The Face Shop and our love affair with all things Korean

Maybe it was the hopeless romantic in all of us Pinoys that they tapped, or the innate playfulness that our cultures share that made it so wonderfully easy for all of us to go crazy over all things Korean. It all started with the telenovelas on TV that showcased cute boys with impossibly cool hair, quirky girls, and playful love story plots. Suddenly, we fancied boys with more hair products than us girls, we started to appreciate the stars’ pretty and fresh makeup looks, and we all started to wonder how we could have their creamy and flawless skin.

Riding the wave

Riding this demand for all things Korean, The Face Shop was brought to the Philippines in 2006 and is now continuously enjoying the support of Pinoys and Pinays everywhere. “The Face Shop now has 23 branches all over the Philippines,” shares Bryan Lim of Suyen Corporation, the company responsible for bringing The Face Shop to our shores. The Face Shop was founded six years ago in Seoul, Korea based on the simple desire to keep skin healthy with the use of natural ingredients. Since then The Face Shop has become a market leader in Korea and is also starting to gain popularity in other countries. It currently has over 900 stores in 20 countries in Asia Pacific, America, Europe and the Middle East with more than 1,000 high-quality products for facial and body skincare, hair, nail and makeup products. The endorsers for the brands Bae Yong Joon and Gianna Jun are both credited with spreading the hallyu, or Korean Wave, in Japan and throughout Asia with his hit drama series Winter Sonata and her international hit My Sassy Girl.

Shared Values

At the core of the company’s success here and abroad are three essential concepts that they stand by:

Nature: Each product of The Face Shop is formulated with the finest natural ingredients, using the most sophisticated technology. This is in sync with the global trend towards working with nature and utilizing organic products that provide nourishing and revitalizing benefits for the skin.

Variety: The Face Shop carries a wide range of beauty products for both men and women of all ages. They have hair care, body care, nail care, sun protection, cosmetics, beauty accessories, and skincare products.

Value: The Face Shop does its own research and development, and its top priority is to develop high-quality products and innovations while keeping prices affordable. Customers are always delighted to find that The Face Shop’s products are of high quality without the high-end prices.

With Filipinos relating to all three of these core values, it is clear why The Face Shop is enjoying so much success in our country. Some of the brand’s bestsellers in the Philippines are their nail polishes (P95), which come in pretty pastels and also in punchy bold colors, their face masks (prices start at P65) with all-natural ingredients, and their Baked Triple Color Eyeshadow (545) which takes the guesswork out of applying color to your lids.

Celebrating the friendship

Now in its fourth year in the Philippines, The Face Shop celebrated the milestone with a special event for the press and friends that showcased the wide range of uses and applications of their products. Special guest models donned different looks and products, courtesy of The Face Shop. Isabelle Daza was made up as a cool campus girl with bright skin and light, casual makeup; Denise Laurel was dolled up for a hot date night with full lips and sexy hair; Kelly Misa was a polished career girl with her clean ponytail and sophisticated makeup; Megan Young was a trendy style setter with her high ponytail and autumn-inspired smoky eyes. Models Regine Angeles and Sarah Labati were sizzling hot in their summer beach party and clubbing looks. “We really wanted to show how our wide variety of products can be used for different occasions and personalities. We have something for everyone at The Face Shop,” shares Maureen Abenoja, brand manager of The Face Shop.

Our love affair with all things Korean may be a fairly recent phenomenon, but from the looks of things, it seems that we are in it for the long haul.

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The Face Shop is located at Glorietta; Power Plant Mall; Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City; Robinsons Galleria; Robinsons Place Manila Midtown Wing; Shangri-La Plaza; Eastwood Mall; Shoppesville Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Center.