Kolmar Korea accelerates North American expansion, plans second plant in the U.S.

Kolmar Korea plans to build a second plant in the U.S. early next year. To this end, the cosmetics maker has appointed a new head of North American operations and a global chief commercial officer (GCCO). It has also established a strategic framework that integrates production, sales and R&D to better penetrate the local market. The plan includes forming an R&D team for North America and appointing a new manager.

The company appointed Yongchul Hur as CEO of its North American subsidiaries Kolmar Laboratories and Kolmar USA; Philippe Warnery as global chief commercial officer (GCCO); George Rivera as chief scientific officer (CSO) of the North American subsidiary; and Inki Park as head of the North American R&D center, responsible for connecting the Korean and North American markets.

With these recent appointments, Kolmar is attracting talents with extensive experience in the global cosmetics market. The company aims to use these strategic hires to maximize the operational capabilities of its North American production facilities, including the first U.S. plant and the second plant under construction. The company aims to achieve sales of $100 million in the next five years. To this end, it plans to actively expand its sales network not only in North America, but also in Central and South America.

In addition, as Korean beauty products are becoming more popular in the United States, Kolmar Korea plans to actively promote ODM sales that focus on market accessibility and logistics efficiency for small and medium-sized independent Korean brands seeking to enter the US market.

Kolmar Korea acquired Kolmar USA (formerly PTP) and Kolmar Canada (formerly CSR) in 2016. In 2022, the company acquired 100% of the trademark rights of the "Kolmar" brand, securing exclusive rights to the brand and achieving unrestricted business operations in the US and global markets. The company also recently opened the Kolmar Innovation Center in New Jersey, USA, to expand its sales network.