Beauty firms share K-beauty products with APEC guests

CJ Olive Young's gift for economic leaders who joined last week's APEC meetings comprises beauty items available at the company's retail outlets. Courtesy of CJ Olive Young

Major Korean beauty brands and platforms presented official gifts to VIPs at last week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings, promoting K-beauty to international guests.

CJ Olive Young, operator of offline Olive Young stores and its global online store, and LG H&H, seller of brands including The Whoo, VDL, and Beyond, offered selected products to the guests.

For the APEC events, these companies presented products in specially designed containers reflecting Gyeongju, the host city and former capital of the ancient Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.–935 A.D.).

Olive Young said on Sunday that it gifted The Best K-Beauty Selection sets to the leaders of 21 APEC economies. The gifts came in small wooden chests inspired by the iconic Silla golden crown and a traditional knot from royal Silla culture, each containing 17 items, including skincare, makeup and personal care products.

The company said the selected beauty items comprised the products most popular in consumer markets across the Asia-Pacific region. They included brands from small- and medium-sized suppliers such as VT Cosmetics, Tirtir and Beauty of Joseon, as well as the premium brand Sulwhasoo by Amorepacific and Olive Young’s own label, Bioheal Boh.

Olive Young also presented 8,000 additional gift sets to government representatives, senior executives and journalists from around the world visiting Gyeongju.

LG H&H’s The Whoo Hwanyu Cream, specially packaged in mother-of-pearl lacquer boxes handcrafted by Son Dae-hyun, were gifted to the spouses of APEC economy leaders attending last week’s APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting on Friday and Saturday. Courtesy of LG H&H

“The gifts represent Olive Young’s K-beauty ecosystem that has been mainly nurtured by our SME brands here,” an Olive Young official said. The company’s over 1,360 road shops and global e-commerce platform currently claim the country’s major share in the beauty market.

LG H&H presented spouses of leaders from 20 APEC economies with The Whoo Hwanyu Cream, a high-end anti-aging product formulated with natural ginseng extracts. They were presented in a mother-of-pearl lacquer box handcrafted by Son Dae-hyun, recognized as Seoul’s No. 1 intangible cultural heritage artisan.

The company also prepared 54 additional The Whoo Hwanyu Creams for CEOs attending last week’s four-day APEC CEO Summit. The gifts, including those for CEOs of the 10 largest firms and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, were repackaged in Son’s mother-of-pearl handcrafted box, in a special edition distinct from those given to the spouses of economy leaders.

During the four-day CEO Summit — Wednesday to Saturday — LG H&H operated The Whoo Art Heritage Lounge at HwangNyongWon, a corporate training center in Gyeongju, showcasing the cream to summit participants. The company said that International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Widia Ranti, the spouse of the Indonesian Ambassador to Korea, and American fashion designer Nicky Hilton visited the venue.