The name of the skincare brand "Your Choice" implies that it is a cosmetic created by consumers' choice. "The cosmetics are made with a desperate heart to recover the daily life that collapsed," said Park Jin-young, CEO of Your Choice by C Lab, who met at the headquarters in Cheongdam-dong on Wednesday. "I will never forget the desperation when I started."

What kind of company is Your Choice By C Lab

It started selling products under the 'Your Choice' brand in 2019. A company-affiliated research institute related to biotech was established in 2021 and research began in earnest, resulting in the creation of a corporation name 'Your Choice by Sea Lab', which adds the meaning of the research institute to the cosmetic brand 'Your Choice'. It is currently researching not only finished cosmetics products, but also raw material development, and furthermore, a platform that provides skin diagnosis and prescriptions accordingly.



What are the personal concerns that got you into product development

I did something that was not related to cosmetics. While working as a management consultant, I suddenly got a serious skin disease. I couldn't do my daily life at all because I had to wear a bandage all over my body. I went to several university hospitals, but I was diagnosed with incurable diseases.



Moisturizers were essential to increase the effectiveness of drug treatment, but even after purchasing and using dozens of moisturizers, there was no problem. When I analyzed the ingredients to find the cause, I found that they were using an ingredient called "petrolatum" in common. I found the cause of my problem, but the problem was that there were few products I didn't use because they were cost-effective raw materials. Eventually, I went to the raw material company and commissioned the development of a moisturizer without petrolatum at my own expense. As users became aware of it due to requests from acquaintances, word of mouth and even commercialized it.



I'm using the expression "skin detoxification"

I believe that most of the existing cosmetics focused on 'beauty' rather than making the skin itself healthy. The dermatologists mainly prescribe antibiotics or steroids. I thought it was necessary to focus on making the skin itself healthy in the skincare sector as well. Some consumers who suffered from skin diseases voluntarily uploaded post-war comparison reviews as they made and sold products that helped with skin circulation and made skin healthy. In this sense, the term skin detoxification has come to be used.



What do you focus on when developing a product

Although it is a cosmetic, it does not contain additional functions for beauty such as whitening or wrinkle improvement. These products focus on eliminating harmful bacteria that cause trouble and creating an environment where beneficial bacteria needed for the skin can live well. It is also different from other brands' products.



Did you have any difficulties

It took a lot of effort to keep its original intention. The cost is quite high because it insists on only good raw materials, but when the product went viral, there was also a tempting touch. There was a delivery proposal from a famous show host team of home shopping. When I was worried about whether it would be possible to proceed because there was a price range, they said, "You can use less raw materials." I refused to deliver on the spot. Your Choice is a brand designed to overcome a painful experience. It is an iron rule not to do unconscionable things such as reducing good ingredients or replacing them with cheaper ingredients to make more profits.



The first thing I thought about when expanding the product lineup is

There are nine products on the market right now, and the order of release also reflected a lot of customer requests. I released the cream first, but it was uncomfortable when I went out with my babies, so I asked them to make a portable cream, so I launched the spray cream, and there was also a request for a large-capacity product, so body cream came out.



Is the cosmetics recommendation platform offering a service

My Choice, a platform for providing skin solutions, has ended its beta service operation. We have finished making sure that the user's skin data is properly collected. The skin diagnosis kit using biotech is undergoing follow-up research. While the existing diagnosis program is limited to the level of skin moisture measurement, it is a kit that can monitor the distribution of harmful and beneficial bacteria in the skin.



Park Min, a professor of convergence new material engineering at Hallym University's Future Convergence School, is leading the research as CTO and R&D director. To develop high-quality services, it also signed an MOU with Angle Company Inc., founded by Park Jae-beom, an expert in digital platforms, on November 22.



Is there any product under development or planned to be released

There are currently about 50 products that have been developed but have not yet been released. Some will be released after looking at the best time. We are considering creating a separate brand. There are lines exclusively for men and infants, and there are also lines specialized for each country according to skin characteristics.



Are you planning to go overseas in earnest

It has been about a year since it entered the duty-free shop at COEX Hyundai Department Store. It is currently focusing on the domestic market because it is advantageous overseas only when it is recognized in Korea, but it is tapping from Japan and Southeast Asia. In Japan, the skin type is similar to that of Korea, and it seems to be receiving a response because it prefers pretty and luxurious products. In April this year, it was requested for direct export and supplied. In the case of Southeast Asia, products are being developed with a focus on maintaining skin balance.



Are there any plans to challenge products other than skincare

I'm not thinking about point makeup such as shadows or lipsticks, but some of the base makeup products have been developed. Personally, I developed products such as BB cream and sunscreen because I believed that the concept of skin care was also applied.



What kind of goals do you have

In the short term, it aims to complete and commercialize the first skin diagnostic kit within 2024. We are trying to provide quantified skin diagnostic services and link them well with the product.



In the long run, just as "one pack per day" has become a culture, I want to create a "new culture" where everyone uses the skincare platform.

Source:Beauty Nury