A little towards the end of our interview, Jerry Kim aka the CEO of AROMATICA earnestly tells me that it is his mission to turn the South Korean aromatherapy brand into the Patagonia of the cosmetics world. If you have no context about what his brand is or has even done (we’ll get to it in a bit), it might seem a somewhat lofty ambition of his but Kim has been operating his business in an almost parallel way to the American one since 2004.
The first sign that AROMATICA is similar to Patagonia is that, of course, it stays principled in how it sources its materials and how it both engages in a circular economy strategy with their product manufacturing. The second, and the one that most of its consumers can agree on, is that both have been trendsetters in their own right by creating sustainable products that became the stuff of hype because they ignore the algorithm of hype itself.
In 2004, Kim decided to launch the brand after noticing that South Korea had a hole in the market for truly natural aromatherapy products. Instead of containing the good stuff, most of them contained synthetic fragrances or petroleum bases that started an array of skin issues like causing sensitisation and in worse cases, disrupting the hormones our body produces.
Was the brand initially successful? Not really, he says in this interview. Was it a slow burn like Patagonia? Yes, he adds because consumers are now, more than ever, wary of the stuff they use and even more attentive to who creates them. After all, the way a brand’s founder communicates is as important as its Instagram captions or emails themselves.
Here, Kim takes us through AROMATICA from its genesis to the great stuff you can now buy at Sephora.
Hello Jerry, we usually like to start a Men’s Folio interview like this: can you pitch what the brand is in 10 or fewer words?
[Counting uses his fingers] Aromatherapy-based beauty brand produced in the most sustainable way!
How did you first discover the powers of aromatherapy and was there an issue you were trying to fix? Also, based on your experience, how has the art of aromatherapy changed over the years?
I first found out about the world of aromatherapy when I was at university and was intrigued by the power of medicinal herbs and how they can naturally cure diseases compared to conventional medication. I was surprised that drinking herbal teas or applying tinctures made of essential oils could fix certain illnesses.
For example, if you have a wound that is oozing, you can use tea tree or lavender essential oil on it to help it heal faster instead of using alcohol-based medication that might produce an adverse effect. Lavender oil is essentially a cure-all if you think about it because it can be an antiseptic or anti-inflammatory or anti-bacterial product.
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What were some harmful synthetic fragrances used in South Korea’s beauty products?
There were already aromatherapy shops back then in South Korea but they were focused on diffuser products. However, most of them were selling synthetic versions and weren’t being honest about the origins of their products and the damage they can do. It didn’t help too that some customers might know about the negative effects of silicones and surfactants while not caring about the safety levels of fragrances.
If you see the word fragrance on the ingredient list of a product, there’s a high chance that it is synthetic and synthetic fragrances have a high chance of disrupting your endocrine system which are the tissues that regulate your hormones; especially that of your sexual ones. They also have a detrimental effect on both the environment as they pollute waters and your skin where they increase or even cause sensitivity. The minute you immediately sneeze if you’re using a product with a synthetic fragrance should tell you that you’re allergic to it.
When we first launched in South Korea, it was a culture shock for them as they weren’t used to such herbal or medicinal smells. They were more used to scents like baby powder, cucumber or lighter ones. However, it’s now normal for them as the country has a more diverse food culture where they can get introduced to new herbs, scents and vegetables from Thai, Greek, or other country’s cuisines.
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For men, what are some essential oils you would recommend to them and blends from the brand? Do some essential oils work better for both genders?
They say that the best essential oils for women are rose, geranium, and clary sage to balance their hormones and alleviate their menstrual symptoms. For men, it doesn’t matter honestly but they usually prefer ones like rosemary or Cyprus for their scent. Or, even peppermint as it gives a tingly and cooling sensation when applied.
What are the best-selling products for the brand right now in South Korea for men and why do you think that is?
Our tea tree skin and haircare line is doing well as men find it very cooling when applied. Our rosemary haircare line is doing well too as it gets rid of odours very well while cleaning grease and dirt very well.
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What do you think will work for Singaporean men then?
Our shampoos! Most men neglect to do the very important step of properly cleaning their scalps, especially if they live in polluted cities. Our haircare range removes buildup, helps to clarify, and smells great because of the essential oils used in it.
The essential oil also stimulates the cells in the scalp for better and stronger hair growth.
How does Aromatica preserve the freshness of its formulas from its blends to its grooming products considering essential oils can deteriorate over time or because of heat or oxidisation?
It depends on the product but to preserve its freshness, we house them in tinted packaging so that it doesn’t get exposed to too much light. For personal care products, we only put a one to three % strength of essential oils into its formula as they come in P.E.T packaging and hence, oxidisation doesn’t occur.
With regards to your question about how they last despite changing temperatures, we do rigorous testing over three to six months, and sometimes even up to three years, which is both natural (we leave it out in nature and let it be) or controlled where we can leave the products in a room and adjust the temperature of the room itself. Aromatica’s products are made to last up to three years if you have not opened them but once opened, they can last up to two years.
There’s a misconception that essential oil products don’t last very long once opened but you just have to find the right brand.
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What percentage of sustainability do you think Aromatica is at right now? I think it’s quite impossible to be 100% sustainable but what is also a good number for you and how would the brand get there?
70% because despite our sustainability efforts like the weekly collecting of recycled glass bottles around Seoul using an Aromatica electric truck, it’s still not enough for us to completely revamp our range into one that only uses using recycled glass.
We’re thinking of ways to encourage our customers to return their glass bottles like with a reward system and or by changing their mindsets through our in-store service and social media.
What about Aromatica’s carbon footprint then? Is that part of your 30%?
You know something, huh? [laughs] That’s a complicated thing because people can say that they use local products for example but the products might be contained in virgin plastic made using petroleum. Our bottles however are made of recycled glass which is one way of reducing our carbon footprint. Or, we also encourage our customers to engage in our refilling programme to refill their empty bottles.
We can’t 100% reduce our carbon footprint but we can devise other ways from our products’ formula to their packaging to reduce our overall wastage.
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To be more conscious of being sustainable, what are some things consumers can do when buying skincare? What are some important things to take note of?
Buying skincare products is unavoidable but look for ones that are refillable and if you can, look at other objects in your life that have the same purpose. For example, our hotel left plastic bottles of water in our rooms but wouldn’t it be so much better if we carried tumblers around? It’s the easiest way you can practice sustainability without inconveniencing yourself too much.
Plastics, however, can be reused. A long time ago, our fathers and grandfathers would reuse things like plastic boxes or bottles till they fell apart and this is something can we learn from them. Just reuse things over and over till you can’t anymore or think of different ways you can use them.
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What is next for the brand? Do you see it producing makeup or homeware?
On our marketing end, we still have a way to go to influence our customers to recycle and reuse the products they buy. We want to be the Patagonia of cosmetics where we’re doing good with our sales and marketing while still being green in the way we engage our business. That doesn’t mean though that we don’t feel guilty about the waste that might be produced when we scale our business up but we’re looking to end this cycle.
We’re also collaborating with the environmental government in South Korea because they see us as role models and actually, a recycling company instead. We’re happy that they want to change and they’re happy that they have something to learn things from. This is how you change society and educate them at the same time without talking down to them.
I also read every DM I get on our brand’s Instagram page and some of their suggestions have materialised into products we launched. We received lots of requests from women for an essential oil-scented feminine wash which we managed to produce after three years of them asking for it. Men
What about requests from men then?
[laughs] I think they don’t care about what they use, to be honest. They just use what works for them or what their girlfriends buy for them. [laughs harder] Times are changing though so you’d never know.
Lastly, another way we like to end interviews here at the magazine. Do you know your #1 most-played song on Spotify last year?
It was a Hillsong playlist!
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