CAREL LEE TAN: Exponent of Korean beauty
‘For Valentine’s, we aim to reach women in their 20s. For Mother’s Day, it’s the women in their 40s and 50s we hope to help. For Summer boxes, our priorities are people who struggle with acne and pimples.’
As we welcome the Year of the Rabbit, I am sharing with you the stories of two young entrepreneurs who are products of mixed-Asian marriages, their fathers being Filipino-Chinese.
Carel Lee Tan’s mother is a Korean, while that of Andre John Cue, is a Filipina from Batangas province. Growing up in a multi-cultural environment, Carel and Andre have imbibed the best of the cultures of their parents. Outstanding in their respective fields, these two young members of the cosmopolitan set represent the most promising of their generation.
As the founder and CEO of Carel W International Corporation, the company that offers the YesCarel and One Hectare brands of skincare and beauty products from Korea, Carel Lee Tan epitomizes the young generation of achievers from cross-cultural backgrounds. Her parents, Filipino-Chinese Elton See Tan Sr. and Korean Carol Lee Tan, have raised their children by inculcating in them the best of their respective values. Carel shares, “My father tells me to always practice perseverance and to never forget core values. My mother tells me to never give up and as long as I work hard towards my dream, it’ll come true.”
Describing herself as “a multicultural person,” Carel explains, “When it comes to language, I am most comfortable speaking Mandarin. I love Chinese food. The Philippines is always a home to me, my soul country.”
Her values have stood her in good stead, giving her an edge in achieving success both as a student and as a professional, although she had had to take some detours. In college at the University of California in Los Angeles, for example, she couldn’t decide on a major, “and so I shifted seven times in a five-year span.”
She finally decided on architecture “because I’ve always had a passion for space, and it’s an art that truly works with science as one designs places and buildings where people can live, play, work and interact.”
Entrepreneurial spirit
That she would pursue the life of an entrepreneur through Carel is not farfetched. She explains, “I always have had an entrepreneurial spirit within me. The essence of architecture and entrepreneurship actually isn’t that different. It’s both to design and create a space, experience, or product where and which people will enjoy.”
My aspiration and vision are to create the number one wedding photo studio and events space in Southeast Asia, as well as for Kbeauty to be the top choice for most women.
Of course, her mother, a former Miss Korea and a fashion and beauty icon in her own right, “has always influenced me to stay up to date with the current beauty trends.” Carel, moreover, admits to following Korean skincare and beauty trends, and “my preference for Korean products has influenced me to build the Kbeauty brand YesCarel.”
What had always been obvious was that “many friends have always sought skincare advice from me. And that’s when I realized that I can really help more people and answer more of those questions by starting Kbeauty myself. It became the platform for selecting the best products from Korea and putting them into our seasonal Kbeauty boxes so people don’t have to struggle with the many skincare choices out there anymore.”
Targeting women of various ages
She adds, “I hope to make everyone feel as beautiful as possible, and to have self- confidence in themselves. Everyone is beautiful in their own way and I hope to help each person to maximize their beauty through skincare and makeup that suit them the most, and realize their own unique beauty through our photo studio, which will capture their most candid and beautiful moments.
Her company’s products serve the needs of various consumer categories. She explains, “We release four different types of boxes each year. For Valentine’s, we aim to reach women in their 20s. For Mother’s Day, it’s the women in their 40s and 50s we hope to help. For Summer boxes, our priorities are people who struggle with acne and pimples. Our Christmas boxes are generic skincare, which is good for gift giving to anyone.”
Something new each day
Carel, as a younger girl enrolled at Fuhsing in Taiwan, was enthusiastic about “learning something new each day.” Other than being knowledgehungry, she was also a “fan of nature” who appreciated the greenery, flora and the scenic mountains and shorelines that she saw. While in high school at the International School Manila, she enjoyed robotics and learning a new language.
Of her stint as a professional architect with Jerde, a world-renowned architectural firm, Carel recalls, “I worked on several projects, but the one I’m proudest of is the Penn Station project. We were in charge of redesigning the Penn Station in New York.”
Pop and country music lover
Carel’s lifestyle choices are noteworthy. Her favorite clothing brand, she says, “is probably Zara. I dress formal casual when I go to work and I usually wear Zara outfits.”
For recreation, she listens to a variety of music. “I like American pop music and country songs the most,” she says.
Her favorite song is “Just The Way You Are.” Her favorite actors and actresses include Emma Watson, Jim Ji Hyun and Bae Suzy.
Since the Tan family travels a lot, Carel has seen the most fascinating places, her favorites being Peru, Turkey and Dubai. She avers, “I have yet to explore many beautiful countries and I’m excited where I’ll be venturing next.”
All-in-one studio
Carel is hopeful and optimistic this Year of the Rabbit As the head of her own company, she will continue to lead her 20 employees “whom we consider our own family. As in the past, I will do my best to create a peaceful and happy environment that everyone enjoys working at.”
Her company is also launching a photo studio and events space. She looks forward to “creating an all-inone studio, one for weddings, debuts, concepts and self-studios, because we always strive to provide the best experience and memories for our customers.”
As part of Carel W’s goals, she says, “We hope to reach more people with our Kbeauty boxes and to launch our photo studio and events space which we hope will become the go-to place and venue for parties and special occasions.”
For the long term, she looks forward to “all of the women in the Philippines using our Kbeauty boxes because the products we source are the best in terms of value and quality.”
Branching worldwide
Carel is equally positive about conquering the international market. “My aspiration and vision are to create the number one wedding photo studio and events space in Southeast Asia, as well as for Kbeauty to be the top choice for most women. I also hope to extend my branch worldwide as well.
Being practical and wise, Carel declares that she is “still in the learning stage. And to be honest, whether it’s 10, 20, 30 years from now, I will still be in a learning stage as entrepreneurship does not have to lead to an end destination.
“There will always be a space for improvement as the world is always changing. I will always be learning and trying to keep up with trends. And hopefully 10 years from now, where my personal life is concerned, I will be a mom of three!”