Seoul-based global skincare brand Dr. Jart is successfully making its way to the Middle East. After reaching Australia, the brand’s innovative products hit the region’s famed beauty store Sephora.
Azyaamode had the chance to interview Alice Han, the regional manager of the International Division at Dr. Jart – who is largely responsible for developing a strategic initiative that promotes the brand’s expansion in key international markets – in order to find out more about the brand’s naming, vision, distinctive products and more.
How was the idea of naming the brand Dr. Jart born?
Dr. Jart is an abbreviation of “Doctor Joins Art” and was established by two key people – JinWook Lee and Dr. SungJae Jung in Korea in 2005 with the aim to address specific skincare needs.
What is the vision you try to mirror through your products?
As Dr. Jart believes in the true spirit of science, we continue to innovate in order to deliver highly functional skincare products. Although Dr. Jart is based in Seoul, our company is keen to build and expand our presence in countries and markets that have little to no exposure to K-Beauty. This is also our way of introducing Korea to the world. Through my job at Dr. Jart, I feel I am able to deliver a piece of Korean culture to the world.
What sets the Dr. Jart products apart from others?
Most skincare brands appear too invasive, mainly because of aggressive marketing. Through market research, we have come to realize that consumers are aware that dermatological products can yield great results however, they are afraid to try since such products look like medication. Since our brand is built on the premise of combining art and science, we feel closer to our customers. We are serious while developing the product, and fun and friendly when we communicate our products and brand to the market.
Can you tell us about your latest launches?
My latest launch was at the Duty Free Shopping (DFS) Hong Kong. Duty Free business is very exciting, when we work with global partners such as DFS. Chinese tourists are great for the Duty Free business as they travel a lot and are massive spenders in the Asian market. And Hong Kong is one of their favorite places to visit. Our plan is to increase our presence in DFS Hong Kong.
How do you start creating a new skincare product?
Necessity is the mother of invention and so any new product idea is born from the customers’ needs. From conception to creation, we study the needs of our customers at every stage. Once a new product idea is conceived, the Research & Development and Design teams follow up with the development of the product.
After Australia, Dr. Jart’s skincare products are now available at Sephora Middle East. How did you decide to expand in the region?
We’re looking for something new and challenging. Dr. Jart and K-beauty are already trendy and hot in U.S and the Asian markets, but relatively new to the Middle East. So our next big step for the Middle East is to establish Dr. Jart and to introduce K-Beauty to the consumers here. Personally, I enjoy bringing K-beauty and Korean culture to new markets.
Since the launch of the brand in 2005, what are the most important moments it has witnessed?
We found it highly demanding yet rewarding to work with Sephora. When we first introduced Dr. Jart through Sephora U.S., we launched the Dr. Jart BB cream since the BB cream received great success as a 1st generation product of K-beauty. (The sheet mask is a 2nd generation product of K-beauty).
What are the products that are the most coveted at Dr. Jart?
Dermask! It is an assortment of sheet masks that provide relaxation and an individualized treatment for quick skin restoration. There is a huge demand for this mask line globally. As the sheet mask trend is the 2nd generation product of K-beauty, we are now delivering on-demand K-beauty to big markets with the Dermask line.
What’s next for Dr. Jart?
The next step for Dr. Jart is to enter the EU market. Europe has the most educated customers for beauty products, and we are finally launching in Europe in 2016. Currently, we are discussing with Sephora group in Europe, and the grand launch will take a place within this year.
Mirella Haddad
