Growing globally: Korea’s Dear Dahlia accelerates European expansion ahead of India debut

The brand announced that it has launched in the new Milan flagship store of Douglas, a department store retailer headquartered in Germany.

“We hope that our launch in Douglas Milan flagship store will provide European consumers with an opportunity to more easily access Dear Dahlia products,”​ said Dear Dahlia CEO Park Rae-hyeon.

Park added that the brand expects to expand to another 30 Douglas stores across six Italian cities within the year to cement its position as a global beauty brand.

“We plan to further strengthen our position as a leader,”​ said Park.

In addition to Italy, Dear Dahlia is also aiming to expand with Douglas to the Netherlands as well as Poland.

According to the brand, it will enter four stores in the Netherlands and expand its presence in Poland from 88 to 93 stores.

The brand is also available in markets such as Germany and Switzerland through Douglas.

India debut imminent

The company, owned by Baram International, will also expand its presence in India this year after launching through Sephora India in 2021.

The brand will soon be available through fashion and beauty retailer Nykaa, as well as Tira which is owned by India’s Reliance Retail.

Reliance Retail launched Tira earlier this year to challenge players such as Nykaa, Myntra and Tata Cliq’s Palette.

CosmeticsDesign-Asia​ has previously reported​ that Nykaa has been moving to attract more global brands into India.

Dear Dahlia develops a range of luxury vegan and cruelty-free range of makeup and skin care products.

Today, it is one of the most recognised K-beauty brands globally with its octagonal-shaped packaging.

All its products feature its proprietary Dahlia Variabilis flower extract, which claims to have antioxidant benefits.

The products also contain Ecocert, COSMOS, and USDA-certified organic, plant-based ingredients such as argan oil, cacao seed butter, and sweet almond oil.

It claims not to use ingredients such as carmine and beeswax.

In 2018, the brand bagged USD5.4m in funding, led by K-beauty major, Amorepacific.

Today the brand is available globally in leading retailers including Sephora, Isetan, FeelUnique, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, and Galeries Lafayette.

In 2022, the brand partnered with luxury beauty retailer FACES to enter the Middle Eastern beauty market and noted interest in expanded into markets such as Egypt, Kuwait, and Bahrain.