An Interview With Alex Song, Brand Manager of Dear, Klairs

During my visits in Seoul, I have a chance to talk to our partners and experts in k-beauty industry. I find it extremely important to learn as much as possible to start new co-operations in Korea which will result in bringing the best and most innovative products and beauty trends to Europe and provide you with as good advice as possible.

This prompt me to give you the opportunity to learn more from all those amazing people and shed some light on the products you are interested in. Today we speak to Alex Song, the brand manager of your favourite Dear, Klairs cosmetics.

Alex, how long has it been since you started the company and launched the brand (Dear Klairs)?

The brand was founded in 2009, but the brand identity was established in 2012.

What is the meaning of your brand’s name, Dear Klairs?

We think of “Klairs” as a fictional figure, who is constantly curious about beauty. She is practical and has a sophisticated eye, making her a wise consumer.

We plan, research, and design products while thinking about the kind of products that Klairs would need and products she would be curious about. This inspire us to create products for her, as she is our customer.

Currently, we are utilizing the brand name as “Dear, Klairs” to provide a clearer impression of the brand identity.

What were your reasons for, approach to, and philosophy on launching Klairs cosmetics?

Simple but enough.

Mild but powerful.

Basic but ultimate.

We do not like to compete in the Red Ocean* (editor’s note: The Red Ocean is a strategy referring to a defined market, defined competitors. A Red Ocean Strategy leads to an organization choosing to follow one of two strategies – differentiation or low cost.) since it is strategically not wise to do so as a brand creator. As a brand creator, we want to invest our time and energy towards creating original, fresh products that provide value.

For example, if there is already a product that is doing well in the market because of its high quality, great branding, and price point, we would not make a similar product to compete against it. The reason behind this is because the products already bring value and satisfaction, we feel that there is no reason to compete with them. Therefore, Klairs is very particular with what products to make which explains our small range of products.

This is reflected throughout the process, from selecting the raw material, formulating, planning, and designing the product.

Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop

Sounds like amazing and really thought threw process. what is the most important feature of your cosmetics?

We like the concept of fusing classic feel with a fresh approach and want to give off that kind of charm with our products to our customers.

We take the extra step to release products that are not repetitive, but instead unique. The most important thing to us is to provide our customers with new and fresh products that are genuinely helpful to them.

To do so, we gathered opinions and feedbacks from our customers and consider those ideas into the development of our future product- which is a long process that the team invest heavily in.

We realized that the majority of our products that have high repurchase rate reflects the customer’s satisfaction with the products.

That is fascinating. In this case, how does your brand differ from Western brands?

Klairs does not necessarily feel that it needs to differ from Western brands, rather it focuses on the needs of the customers.

Since we are based in Seoul, we can capture the city’s unique sense within the brand. Seoul is one the fastest city in the world and has one of the most developed beauty industry as of today. At the same time, our oriental culture still exists, so we can blend ourselves through brand storytelling, visuals, and our preferred ingredients.