The K-beauty brand Rom& has recently caused a stir in the beauty industry, popular for its color cosmetics such as tints and shadows. This is due to the official end of its collaboration with creative director Min Saerom, who has been at the forefront of creating the brand name and planning all products.
Rom& is a color cosmetics specialty brand established in 2016. It is particularly known for its color products tailored to personal color. Min Saerom, widely known as a beauty YouTuber, has been a symbolic figure leading this brand in partnership with its parent company, iFamilySC.
iFamilySC, founded by CEO Kim Tae-wook, is a cosmetics company where Rom& accounts for over 95% of the entire company’s sales. Kim Tae-wook, who is also the husband of actress Chae Si-ra, established the wedding service company iWedding Networks in 2000 and ventured into the cosmetics business in collaboration with Min Saerom.
Popular products from Rom& include 'Juicy Lasting Tint' and 'Better Than Palette'. Rom& has received praise for expanding the base of Korean color cosmetics by launching tints and shadows in various shades. In particular, the Juicy Lasting Tint has recently won first place for three consecutive years at the CJ Olive Young Awards, a leading beauty platform in Korea.
The industry evaluation suggests that Rom&'s success is thanks to Min Saerom's planning abilities. By introducing a large number of cool-tone products into a Korean color market traditionally dominated by warm tones, she is credited as the catalyst for popularizing color makeup suited to personal colors through Rom&.
Known as a 'cosmetic enthusiast', he has steadily researched color cosmetics since his days as a blogger. Given that everyone has a different skin tone, the colors that suit them can greatly vary, and this realization stemmed from the perception that Korean color products are monotonous. The name 'Rom' in Rom& was derived directly from his own name.
Rom& is also very popular in Japan. The products from Rom& are ranked highly and receiving positive evaluations on Japan's leading beauty review sites, AtCosme and Lips. This result aligns with the preference trend of the Japanese MZ generation (those born between 1980 and 2000) for 'petit fraud' (affordable yet high-quality products), driven by Rom&'s variety of colors and excellent quality.
Due to this popularity, iFamilySC recorded strong financial results last year. By the third quarter of last year, cumulative sales reached 156.5 billion won, surpassing the entire previous year's sales of 148.7 billion won. Overseas sales account for about 70% of the total sales. Overall sales for last year are expected to exceed 200 billion won, most of which is contributed by Rom&.
However, this year, as Rom& begins its expansion into the West, including the United States, it has announced a farewell to Min Saerom, the brand's original creator. Rom&, which started as a small company, has grown into a brand with 100 employees and sales exceeding 200 billion won, marking the beginning of 'Season 2'. This was explained as being for the new beginnings and developments of both parties. The next steps of Rom&, having sent away its 'muse', are now drawing attention.