‘Confirmed growth potential’: LG H&H rides on Japan’s K-beauty interest to advance Glint, Freshain, VDL expansion

Glint and Freshian debuted in Japan in June and September, respectively.

Glint launched on Japanese e-commerce platform Qoo10 and is now the top highlighter on the platform. This was helped by an endorsement from local YouTuber and makeup artist Hiro Odagiri, making it one of the most highly recommended K-beauty items in Japan, according to the firm.

Meanwhile, Freshian, a brand launched in 2022, has been well-received in Japan thanks to its vegan formulas. The brand’s Egg Like Cushion foundation is popular with clean beauty consumers.

Furthermore, the brand is sought-after for its differentiated designs. The Egg Like Cushion, for instance, resembles a freshly peeled egg. The brand was recently award Japan’s Good Design Award for its minimalist designs and use of recycled materials.

The successes of Glint and Freshian are pushing LG H&H to expand the brand through physical retail. Glint was set to launch with PLAZA in December while Freshian will debut with LOFT in February 2024.

LG H&H said that it believes in the “confirmed growth potential” ​of both brands and that the priority was “securing new online and offline distribution channels to expand customer contact points in the Japanese market”.​

In the meantime, the company lined up marketing activities to further increase the brand awareness of Glint and Freshian.

It participated in the Megawari shopping festival held by Qoo10 and also capitalised on the 2023 MAMA Awards, a K-Pop award ceremony.

Presented by entertainment company CJ E&M, the awards were held at Tokyo Dome this year. LG H&H promoted the brands on outdoor billboards and electronic displays in November at locations around the location.

VDL offline expansion​

Aside from Glint and Freshian, LG H&H has also experienced success in Japan’s colour cosmetics market with one of its older brands, VDL.

The brand collaborated with Japanese influencer CalaryGirl to develop the Perfecting Silky Fit Powder for the Japanese market. The product was created with input from the influencer, who facilitated in-depth interviews with 20 Japanese consumers during its development.

It launched in September on Qoo10 and helped to propel VDL’s online sales by 282% compared to the same period last year.

This launch helped to increase the brand awareness of VDL and the company is using it as a launchpad to expand its offline presence.

The brand has since launched at around 500 touchpoints in Japan with retailers such as Ainz & Tulpe.

It targets launching in over 2,000 Japanese drugstores by the first half of next year with chains such as Matsumoto Kiyoshi.