Clean masking: Amorepacific aims to disrupt K-beauty sheet mask market with ethical label

The South Korean cosmetics conglomerate launched STEADY:D in 2017 with a subscription-based model but altered the direction of the brand in 2019 with six new masks and a new ‘clean’ vision.

“STEADY:D is Amorepacific’s first brand specialising in masks. Our differentiator is that we are a clean mask brand that is all about caring for your skin and the environment too,” s​aid Park Kohyun of Amorepacific, STEADY:D.

Park elaborated that the company decided to push the brand in this direction as it has observed more consumers beginning to align themselves with brands and products that advocate ethical consumption and clean beauty.

“South Korean consumers are becoming more aware of environmental issues and want products that are eco-friendly and ethical. We also tap into the clean trend, which is very big globally,” ​she said.

As sheet masks are not the most environmentally-friendly products, the brand’s solution is to utilise a range of environmentally-friendly fabrics.

“Fabric is the most important thing in sheet masks, so we carefully selected the fabric first and then we customised all the details and matched with the formulation. All of them are eco-friendly and two are biodegradable,” ​said Park.

She elaborated: “We have one fabric that is made from centella asiatica and a biodegradable mask made from 100% cellulose. We also use LOHAS gauze, which is organic, and Oeko-Tex, a mild European-grade fabric that is comfortable, non-irritating and very natural.”​

In addition, the brand also uses EWG-certified ingredients in its formulations.

The brand’s sixth product is a rinse-off clay mask made with centella asiatica, commonly known as Cica. The product claims to contain 43.5% cica water.

“Cica is a very trendy ingredient and this is a new way to use it. We use cica water, so the texture is very soft. We also use the cica leaves which you can see in the formulation, making it look raw and organic.”​

Global vision

The brand is currently only available in South Korea, but the firm has its sights set on expansion as it believes its clean products have international appeal.

“In Korea, there are not many people who have considered sheet masks with eco-friendly fabric. It’s not very mainstream yet, so it’s important that we are thinking about the global consumer,” ​said Park.

She added that the company is hoping to enter the North American market in 2020.

“We want to expand the brand globally, but in 2020 we are planning to export to the US first. We see a lot of opportunities there because the US facial mask market is getting bigger and bigger.”​

The firm also plans to continue expanding the line with more masks, including a sleeping mask, a product which is popular in South Korea.

Park concluded: “This is only the starting point we want to broaden the category with more products while also broadening our ethical action to all our products in the future.”​