Lee is widely recognised as the pioneer of the first franchised hair salon brand, LEEKAJA, in South Korea, which has today established branches across the globe and continues to influence K-style hair trends worldwide.
While personalisation has been a hot topic in the skin care and makeup categories, Lee has observed the same trend taking place in the hair care space.
“In the past, Koreans had a fixed image of what beauty looks like and everyone tended to chase after that ideal appearance. But now, thanks to K-pop and other K-content, people have been exposed to and are more receptive of different looks. This is also why personal colour analysis is trending.
“At LEEKAJA, our focus is more on what best suits an individual rather than trends. We place emphasis on providing consultation and suggesting the most suitable hair colour for each customer,” she told CosmeticsDesign-Asia.
Besides a hairstyle that complements one’s face shape, Lee also takes into consideration an individual’s body, personality, and occupation when giving recommendations.
Natural-looking colours, such as olive brown, chocolate brown, and mocha mousse brown, are touted to trend next year.
“In the past, South East Asian (SEA) consumers like strong and vivid colours such as red, but now they are looking for cooler and more natural shades. Due to the high number of people who colour their hair in this region, hair damage is prevalent, so we expect an increasing demand for scalp treatment, head spa, and hair care products.”
While LEEKAJA has its own products, they are mostly targeted for hairstyling. It is, thus, partnering Kao on hair care products used and sold in its salons for the next four to five years.
At the moment, the brand has presence in the US, China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the UK. It recently opened its first flagship in Singapore, which will serve as a base for expansion across SEA, including a hair academy in Malaysia.
K-hair care making a mark
With the relentless K-beauty boom, Korean hair care has also been gaining ground around the world.
For instance, derma hair care brand FROM LABS by The Founders, the company behind Anua, has been garnering attention for its products that incorporate skin care technology.
In October, it participated in its first Amazon Prime Day — a large-scale discount event on the e-commerce platform — in the US, where its key products sold out early and ranked high in sales rankings.
According to the brand, its Hair Treatment Booster Powder for Intensive Keratin Care sold out completely, while Protein Capsule Hair Repair Treatment scored a spot in the top-selling chart under the “Deep Conditioner” category.
Building on this success, FROM LABS plans to further strengthen its global brand awareness to become a leading K-hair care brand, and accelerate the expansion of its product portfolio, focusing on damaged hair care.
The brand stated that achieving a sell-out on its debut for this major event has proven the demand and competitiveness of its products in the global market, and that it will continue to work on broadening its overseas distribution network.
