move fast amid fierce competition.
From the start, KSECRET targeted the US. Not only is it the biggest market for K-beauty to grow in, but English-language content also extends naturally to neighboring countries. As we prepared in earnest to enter the US, we were worried about trademark filing. At first we considered patent law firms, but since we planned to file trademarks worldwide, we were concerned that verbal explanations back and forth could cause confusion. We were also worried because the strategy for each country and how to secure trademark rights weren’t clear.
Then a friend introduced us to MarqFolio. Unlike other patent firms, MarqFolio shows the trademark filing process visually through an online dashboard, which made it much easier to understand. Fast, accurate response is essential to survive in the fast-changing beauty industry, and we were very impressed that MarqFolio manages filing requests for every country transparently and systematically. That’s why we decided to file not only the KSECRET brand trademark but also the “Seoul 1988” trademark with MarqFolio.
Q: You must have considered many trademark management solutions. What sets MarqFolio apart?
What we liked most was the online dashboard. Patent offices usually communicate through spreadsheets or email. But when managing trademark filings in multiple countries, MarqFolio’s dashboard was very useful because it lets us see and manage all the relevant information in one platform. From a manager’s perspective, it greatly improved efficiency.
I’d recommend MarqFolio to any brand aiming to go global, at any stage of growth. That said, many brands don’t fully understand the importance of trademark rights, or hesitate to file because of the cost and unfamiliar procedures. So I think it would be even more effective if basic education on why trademark rights are needed and what they do came alongside it.
Because MarqVision offers a comprehensive solution, from trademark management to solving many kinds of IP problems, it’s especially worth recommending to rising brands. I recently saw that it ran a session at a K-beauty seminar on trademark rights and protection for overseas expansion. I hope there will be more seminars and education programs like this, and more occasions that highlight how important brand IP issues are.
New challenges and goals ahead
Now marking one year since launch, KSECRET is focusing more than 80% of its marketing budget on the US. Interestingly, as we’ve focused our activity on the US, brand awareness has naturally spread to neighboring countries too. Going forward, we plan to roll out more detailed, tailored marketing strategies that fit each country’s culture and characteristics.
Q: What have you learned from your marketing so far, and do you have tips to share with other beauty brands?
The most important factor in raising brand awareness was collaborating with local influencers. By giving customers and influencers the chance to try our products themselves, we let word of mouth spread naturally. This helped us build an initial network effectively, and we plan to strengthen it further.
I think the small difference that sets you apart is what matters most. KSECRET has only just entered overseas markets, so I say this with some caution, but experience has taught us that what matters most is a distinctive brand story. Based in Seoul, KSECRET has tried to build a uniquely Korean character into its brand identity that goes beyond simply “Made in Korea.” In particular, using traditional Korean ingredients gave us a strong brand narrative, which became a big advantage in working with local influencers.
If your brand is preparing to go global, investing time in creating your own unique story is a must. I believe that small difference is what drives success in global markets. KSECRET will keep growing with original stories and innovative products.
KSECRET recommends MarqFolio, MarqVision’s trademark management solution
Without overseas trademark rights, expanding abroad is difficult, so MarqFolio is an essential partner. To succeed in global markets, you need not only trademark registration but also an active response to issues such as counterfeits. MarqFolio offers a total solution that manages this whole process in one place, so it’s a partner any company dreaming of becoming a global brand should work with.
- Dongseok Choi, Director of Brand, KSECRET
