[Power K-Women] Kim Mihwa, Founder of Beauty Selection, Seizing Opportunity from the Second-in-Command Position

Kim Mihwa Beauty Selection CCO
Targeting Beauty Influencer Commerce
Experienced as Sub-Host Before Startup
Gained Insight Through Various Products
Breaking Industry's Sales-Dependence Norms
Felt Limits as Sales Grew, Passed CEO Role
Aiming to Grow Brand Like AmorePacific

"When I worked as a sub show host demonstrating cosmetics, I practiced so much that I could apply a sheet mask with my eyes closed. When I was assigned low-quality cosmetics, I felt that the companies really didn’t understand cosmetics. As the market grew, I became aware of the problem of relying solely on ‘sales.’"

Although there are plenty of ‘Kodeok’ (cosmetics enthusiasts), few people actually make and sell cosmetics themselves. Mi-hwa Kim, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Beauty Selection, founded the company in 2020 by leveraging her experience running a shopping mall and working as a home shopping show host. Her tendency to persistently tackle challenges without fear, even in roles considered to be in the shadows, became the foundation of her business.

Kim describes herself as a ‘cosmetics geek.’ She reads every post on customer boards and devours beauty content on social media day and night. She said, "I get almost angry when I see cosmetics I don’t know," adding, "Even on weekends, I lie around like a homebody watching influencers’ posts on SNS, keep buying cosmetics, and capture good advertisements whenever I see them."

Kim Mi-hwa, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Beauty Selection, is being interviewed at the headquarters office in Samseong-dong, Seoul. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

Although she is the founder, Kim’s official title is Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). She started the business in early 2017 as a one-person company, buying and selling external cosmetics, and established the corporation in January 2020. As sales grew, she faced her own limits. In September 2021, she handed over the CEO position to Jae-bin Park, a former Hyperconnect executive and Chief Operating Officer (COO). "I started as a one-person company and got this far with my geeky passion, but as the company grew, I felt my limits. I get upset when other companies release good products, and when customer service posts decrease, I worry that people have lost interest. I’m someone who gets emotional about these things. I thought the CEO should be someone who looks far ahead and draws the big picture."

She fulfilled her role even in less spotlighted positions while waiting for opportunities. From late 2014 for two years, Kim worked mainly as a sub show host demonstrating products alongside the main show host. She said, "There was a perception of being second fiddle, so at the time, sub show hosts were often avoided. The pay was less than the main host’s, but I ran with the mindset of sweeping it all up. I tried not to make mistakes and studied how to appear well on screen, which was really helpful in the media commerce era." Her experience as a show host was both essential for media commerce work and changed her attitude toward cosmetics.

Through encountering various cosmetics as a show host, she developed a discerning eye for products. The quality of assigned cosmetics varied greatly, and as her experience grew, she questioned the practice of relying solely on marketing and sales. Kim said, "Only products with high marketing costs were recognized by consumers. I thought I should personally select good products rather than relying on advertising alone. Influencers can speak at length and their fans listen well, so I started a project thinking, ‘What if these people sell directly?’"

Kim Mi-hwa, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Beauty Selection, is being interviewed at the headquarters office in Samseong-dong, Seoul. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

To target influencers, she had to put aside her pride. Instead of sending ‘please meet me’ DMs (direct messages), Kim created opportunities to hand out business cards. She watched SNS closely and used any means to find points of contact. "They must receive so many messages. I even followed influencers to their churches and registered at the same Pilates studio to overlap our paths. I was confident that once we made contact, they would definitely work with us, so I wasn’t hesitant."

Since its founding, Beauty Selection has doubled its sales for three consecutive years. It directly manufactures and sells cosmetics and health supplements and operates as a brand aggregator by acquiring and growing brands. It owns eight brands including H Mind and Labtrition. Although classified as influencer commerce, it does not simply outsource marketing but assigns influencers a kind of ‘franchise’ role. Instead of one-time promotions, it grows sales by leveraging long-term communication between influencers and their fans.

Kim emphasized, "We treat influencers as sales channels, which is a different perspective from companies that see influencers only as promotional tools." Companies that use influencers solely for promotion inevitably pursue ‘newness,’ but Beauty Selection treats influencers as distribution channels that build trust. This is the secret behind Beauty Selection’s ability to double annual sales every year despite many companies running at a loss. She explained, "Traditional influencer commerce sells products to pay commissions through sales, but we educate influencers thoroughly about products and grow the market together. We require influencers to fully understand the products. If they don’t know the product well, they shouldn’t sell it. That’s how influencers become loved." The churn rate of influencers working with Beauty Selection is 0%.

Kim Mi-hwa, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Beauty Selection, is being interviewed at the headquarters office in Samseong-dong, Seoul. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

When making products, they strictly insist on ‘products worth their price’ and solve distribution and sales through the relationships influencers build with their fans. Kim said, "We avoid ‘marketing-driven products’ that only increase the content of specific ingredients and make products that meet standards such as spreadability, absorption, and ingredient content. We compare information and list specs so that consumers cannot find better products in the same category."

Beauty Selection aims to dominate influencer commerce this year and expand overseas business. She said, "We plan to expand not only commerce but also brands overseas from Korea. Because viral marketing happens automatically, we think we can accelerate expansion." She added, "In the long term, I want to own multiple brands like Amorepacific and grow into a company that excels."

▶About Mi-hwa Kim, CCO

Born in 1986, she graduated from Yonsei University and worked as a ready-to-wear director from 2013 and as a home shopping East Asia show host from 2015. She started the Beauty Selection project as a sole proprietorship in 2017 and founded Beauty Selection in 2020, serving as CEO. In September 2021, she handed over the CEO position to Jae-bin Park and has been serving as CCO since. Beauty Selection’s sales last year were 32.8 billion KRW, with an operating profit of 4.9 billion KRW.