When you hear the phrase ‘Korean beauty,’ there is certainly a fantastic opportunity your mind promptly goes to skin care. But Korean makeup manufacturers have been pushing the elegance space ahead for years by fusing color cosmetics with pores and skin-care elements they’re aspect of the explanation why you rarely see a lipstick without shea butter in the formulation or a brow gel that is just not infused with conditioning vitamin B5.
Cushion foundations are a person of K-beauty’s standout make-up products and solutions. The liquid foundation typically will come in a sleek compact with a cushion applicator that presents your skin an airbrushed complete. Having said that, the well known foundation has traditionally been out of the achieve for folks of further skin tones—most brands only supply a couple shades, with the darkest 1 staying a gentle beige color. So, after ending a master’s degree in business enterprise in South Korea, Grace Okafor recognized this gap in the current market and set out to establish a line of inclusive cosmetics motivated by K-beauty’s scientific innovations. Down below, we talk to her about the origins of her model, Dr. Gio Elegance, how she sees the line developing, and why she chose to launch a cushion basis as the brand’s very first and only products.
How did you grow to be intrigued in K-splendor?
“My very first conversation with K-magnificence was in 2013 again in Nigeria—a Korean language instructor who was training at our faculty gave me a Korean confront mask. In Nigeria, we you should not genuinely have anything at all like that, so it was quite fascinating to me—I was immediately hooked on all items K-natural beauty.
“But when I arrived in Korea in 2015, I recognized that Korea didn’t have any beauty offerings for dim pores and skin tones. I brought a ton of make-up with me, and when I ran out of all the things, I was not equipped to restock. I would been contemplating about different ways that I could join Korea and Africa–that’s when I obtained the thought of generating a K-attractiveness brand that was inclusive. As shortly as I graduated from my master’s program in 2018, I set out to establish this firm. In 2020 we finalized the products growth and it released early 2021.”
Why was a cushion foundation your 1st merchandise?
“The cushion foundation is quite popular in Korea. You’ll see individuals on the subway pull out a compact to touch up their skin it is really super straightforward to use. Each Black lady in Korea desires it, also, but there were not any solutions for us. So we required to get started with a cushion.”
Do you feel the K-magnificence room is escalating additional inclusive?
“Some manufacturers have tried to make foundations for further pores and skin tones, but the shades are commonly way off or they do not have a variety of selections. And other models, they are going to have foundation shades for darker pores and skin tones on their web-site, but then you are unable to obtain them in suppliers. So then you start off to surprise, is this all for exhibit?”
How do you see your brand name growing?
“Cushions are just the beginning—there are a complete ton of other cosmetic merchandise that we want to make. I believe we might be the 1st multicultural Korean attractiveness manufacturer at any time. And it is for all people of color—Black people today, Southeast Asians, Indians. I’m hoping that in the subsequent few yrs we improve even bigger and access even a lot more people today.”
The brand’s hero item has an components checklist that reads like a who’s-who in skin care—there’s hyaluronic acid, collagen, shea butter, niacinamide, tea tree oil, vitamin C, and it features SPF 50. The basis does not just address and conceal—it helps enhance the glance and truly feel of your skin when you’re carrying it. I’m made use of to employing either a BeautyBlender or a makeup brush to implement my foundation, so I was a minimal hesitant going in with the tan-colored puff which is included within the compact.
Me, donning the Extremely 7 Brightening Foundation Cushion in the shade DG-04 Funmi, and very little else on my pores and skin. Photo: Ama Kwarteng
Turns out, it is really basically rather uncomplicated to use. After I opened the scenario, I pressed the applicator into the shimmering encounter of the basis, pressed, and rolled it above my pores and skin. The liquid system generally melted into my pores and skin, leaving powering a glowing complete. It was also so lightweight—I did not really feel like I experienced just about anything on my skin, even soon after hours of have on.
While the manufacturer currently provides the cushion basis in six shades, Okafor has plans to grow to 20 shades, offering extra undertone choices for those with medium to deep pores and skin tones.
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