MarqVision uses AI to catch K-beauty fakes, providing Marq AI to The Founders to monitor Anua counterfeits

• MarqVision detects and takes action against counterfeits of beauty brand Anua with Marq AI, automating the process to save time and money
• Blocked counterfeits of K-brands top 870,000, and the market for counterfeit beauty products is growing alongside them
• Low-priced counterfeits are spreading fast on online marketplaces, making rapid monitoring and removal more urgent
• Enforcement against Anua counterfeits in 11 countries, including the US, China, Japan and Southeast Asia: “Through this collaboration, we will help stamp out counterfeits”

AI company MarqVision (CEO Mark Lee) announced that it has partnered with global brand builder The Founders (co-CEOs Sunhyung Lee and Changju Lee) to provide Marq AI to detect and take action against counterfeits of global beauty brand Anua.

MarqVision will fully support IP protection for the Anua brand through Marq AI, its generative AI solution. By monitoring and taking action against Anua counterfeits sold on marketplaces around the world in real time, it aims to enhance the brand’s value and secure consumer trust.

Anua, a skincare brand run by The Founders, has become hugely popular worldwide through word of mouth on TikTok. On October 15 (local time), it was named an Amazon Top Brand at the 2024 Amazon Seller Conference after ranking at the top of the toner and cleansing oil categories in North American Amazon skincare. Backed by strong products and a localization strategy, Anua is posting strong sales in global markets including the US and Japan.

K-beauty’s rapid growth has boosted exports of Korean cosmetics brands, but the market for counterfeits is expanding quickly along with it. According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), about 870,000 counterfeits of K-brands were detected and blocked on major overseas online platforms over the past five years, with beauty products accounting for about 12%. There are growing calls for tougher enforcement against counterfeit cosmetics, which can threaten consumer health and safety.

As Anua’s products have grown more popular worldwide, cases of misuse have also risen quickly. Low-priced counterfeits are spreading rapidly on online marketplaces, affecting the brand’s image and consumer trust. MarqVision will provide an AI solution that tackles these counterfeits effectively, automating detection, reporting and enforcement to dramatically cut the time and cost of responding to brand infringement. Its Seller Intel technology in particular is expected to systematically classify evolving counterfeit patterns and analyze seller activity data in depth to take effective action against high-risk sellers.

To protect the Anua brand, MarqVision will take swift enforcement action in 11 countries, including China and Southeast Asia, where counterfeit distribution is most active, as well as Japan and the US. Monitoring covers the major marketplaces in each country where counterfeits are widely sold, including Amazon, eBay, Rakuten, Qoo10, Shopee, Lazada and Alibaba’s platforms.

“We expect counterfeits of our brand to fall noticeably now that we have adopted MarqVision’s solution,” said an Anua representative. “In particular, by taking action against sellers who sell more than 1,000 counterfeits a month, we aim not only to solve the problem effectively at the distribution stage but also to address its root causes, such as cracking down on counterfeit manufacturers.”

“This collaboration will significantly reduce counterfeits of Anua products sold on online marketplaces around the world, and it will be a strong example of how Marq AI is the best solution for brand protection,” said MarqVision CEO Mark Lee. “Building on Marq AI, MarqVision will continue to work with more brands and help stamp out counterfeits for beauty companies and brands worldwide.”

MarqVision recently raised KRW 22 billion in a Series A+ round, successfully closing its Series A at a total of KRW 50 billion, and launched Marq AI, which integrates its existing products to detect and take action against counterfeits, unauthorized sales, illegal content and online impersonation across 1,500 marketplaces in 180 countries in real time. Built on generative AI, Marq AI includes features such as a conversational agent, an intelligent dashboard and a fully automated content reporting process to deliver stronger brand and content IP protection.