Previously having worked as a product designer at a skincare company, I have worked as a salesperson in Mexico. However, the business later expanded to a new line of products to the market; I have developed a product with a government-funded ingredient and launcehd the product in Amazon Mexico after a hardcore journey.
I worked for a company called OnDay Cosmetic, a venture firm founded by a CEO who has worked in LG cosmetics for over 15 years. I was passionate about growing the company as I believed in their eventual goal, to have their own unique technology be distributed to different parts of the world. Its aim and philosophy centered on technology innovation in their cosmetics and skincare products, while growing their capital to foreign markets.
Then, my profession slightly changed when I went on 'exchange' to Mexico in 2018, although by that time my working time was already over. While I was taking a gap year, I could not help but notice there was an opportunity to sell skincare products in Mexico and even all over Latin America. I started to search for the right distributors who I thought would be all over the place.
As I tried to launch the product that had low recognition and capital, I made a list of every potential cosmetic store of the city to contact. Preparing presentations, doing the presentations and being rejected by countless stores, I tried to reach out the market through an intense user research and speaking to the owners after rejection.
Some of the products we designed and I have launched are as follows:
Then, my profession slightly changed when I went on 'exchange' to Mexico in 2018, although by that
time my working time was already over. While I was taking a gap year, I could not help but notice
there was an opportunity to sell skincare products in Mexico and even all over Latin America. I
started to search for the right distributors who I thought would be all over the place. However, not
having any industrial relationships or acquaintances in that field, or even in the entire country, I
had struggled for over 3 months knocking on every door of their cosmetic shops.
Encountering language,
cultural and access barriers, I have received more than 20 rejections.
Nonetheless, after long-awaited emails, I had managed to reserve a very short time slot to pitch the
products to one of the biggest retailers in Mexico, Sally Beauty. After meeting with the buyer, then
the head of a purchasing department, I had managed to close the deal by selling
the products to all Sally Beauty stores, in the entire Mexico.
While I was looking for more distribution channels, an email was sent to me offering a partnered OEM project, targeted for the Mexican customers. I was looking for a job that inquired me to get engaged further on what the local customers want in the skincare market, I immediately said yes. The sender was a product manager from a cosmetic shop I once met, who is now my business partner. We have managed to get some funding from OnDay, and launched the brand in December, 2019. We also got involved in a government-funded project, the commercializing and excavating of 'the Millennial Grass' by using its magical component in the product.
The Korean government's mission was for us to use the ingredient, millennial grass, to be commercialized and be prepared for the market. This plant is a type of cacti only grown and survives in Korea, known to survive for 1,000 years, and thus the millennial grass (of which we have a patent for the name haha). The millennial grass is locally grown in the farms of Paju, Korea, and is known for its high viscosity. We had a mission to fully incoporate this rich anti-oxidant, highly moisturizing and pollution-free cactus (activated Isorhamnetin protects skin from external contact or the air pollution). Eventually developed a primer named "the primer", that has anit-pollution, anit-aging and moisturizing effect, targeted to hot climates. While developing its packaging concept and design, we aimed for the 'girlish' market and the packaging was bold to target the young millennials in Latin America. Developing the product was as follows:
My team has the grant from the Paju City, Korea, to harvest and commercialize the use of the Millennial Grass, of which the English name is coined and patented by us.
It is known for its 'thousand benefits' on human body and also to survive for a thousand years due to its remarkable resilience.
My partner and I are now exporting the product to Mexico, the US and Korea. The primer contains the millennial grass extracts and may other local Korean ingredients to ultimately raise awareness to the local goods and the benefits.
We have tested three samples to select the ideal viscosity of the extract, which is known for its excessive stickiness and so for its intricacy in commercialization.
With the optimal texture, it was sent to the manufacturer for production.
With my packaging design, it is now launched, sold and shipped to everywhere online. After meticulous observation on any defects, it has been obtaining some good responses from the customers. The product is safely imported after a painstaking selection on the import custom agencies.
After this product was developed, I became less engaged in the sales, but maintained product manufacturing and remained in Korea to both manage and ship the product to Mexico and the US.
↳ To sum, I was involved in sales management, import and export customs (from Korea to Mexico), stock management, promotion, brand design , and a lot more.
Some website designs are down below and the full website
Surprisingly, it is now selling in Amazon Mexico (Received Amazon's Choice) , and my partner's own retail store gildedrose.mx. My attempt to sell skincare in Mexico somehow arrived at its not-so-expected end, and although it is ongoing, this is how my gap year went. I was able to really understand how hard it was to knock on other country's door, simply to sell the products that they do not know about, and also that strong relationships always pay off. I was grateful to meet this partner whom I would have never worked with if I did not cherish the moments getting so many rejections and, bit cheesy but, built relationship with her. Finally, also being able to work in the government's mission to commercialize their local ingredient, the millennial cactus, and to help the local farm grow, is a rewarding journey. It has taught me about the interactions between one another and their realistic importance, as well as about perserverance that especially stood for me during my journey in Mexico.
