Renowned K-beauty makeup artist Jung Saem-mool is having a full-circle beauty moment.
The makeup entrepreneur, who briefly left a successful career in South Korea to study fine art in San Francisco, has scored a retail partnership with Sephora U.S., whose U.S. headquarters are in San Francisco.
Her eponymous beauty brand Jungsaemmool will launch at the retailer on Aug. 21 online and in 37 stores and is set to debut at Sephora Canada next.
“It’s still unbelievable to me. The United States is a very meaningful place for me,” she said, explaining that her time in San Francisco signaled a breakthrough in her career as she was able to merge the worlds of fine art and makeup — so this partnership with Sephora hits differently.
Products will include Essential Skin Nuder Cushion, $32; Artist Cusher Blush Blur, $23; Essential Mool Cream, $36; Essential Mool Micro Fitting Mist, $35, and Lip-Pression Metal Serum Gloss, $26.
Jungsaemmool Nuder Cushion foundation.
In the U.S., her products can be found online at Amazon, Costco and Ulta Beauty.
Saem-mool has been hosting events in New York and Los Angeles to increase awareness of the brand she launched in 2015, driven by a need to include more inclusive shade ranges for Asian women.
With the Sephora launch coming up, she plans to travel back and forth to the U.S. to educate consumers about the cushion foundations, popular in South Korea.
She began her career as a celebrity makeup artist in Seoul and later launched an academy to teach professional makeup artists and salons before debuting her own brand.
Last year, the brand raised $36 million in funding from CLSA Capital Partners, in part to help fund international expansion. This valued the brand at 300 billion won ($219 million). The brand’s sales are estimated to be around 110 billion won.
In addition to the U.S., the brand is looking to expand in Asian markets, including Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Indonesia, and also has its eye on Europe and Dubai.
