A beautiful reality: K-beauty company behind Missha attributes growth to global marketing campaign

Able C&C is the parent company of beauty brands such as Missha and A’Pieu. The K-beauty company was put up on the market late last year, attracting dozens of potential buyers which allegedly included French luxury group LVMH.

The latest word across local media outlets was that IMM Private Equity, Able C&C’s majority shareholder, may have changed its mind on account of how well the firm has been performing in recent months.
According to its second quarter (Q2) financials, the firm recorded an operating profit of KRW3.8bn, up a whopping 58.6% compared to the same period last year. Sales increased by 14.9% sales increased by 14.9% to KRW74.6bn.

The company attributed its success to its major global ‘Beauty is Reality’ campaign, starring American actress Elizabeth Olsen, which centres around the message of attainable beauty.

Olsen joined Sana Minatozaki, a member of the South Korean girl group TWICE, as an official Missha brand ambassador.

Olsen, who is best known for her portrayal of the Marvel Comics character Wanda Maximoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), was appointed Missha’s global ambassador in April this year.

“Elizabeth Olsen was the one person that Missha had in mind to represent this campaign,” ​Jaesuk Ahn, Able C&C US CEO, told CosmeticsDesign-Asia in May​.

“She shares honest opinions in media, stands up against crucial global issues, and attracts millions of people around the world with her natural beauty. Her ambition and intelligence transcend her appearance and fame, which aligns with the message that we want to convey.”​

Missha was founded in 2000 and has a presence across 41 markets across the world.

According to the firm, its recent marketing investments in the brand have led to a “virtuous cycle that leads to actual growth in sales and operating profit”.​

Furthermore, the campaign helped the firm’s ambitions beyond Asia. It recorded and 130.1% growth in Europe and 13.4% growth in the Americas.

“Able C&C is solidifying its position as a global company representing K-beauty by maintaining solid growth in overseas markets across Asia, Europe, and the Americas,” ​said the firm in its Q2 report.

In July, Missha’s Amazon Prime Day sales in the US increased by 106% compared to the previous year. A’Pieu, on the other hand, saw its sales increase by 62%.

“This achievement was largely due to Missha's recent efforts to strengthen its competitiveness in the US market. Its brand awareness was raised through active marketing activities and content featuring Missha's global ambassador, Elizabeth Olsen, on various channels such as outdoor advertisements and television commercials in the US,” ​the firm noted.

In August, Missha highlighted that its sales of Artemisia Calming Ampoule have been skyrocketing. It reported that sales grew by 175% while volume grew by 300% compared to the same period last year.

The company recently announced that it expanded its ‘Beauty is Reality’ campaign and launched a new television commercial featuring Artemisia Calming Ampoule and Olsen.

It was pre-release on video platform YouTube and has recorded over four million views.