“Embodying herbal sciences”: L’Oréal launches first luxury beauty joint venture, Shihyo

22 Nov 2022 --- L’Oréal Groupe is introducing a luxury beauty brand, Shihyo, with products featuring ShiHyo24, a patented, nutrient-rich concentrate of 24 herbal ingredients infused with fermented rice water and ginseng water. Shihyo has been created in partnership with Hotel Shilla and Anchor Equity Partners through a third-party joint venture Loshian.

“With the brand, we are targeting the ‘refined naturalists’ in Asia and beyond. They value expertise, refined craftsmanship and make mindful choices. They have a strong desire for healthy energy in their beauty routine and care about the naturality of the ingredients, inner beauty and healthy choices,” a Shihyo representative tells PersonalCareInsights.

Shihyo offers a range of 24 ampoules featuring 24 herbal ingredients, along with other skincare products such as facial cleanser, essence and cream, as well as scalp care products such as shampoo and conditioner. 

All herbal ingredients are said to be harvested at the peak of each season, combined with proven efficacy based on scientific research and innovation. The brand is inspired by the “Asian wisdom of the 24 seasons” which the Chinese follow to divide a year into 24 segments, called solar term, based on the sun’s position.Shihyo offers a range of 24 ampoules featuring 24 herbal ingredients.

Ambitions in Asia
Shihyo’s first flagship store, the “Seoul Garden,” is planned to open in the coming months at The Shilla Seoul Hotel in South Korea, with the ambition of engaging with consumers and offering an immersive experience. 

“The products will also be available in select e-commerce platforms in Korea. In China, the products will become available next year and in other countries in Asia sequentially,” the brand shares with us.

“Rooted in traditional wisdom and knowledge of naturality, Shihyo represents Asian luxury beauty. Shihyo delivers the highest skincare quality thanks to its signature patented ingredient, offering the most elevated luxury beauty experience,” says Cyril Chapuy, president at L’Oréal Luxe.

Leveraging Hotel Shilla’s South Korean luxury retail channels and Anchor Equity Partners’ expertise as a private equity firm focusing primarily on consolidation and growth opportunities in Asia, Shihyo marks L’Oréal’s first beauty brand launch through a joint venture.

Harnessing K-beauty
L’Oréal touts the newly created brand to embody the healthy energy of nature powered by herbal sciences.

“Shihyo is a luxury beauty brand that brings out the best of naturality and efficacy with seasonal ingredients directly sourced from local farmers in Korea. With our rich retail expertise and L’Oréal’s strong brand-building capabilities, we believe Shihyo will elevate the desire for natural, luxury beauty in Asia,” says In-Gyu Han, COO at Hotel Shilla.

Sanggyun Ahn, managing partner at Anchor Equity Partners, adds: “We are glad to join this partnership to support the growth of the most unique brand in Asia and globally. We fully believe that Shihyo will meet the discerning consumers’ needs with new luxury beauty routines.”Shihyo formulas include ShiHyo24, a nutrient-rich concentrate of 24 herbal ingredients infused with fermented rice water and ginseng water.

Korean beauty secrets
Fermented rice water and ginseng, used in Shihyo, are popular ingredients in K-beauty.

PersonalCareInsights previously reported on ancient methods of fermentation expanding to beauty and personal care space for cleaner, environmentally sustainable and affordable ingredients. 

“Fermentation has been around for thousands of years – beer, bread, wine, kombucha, yogurt, kimchi are all fermentation products,” explained Annie Tsong, chief strategy officer of products and ingredients at Amyris.

“The technology is a natural fit for the needs of beauty and personal care, where there is high demand for effective products that are ethically and resource-efficient.”

Moreover, fermented rice water is a “huge, internet-driven trend,” Alexandra Mozina, technical marketing at Active Concepts, told PersonalCareInsights at the launch of ACB Rice Water SF earlier this year.

Research recently found that the popularity of K-drama and K-pop has led to a significant rise in global interest in Korean beauty and fashion in which K-makeup, hair, skin care and nail care are all trending. 

By Radhika Sikaria