South Korea’s first colouring shampoo seeks breakthrough

SEOUL: Moda Moda, the South Korean producer of the world’s first colouring shampoo using the browning reaction in stale bananas, is seeking a breakthrough in overseas markets to sidestep cumbersome regulations at home.

The company is revamping overseas operations to extend its sales network connecting the United States, China and Japan. South Korean beauty products are increasingly popular in these countries, riding high on the popularity of K-content.

Unlike many other K-beauty brands that depend heavily on local retailers in their overseas push, Moda Moda has chosen a slower and harder path to become a truly global brand – focusing on brand strategy rather than sales alone.

“Most local brands fall into ‘K-beauty trap,’ that is, to focus on massive sales of products, rather than working on effective branding strategies,” said Bae Heung-jin, Moda Moda CEO, during a recent interview with The Korea Herald.

“However, to retail giants, we are just a good means to make money. Naturally, those who have taken shortcuts are thrown out of the global market – largely because they lose brand influence as duplicates quickly replace them.”

That’s why the company decided to launch its Pro-change Black Shampoo last year first in the United States, not South Korea.

After receiving about Us$1mil (Rm4.4mil) in funding from Kickstarter, it set up a US branch in Delaware and a strategic office in San Francisco.

The shampoo sold more than one million bottles, making 30 billion won (Rm104mil) in the US just six months after its June launch there. Bae said the product was considered a saviour for many customers who had suffered from hair damage from frequent dyeing.

“We could’ve sold several hundred billion shampoos by depending on big US distributors. But instead, our Delaware branch started introducing our brand identity to customers and promoting the product step by step,” he said.

Following its successful debut in the US, the shampoo hit the South Korean market last August and became an immediate success.