A legacy-driven media platform documenting Korean excellence in culture, economy, and identity
By Jisoo Park
Executive Editor
Photo Credit: L'Oréal USA
In a remarkable episode of the acclaimed American audition program, Shark Tank, co-founders Sarah Lee and Christine Chang of Glow Recipe made history as the first Korean women to appear on the show. This program, aired by ABC, brings emerging entrepreneurs in front of leading American investors and business tycoons, seeking capital and partnership for their innovative ventures. Glow Recipe, a company dedicated to introducing Korean cosmetics to the U.S. market through online platforms and retailers, caught the attention of Shark Tank producers due to their pivotal role in the U.S. K-beauty wave and their successful investment pitch impressed the panel.
Driven by passion and determination, Lee and Chang succeeded in launching their products in major U.S. beauty retailers such as Sephora, Ulta, and QVC. Their backgrounds at top global beauty brands, coupled with a mission to spread the excellence of K-beauty worldwide, forge their journey as formidable beauty entrepreneurs.
Jisoo Park, Executive Editor, and Lee Young Ran, Editor
Beginning her career as an intern with L'Oréal Korea, Sarah Lee expanded her professional portfolio at L'Oréal's New York headquarters, Lancôme, Kiehl's, L'Oréal Paris, and Matrix. Gaining extensive knowledge across various market development projects in the beauty industry, she co-founded Glow Recipe to advocate for the superiority of K-Beauty.
Christine Chang entered the beauty industry as an intern with L'Oréal Korea. After completing her master’s study at Columbia University, she joined Kiehl’s headquarters, advancing her career as a beauty brand expert. Her decade-long experience as a global marketer and product developer at renowned beauty brands led her to co-found Glow Recipe with Sarah Lee.
Mom&i: How did you two first meet as co-founders?
Sarah Lee: It’s fair to say that Glow Recipe was born out of our friendship. We first met 12 years ago as intern colleagues at L'Oréal Korea. Despite working with different brands, we bonded over shared interests in skincare and beauty. In 2008, I relocated to L'Oréal's New York headquarters, while Christine coincidentally moved to New York for her master’s program at Columbia. Not long after, Christine joined Kiehl’s headquarters, and we reunited at L'Oréal USA.
We led the launch of hundreds of products across eight brands, conducting racial and skin type testing to develop market-specific products for the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
Mom&i: What motivated you to establish Glow Recipe, a brand dedicated to K-Beauty?
An ambition to start a business, coupled with seeing K-Beauty’s global potential, set our plans in motion. As a global marketer and product developer at L'Oréal, we witnessed the unrivaled technological prowess of Korean cosmetics. Their creative concepts, innovative formulas, and consumer-friendly designs were already the future of beauty from industry insiders' perspectives. We wanted to fully launch and raise these quality Korean brands into the American market under their rightful identity – K-Beauty – while fostering that category's sustainable expansion.
Despite the lack of companies both Korean and American understanding of beauty and cultural contexts, our unique insights into both markets provided a competitive edge in introducing K-Beauty to America.
Mom&i: Could you share Glow Recipe's strategy for selecting and curating products?
Christine Chang: Beyond e-commerce, Glow Recipe also serves as a beauty brand incubator. We assist promising high-quality brands with potential for success in the U.S., introducing American consumers to the excellence and innovations of Korean beauty products. Our robust partnerships have consistently resulted in successful launches across channels like Sephora, Ulta, and QVC.
Our selection process is rigorous. We assess a brand’s vision, product quality, natural ingredient authenticity, and test results, including feedback from our diverse panel of testers. Only those meeting these stringent criteria gain access to the American market via our platform.
Mom&i: What do you prioritize most when selecting products?
Sarah Lee: Our rigorous curation process ensures that we only endorse exceptional brands with potential for American market success. I examine product ingredient lists to identify harmful substances and verify natural components. Brands like Whamisa, which meet our criteria, have become favorites. Ultimately, quality is paramount – only products we completely trust are featured on Glow Recipe.
Mom&i: How do partner companies describe Glow Recipe’s unique strengths?
Christine Chang: Thanks to our stringent curation, over 95% of customers associate Glow Recipe primarily with "quality" in recent surveys. With natural ingredients meticulously filtered and harmful substances excluded, customers feel assured in their purchase decisions. Appearing on Shark Tank and QVC has broadened our demographic reach, evidenced by varied customer feedback, such as life-changing experiences relayed to us post-broadcast.
Mom&i: What attracts foreign consumers trying Korean cosmetics for the first time?
Sarah Lee: The allure lies in the harmony of exceptional quality and fresh concepts. The intense domestic competition drives brands to innovate continuously with unique concepts, categories, formulations, and packaging. These innovations are a defining trait we aim to champion worldwide.
In short, K-Beauty is an "eye-opener" for global consumers, offering them fresh perspectives on skincare philosophy and products. Customers frequently share how incorporating K-Beauty into their routine has transformed their lives, beyond just changing their skin.
Mom&i: How do you perceive the standing of Korea's beauty industry globally?
Christine Chang: Even during my tenure in the beauty sector, Korea’s beauty manufacturing was recognized globally for its excellence and innovation. Now, Korean brands and products are gaining the attention of American consumers, not just industry insiders. A product we collaborated on, the "Blithe Patting Water Pack," or "Splash Mask" as renamed for easier consumer understanding, is a testament to this. Its acclaim, including a spotlight in Sephora's window themes and presence in prestigious publications like Mintel Trend Report and WWD, underscores the innovative influence initiated from Korea.
Mom&i: Could you elaborate on your future business plans and Glow Recipe’s vision?
Christine Chang: We envision spearheading K-Beauty’s presence in the U.S. and globally, nurturing superior Korean brands and products. Both Sarah and I begin each day energized, committed to introducing the excellence of Korean skincare around the world. We are on a mission to make K-Beauty a daily skincare routine for people globally and will persist in this pursuit.
Meeting with Sarah Lee and Christine Chang was no easy task amid their hectic schedules. Yet, despite their eloquence in English on shows like Shark Tank, they maintained using Korean in our communications. Their bilingual prowess and unwavering connection to their heritage are commendable and reflective of their global strength.
