Amorepacific expands in Japan to make up for Chinese downturn

Hera's pop-up store in Shibuya Scramble Square in Tokyo [AMOREPACIFIC]

Amorepacific has introduced its luxury makeup brand, Hera, into the Japanese market as it hastens its expansion in the island nation to reduce its reliance on China.

The company has been operating a Hera pop-up store at the Scramble Square shopping mall in Tokyo's Shibuya district since Aug. 31. Visitors at these locations have the opportunity to explore the brand's products, access professional makeup services and observe live makeup demonstrations by Hera artists.

In addition to the pop-up store, Hera entered the multi-brand beauty store @cosme's Tokyo and Osaka branches. There, it is selling its flagship products like the Black Cushion, Sensual Nude Balm and Sensual Nude Gloss.

The beauty brand, which features Jennie of Blackpink as its model, revealed plans to open more pop-up stores and enter into more online channels in October.

"Starting with Japan, we are planning to enter into Asean countries such as Thailand," a Hera official said.

The introduction of Hera follows Amorepacific's recent launches of other brands, including Aestura and Laneige, in Japan.

Amorepacific's derma cosmetic brand Aestura entered in 12 branches of @cosme on Sept. 1. It is set to run an experiential flagship store in Tokyo's Harajuku district from Sept. 13 through 26.

Laneige, Amorepacific's midrange brand, entered the Japanese market in September last year.

Amorepacific Group, one of the two biggest beauty players in Korea, experienced significant growth, primarily centered around the Chinese market, until the mid-2010s. But it faced challenges due to China's unofficial boycott on Korea and lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. In response, the company is working to reduce its dependence on the Chinese market and is exploring opportunities in emerging markets in Japan, Southeast Asia, North America, Europe and other regions.

Korean cosmetics have gained recognition in Japan over the years and ranked number 1 in Japanese cosmetics imports last year, a position France had held for nearly three decades. Among many cosmetics products, the Korean BB cream, or tinted moisturizer that also provides sun protection, played a role in altering the perception of Korean cosmetics' quality.

LG Household & Health Care, a competitor to Amorepacific, launched its derma brand CNP in Japan in January 2020. CNP is expanding its distribution channels including local retailers like Loft and Tokyu Hands, across Japan.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]