K-BEAUTY FOUNDER SERIES: MEET KATE NAMGUNG, FOUNDER & CEO OF BEIGIC

Many of you have already tried products from BEIGIC, a Korean premium vegan skincare brand that delivers sensory pleasure in everyday life. In this journal, we are thrilled to speak with Kate, the founder & CEO of BEIGIC, on her story behind founding the unique brand, inspirations behind product development and products she highly recommends for people based in a humid and tropical environment.

Founder & CEO of BEIGIC, Kate Namgung

Please tell us more about yourself and how you started BEIGIC

I've worked at multinational cosmetic companies including L'Oreal, L'Occitane and Shiseido. When I worked as the Asia Pacific Brand Manager for Shiseido Singapore, my skin condition turned completely “upside down.” This happened after testing and applying many new products. My skin was burning, even when I was only applying sunscreen, so my friend recommended that I try vegan cosmetics to try and soothe the irritation. 

At first, I didn't enjoy vegan skincare because of the texture and the aroma didn't appeal to me. However, after a few days, my skin began to improve, and I developed an interest in vegan cosmetics. Despite the fact that the ingredients were excellent, I was unable to find a brand that was appealing in terms of formula, scent, or packaging. Eventually, I created BEIGIC and launched it in December 2018 to fill this gap in the market.

What is the key vegan ingredient of BEIGIC? 

Green coffee bean oil extracted from the finest Peruvian beans is our key ingredient. We meticulously compared premium beans and selected Peruvian beans with the highest content of active ingredients. As an added bonus, our coffee beans are organic and fair trade certified. It provides an excellent skin vitality and regeneration effect. Squalene, which prevents moisture evaporation and protects the skin, is famous for being derived from shark liver oil, but it can be substituted with squalene derived from olives. It has a smaller and more stable structure than animal-derived squalene, so it is effective for skin improvement and helps save our marine ecosystems.

BEIGIC Softening Infused Mask 

BEIGIC has a cafe in Seoul. What is the idea behind building BEIGIC cafe? 

We wanted to offer multiple ways for people to enjoy and engage with our brand. When considering alternatives to experience the essence of our brand, we realized that drinking coffee made from the exact same main ingredient featured by our brand would be the best option as we are the company that uses fair trade certified, Peruvian green coffee beans in all of our products. We hope that everyone who visits this place can take a moment to relax and unwind while sipping coffee and taking in the tranquil green surroundings in the center of Seoul's bustling city.

BEIGIC Cafe

BEIGIC Cafe

Singapore is humid and has tropical weather all year around, what BEIGIC product would you recommend especially for customers based in tropical weather? 

I lived in Singapore for about 3 years with a combination scalp, so I know how hard it is to maintain good hair (voluminous and not greasy all day) there. To maintain good hair condition, I had to wash my hair morning and night which made my hair extremely dry. Volumizing Shampooing Scrub is a great product to resolve the “no volume/greasy hair” issue caused by humid, tropical weather. With menthol and sea salt, it efficiently removes the buildups and greasiness while giving airy volume and balanced scalp. With this formula, you can definitely reduce shampooing frequency while staying refreshed and voluminous. It has been my “go-to” for years.

BEIGIC Volumizing Shampooing Scrub

Where do you get inspiration for product development? What new products are you working on? 

I’m a beauty product lover and I am constantly testing different products from mass market to luxury. Whenever I find unsatisfactory factors in a product category, that really excites me because it means there’s a mission for our team to complete in terms of filling that gap. Every time when we start a new product development process, we think about what is missing in the product category and what can be improved in this product category. As you know there are already thousands of products out there competing so we must be able to stand out. 

Now, we are working hard on anti-hair loss shampoo. Most anti-hair loss shampoos are good for scalp and maintaining hair but not necessarily good for improving hair quality or repairing damaged hair. So, I want to develop a shampoo that is able to resolve all these issues at one go. Like always, we are trying to come up with a botanical formula that is 100% vegan. Can’t wait to share this product with Team Eunogo!

Any last words for Eunogo Shop customers? 

I’m grateful that Joy and the team are taking such great attention to understanding not only the products but also the brand and who is behind the brand. I hope we will be able to share our behind-the-scenes stories with you more often.

 

Shop more Eunogo skincare here.