South Korean beauty retailer Innisfree has confirmed plans to open its third store in Australia at Chadstone shopping centre before Christmas.
The store, set to open on December 14, joins the retailer’s existing locations in Victoria at Melbourne Central and Doncaster shopping centre.
Innisfree Australia’s general manager Brian Jeong said the Chadstone store is “very exciting” for the company.
“[W]e have loved seeing Australian consumers embrace Innisfree’s range of innovative products and especially our focus on sustainable practices,” he said in a statement.
Innisfree is known for offering skincare, body care and make-up products that use natural ingredients sourced from Jeju island, a volcanic island off the Korean Peninsula.
The retailer, which is part of the Amorepacific Group, akin to L’Oreal, has over 1700 stores in 12 countries, thanks in part to the growing demand for South Korean beauty products around the world.
In addition to opening bricks-and-mortar Innisfree stores in Australia, Amorepacfic has launched its luxury skincare brands Amorepacific and Laneige at Mecca Cosmetica and Sephora, respectively, and opened a head office in Melbourne under the direction of country manager Caroline Dunlop.
The company, which does annual sales in the region of US$6 billion ($8.5 billion), has made clear its ambitions for the Australian market, which ranks among the the top five countries in the world for average cosmetics spending per person.
“Australian and New Zealand customers are beauty conscious, taking great interest in global beauty trends and cosmetic ingredients,” Amorepacific said in a statement about the launch of its products in Mecca and Sephora stores.
“They also put a significant amount of time and effort into taking care of and protecting their skin against environmental factors in the region. In addition, their preference for natural makeup and healthy skin has led to a growing interest in K-beauty.”
The store at Chadstone will open with over 650 products across skincare, make-up, body care, hair care and home fragrances as well as a selection of beauty tools.
The first 250 people through the doors will receive a free tote bag and face mask, and those who spend $50 in-store on the opening day will get a free ‘most-wanted’ kit.