Hello, Ms. Jinmin Lee. Could you start by telling us about your company, ISOI?

Hello. ISOI is a natural cosmetic brand with no harmful ingredients. Not only do we not use any potentially harmful ingredients, such as artificial flavors and colors, but we also use our own patented ingredients for preservatives. Our ingredients are formulated to meet the various safety standards of Korea as well as those of Japan, the US, Canada, and Europe. It is safe to use for anyone with sensitive skin.

Our signature product is ISOI Blemish Care Serum, which has been ranked No. 1 in sales for 10 consecutive years at Olive Young, the largest health & beauty product retailer in Korea. It contains Bulgarian Rose Oil, which is extracted only 1 gram from every 3,000 roses, and is especially popular with people who are concerned with their blemishes.

ISOI practices social contribution activities for the vulnerable at home and abroad. What motivated you to continuously support women, youth, disabled children, and impoverished countries? In addition, please tell us what social values you are pursuing.

I believe that ISOI has been able to achieve continuous growth for more than 10 years because, in addition to the love of the customers, there was the support of society. Therefore, we have been carrying out social contribution activities not only with responsibility but also with a sense of mission.

The key to the social contribution activities that we are carrying out is to pass on the love we have to other places that need it. Just as we were able to grow with the love and support of our customers and society, we want to give hope to the blind spots of society in need.

In fact, since the establishment of the brand, we have been carrying out the “Making a Better World” campaign to continuously make donations to those in need of help at home and abroad. We have been regularly making donations to the underprivileged in the region where ISOI Headquarters is located, as well as to children overseas who lack water or food, or to the construction of educational facilities.

In particular, we did not hesitate to make donations in cases of national emergencies. In 2020, we will have produced hand sanitizers for Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do regions, where damage from COVID-19 was severe, and delivered 200 million worth of items. I remember that all of our employees stopped manufacturing new products and prioritized hand sanitizer as a relief item.

This year, ISOI decided to sponsor KSIF, an organization that disseminates Korean language and culture. In May, you sponsored the 2023 Middle East & Africa King Sejong Institute Workshop held at the House of Wisdom in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. What made you decide to sponsor KSIF, and what did you gain from sponsoring this event?

We have always felt great affection and gratitude toward KSI learners around the world for loving the Korean language and culture. We have been looking forward to an opportunity to reciprocate their passion and love, and we took the chance for a sponsorship. We hoped it would be a chance for KSI learners to love the culture and language of Korea more.

In fact, ISOI launched the Sunsu (Purity) line in October, considering the excellence of Hangeul. While the cosmetics industry used mostly English for product names and brand names, we used Hangeul entirely in the design. Its signature products include “Ongdalsaem (spring) that never dries in my skin” toner, “Santteut (refreshing) that will remove sebum” lotion, and ”Jinjeong (Soothing) Zinc Sun for sensitive skin” sunscreen.

Recently, so-called K-Beauty has become popular around the world. In fact, K-Beauty is a very popular Korean culture lesson at Sejong Culture Academy. What do you think is the reason K-Beauty is so loved by consumers globally?

There would be many reasons for this worldwide popularity, but I believe the biggest reason would be “respecting the customers.”

Needless to say, Korean cosmetics technology is second to none anywhere in the world. In addition to that technology, respect for customers has become increasingly important recently. The philosophy that respects customers in addition to high technology that uses good, natural ingredients for healthy functional cosmetic products is the reason for their popularity, I believe.

ISOI has also been developing and releasing products focusing only on customers’ skin health since its foundation. We do not use a single harmful ingredient. Among ingredients that have the same effect, we only select the ones that are superior. This philosophy of ISOI resulted in the “skin improvement” of our products, gaining the trust of the customers for a long time. I believe this is the reason that ISOI Blemish Care Serum was able to rank No. 1 in Olive Young for 10 years.

Not only do we not use a single harmful ingredient, but we also select the superior ones out of ingredients that have the same effect when making our products.

Every June, KSIF designates new KSI locations for overseas Korean language dissemination. ISOI is also becoming the K-cosmetics brand by expanding its global presence in Japan, the US, and Singapore. What kind of image do you want ISOI to establish in the overseas market? In addition, please tell us if you have any aspirations for global expansion.

The purpose of overseas expansion for ISOI is to become the No. 1 natural functional cosmetics brand. We expect to grow into a brand that takes care of the different skin concerns of customers all over the world.

ISOI is a “green brand inside and out,” not a “red brand coated with green.” The more you look at the ingredients, the more you feel that ISOI is healthy. However, while keywords like vegan and eco-friendly gain popularity, “red cosmetics brands coated with green” appear. I hope that consumers will think of ISOI when they are confused and the boundary between healthy and unhealthy cosmetics brands is ambiguous.

In fact, we have established an ISOI research center in Germany, the mecca of organic cosmetics, and have been continuously doing research for rapid skin improvement through technological development.

Lastly, please tell us what cooperative work you want to do with KSIF in the future.

I would like to continue to work with all KSI students around the world on disseminating Korean culture, including K-Beauty, and forming deeper friendships. We expect to share the excellence of Korean culture and K-Beauty with the world.