VT Accelerates Expansion into Russian and CIS Markets with Needle Shot... Confirms Entry into Beauty Platform "L'Etoile"

VT Cosmetics, a comprehensive beauty company (hereinafter referred to as VT), announced on June 27 that it is expanding its presence in the Russian market.

In addition to its existing entry channels, Holyshop and Gold Apple?the number one beauty retailer in Russia?VT has confirmed that it will enter L'Etoile, the second largest beauty retailer in Russia, in the second half of the year. This move is expected to accelerate the company’s strategy to target the Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) markets.

VT plans to sequentially launch a total of 47 SKUs (stock keeping units) centered on its flagship Needle Shot line at approximately 130 key L'Etoile stores.

L'Etoile, which operates around 1,000 stores across Russia, is expected to serve as a key hub for VT’s expansion into the Russian and CIS markets, alongside Gold Apple. Gold Apple is known for its online strategy centered on large showroom-style stores, while L'Etoile is strong in nationwide offline networks and O2O (Online to Offline) strategies.

By entering both of these major retail channels in Russia, VT is now able to effectively establish a local online and offline distribution network.

Russia is a market with a very high acceptance of K-beauty. According to BusinesStat, a CIS-focused market research firm, 35% of imported cosmetics in Russia are Korean products. Another global market research firm, IMARC, forecasts that the Russian beauty market will grow to $15.9 billion (approximately KRW 2.155 trillion) by 2033.

A VT representative stated, "The Russian market has a high preference for functional cosmetics with innovative ingredients and technologies, so differentiated products such as Needle Shot are attracting attention for their potential success. Needle Shot has already achieved great success in Japan and Korea as a 'Physical Derma System,' but it is still perceived as a new and innovative product globally. We expect that the expansion into the Russian market will spark a second wave of global popularity."