Koround is targeting Southeast Asia with DECORE, its clean-beauty skincare brand, using halal and vegan certifications as its edge.
Kim Jung-hoon, CEO of Koround, has led digital marketing strategy at Google Korea and strategy and sales planning at eBay Korea. "Korean products are good enough to compete anywhere in the world, but I judged that K-beauty still hadn't reached many large markets," he said. He founded Koround in February 2024 and launched DECORE in July 2025.
"Consumers react first to the change happening in front of their eyes, then look up the ingredients and evidence," Kim said.
"We also confirmed that you can create a new category by naming a concern that doesn't have a name yet."
DECORE products undergo clinical efficacy and low-irritation testing before launch. DECORE's flagship is the 100% collagen melting mask, is a film mask that dissolves into the skin within three seconds when sprayed with a cream mist.
Its sun hand serum combines SPF 50+ sun protection with anti-wrinkle and brightening functions. The product opened up a new market around hand ageing, and reached No. 1 in Naver's hand serum category. The brand also offers a core-ingredient line suited to Southeast Asia's hot, humid climate, including a bakuchiol cleanser, an exosome cica serum and a multi-peptide cream.
"Visual curiosity drives the first purchase, but it's real efficacy that drives repeat purchases," Kim said.
The company also designs routines that require products to be used together, such as the mask and mist, to encourage cross-selling and repurchases. Since launch, cumulative sales have topped 20,000 units, and the official online store has logged about 3,200 reviews with an average rating of 4.9.
Koround plans to establish itself in Indonesia in 2027 and expand to Malaysia in 2028. In 2029, it aims to enter the UAE and the US and go beyond breaking even. "For K-beauty to keep growing, its centre of gravity has to shift from trends to trust," Kim said.
"We want to be the first K-skincare brand that comes to mind for consumers around the world who want both efficacy and ethics."
Koround tailors its overseas strategy to each market. In Muslim-majority Southeast Asian markets such as Indonesia and Malaysia, certification is where purchasing decisions begin. DECORE's core line has secured halal and vegan certifications as well as registration with Indonesia's food and drug authority (BPOM).
"Locally, there's a gap: halal brands are seen as weak on efficacy, and K-beauty brands lack certification," Kim said. He added that the company is aiming squarely at that gap.
In Malaysia, the company is pursuing separate certification from JAKIM, the country's halal authority. In the US, it plans to lead with vegan credentials and clinically validated, high-performance ingredients rather than halal.
The company is a resident of SVC Seoul, a global startup hub in Seoul's Hongdae area. The hub was established to connect startups with strong overseas growth potential to companies, universities, and investors in Korea and abroad. Through a university-linked technology transfer programme via SVC Seoul, Koround has also brought in patented technology and is preparing anti-pollution and haircare lines.