Berryhop, Pure Vitamin C Captured... Sales Also Sparkling Bright

Entered overseas markets with whitening ampoule
Annual sales of 19.7 billion KRW in just 1 year since startup
Achieved 20 billion KRW in sales in the first half of this year

Shinseongmin and Yun Hansu, Co-CEOs of Lighthouse Cosmetic.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chunhan] "Pure vitamin C has excellent whitening effects, but it is difficult to make into cosmetics because it easily oxidizes when exposed to heat, light, or air. We applied technology to stabilize this ingredient so that its efficacy can be maintained for a long time."

There is a cosmetics company that achieved annual sales of 19.7 billion KRW within one year of starting business through an online mall opened via the global e-commerce platform Cafe24 and offline sales. This year, it is rapidly growing, having achieved sales of 20 billion KRW in just the first half. Lighthouse Cosmetic, which operates the high-functional skincare brand Berryhop, is the protagonist.

Berryhop’s flagship product is a whitening ampoule containing pure vitamin C. After recording sales of 300 million KRW in the first month of its launch in January last year, it is now selling about 3 billion KRW monthly. Shin Sungmin, CEO of Lighthouse Cosmetic, said, "We prioritize how much practical effect can be seen through the function rather than the image itself shown by cosmetics."

Pure vitamin C and hydroquinone are representative whitening ingredients but are difficult to use as cosmetic raw materials. Pure vitamin C easily oxidizes due to external environmental factors. Berryhop applied a ‘double-layer’ method to maintain the efficacy of pure vitamin C for a long time. This product was first introduced through crowdfunding on the Wadiz platform in July 2019 and is currently so popular that it accounts for 70% of total sales. The pore care products also focus on enhancing efficacy by containing more than 11% of active ingredients such as AHA, BHA, and PHA. There are about 30,000 reviews for all products with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5. The repurchase rate of customers reaches 35%.

Berryhop aims to grow into a brand recognized in the global market beyond Korea. CEO Shin explained, "In Vietnam, we have entered all Watsons stores, more than 500 Medicare stores, and local Olive Young stores," adding, "We are also generating sales in China through duty-free shops, Taobao, and Tmall." This is the result of marketing using Vietnamese influencers and Chinese Wanghong, as well as Xiaohongshu and TikTok, known as the Chinese versions of Instagram, based on product competitiveness proven by effectiveness.

CEO Shin said, "From the second half of this year, we plan to launch premium products effective for acne and neck wrinkle improvement," and added, "Rather than competing on price, we will become a global brand that can be steadily sold for a long time based on product quality."