Interview with Michelle Kim, CEO of Iunik

Your new natural and organic skincare heroes are here. We are extremely excited to introduce to you a new natural and clean brand, IUNIK. During my last visit to Seoul, I had a great opportunity to meet Michelle Kim, the CEO of IUNIK who shared with me some information about her brand.

History of IUNIK

Karolina: Michelle, thank you for finding time to speak to us about your brand. Let’s start with a little bit of history. How long has it been since you started the company and launched the brand?

Michelle Kim: I started the cosmetics business in 2012. The IUNIK brand was launched in 2017.

Karolina: How did you come up with the name IUNIK?

Michelle Kim: It is a simple and yet meaningful name. IUNIK stands for Ideal+Unique_Natural_Ingredients_Knowhow

Karolina: That sounds amazing. How does this name represent the philosophy of your cosmetics and brand?

Michelle Kim: We want women of all ages to be able to use good quality products which are offered at reasonable prices and natural ingredients. This is IUNIK business philosophy. Hence, we’re trying to approach consumers with mild and good products at a reasonable price.

Purpose of the cosmetics

Karolina: In this case, what is the most important feature of your cosmetics?

Michelle Kim: At IUNIK we always try our best to make safe & trustworthy skin care products. We use honest ingredients, we provide honest price and we look into honest channels of distribution.

Karolina: How does your brand differ from Western brands?

Michelle Kim: Korean cosmetics industry has made great strides compared to the past, and we think the quality and diversity of Korean cosmetics are ahead of any other country in the world.

At IUNIK we believe we can make a difference by approaching customers with environmentally friendly products that are not colorful but are faithful to the basics in the fast changing trend and environment.

IUNIK and nowadays skin concerns

Karolina: What are the biggest skin concerns of modern times?

Michelle Kim: We live in a materially diversified era with a lot of information. There are plenty of products to choose from.

It’s hard to find a product that really suits the skin needs, which is not just focusing on the stylish and colorful appearance and marketing.

Therefore, at IUNIK we believe that we can offer our customers with the authenticity of the material and quality of the ingredients. We hope our sincerity will be appreciated by our customers.

Karolina: How do your cosmetics tackle this?

Michelle Kim: Recently, more and more companies are launching products with concepts similar to our products. Some of them study a lot about the quality and price of their products with sincerity, but contrary to product advertising, there are many brands with poor product quality and ingredients that are disappointing to customers. There are some concerns that these brands might create distrust in the IUNIK products, but I don’t think customers who have used our products will have such concerns.

Karolina: How long does it usually take to see the results and benefits of cosmetics?

Michelle Kim: Our products do not have a quick effect in a short period of time. Since this product is made of natural ingredients, if you use it steadily for more than 3~4 months, you will be able to feel the improvement of acne and dryness.

Future of IUNIK

Karolina: Let’s talk about your future. In which direction is the company going? What are your plans for the next 3-5 years?

Michelle Kim: It is very hard to find skin care products that perfectly match your skin needs. IUNIK’s skin care products will be focusing on this approach.

Karolina: What are the new products we can expect? What will be their purpose?

Michelle Kim: We don’t go too far beyond the trend, but we don’t go after the trend alone to develop or market products. We’re thinking about making products that our customers can continue to use and love. We’re trying to release two to three new products a year. We hope you’ll continue to love and support us.

Karolina: We will wait impatiently for the new products. Last question for you. How do you want customers to remember your brand?

Michelle Kim: We would like to be remembered by our customers as a company which dedicates time in creating products for various people of different ages. We want to give them the possibility to choose reliable cosmetics at affordable prices.

Karolina: Michelle thank you for your time! We wish you all the best in developing your company.

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