Pro golfer An Shin-ae was known in her playing days for starting her backswing lightly and flowing gracefully through to the finish. With her bright style and slender figure, she looked like a model on a photo shoot. At the same time, there was criticism that an athlete was overly focused on looks. There was a lingering regret that if she had immersed herself a bit more in golf, she could have piled up more wins.
After retiring in 2024, she recently appeared on comedian Kim Guk-jin's YouTube channel, and when she showed her signature swing again, both delight and curiosity arose. Meeting at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, An handed over a business card identifying her as the CEO of the cosmetics company "MERBEI." Smiling, she said, "I spent two hours picking out clothes and doing my makeup to come here today. Ha-ha." Her "second act" had a clearer philosophy than expected.
"Golf is DNA"… the pandemic and family time changed her course
An Shin-ae debuted on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour in 2009, won three times including one major, and drew popularity for her strong fashion sense. She competed on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour starting in 2017 and announced her retirement in Sept. last year. In Japan, she appeared not only in sports news but also in variety and entertainment programs. She mainly drew attention through photo shoots typically done by celebrities.
An discovered her talent by following her father, who loved golf enough to dream of becoming a pro golfer, to the range in first grade. Behind her smooth resume—New Zealand national team, KLPGA rookie of the year, and three tour wins—there was always a physical burden lurking, she said. She looked healthy on the outside, but she did not have abundant stamina to handle tour play. When others spent eight hours at the range, she had to invest more time in physical training and recovery.
The decisive turning point was COVID-19. With entry into Japan blocked, she could not join the tour, and around the same time her father's condition worsened. "I want to see your golf one last time." Those words from her father led her back to qualifying school, and she played one more season in Japan. An promised her father, who was leaving behind only her mother and two daughters. "I will take good care of Mother and definitely succeed in business." She also said it was the first time she had wondered what it would be like to get married and have a child.
Signed an office lease a day after deciding
At the end of 2024, she sat with an acquaintance in a corner of a cafe and wrote down the cosmetics company name Merbei, product concepts, market structure, manufacturer list, and needed seed capital.
"I felt I couldn't let this fizzle out." She immediately contacted a real estate office, toured five offices in one day, and signed on the spot. The next day she prepared corporate documents, and a week later she became an official business operator. The following year was spent confronting every step of product development. She personally oversaw every process, from budget coordination and ingredient selection to formulation tests and package design. In Aug. 2025, the first product hit the market.
"I hated essences that vanish like water"… consumer complaints became the yardstick
In her playing days, An was known as a master of makeup. In her words: "I've loved getting dolled up since I was young. I liked dressing up nicely to go out, I was interested in fashion, and I'm someone who enjoys spending time on self-care. I think it's an innate tendency. I like improving, I like learning, and I'm fairly open-minded, which I think made me look a bit different even as a golfer. So after I quit golf, I wrestled with both life as a woman and life as a businessperson, and eventually moved into the cosmetics business." She had tried almost every trendy new cosmetics product and explored local brands whenever she went to overseas events. In that process, she said she felt a common disappointment.
"When you apply them, they brush past like water and disappear. I doubted whether they were penetrating the skin." The desire—"since my hands, face, and arm skin were overworked as a player, I want to know exactly what works for me and use it"—naturally became her product standard.
The key, she said, was "liposomization," a technology that micro-encapsulates ingredients to deliver them to deeper layers. The process adds a month and raises costs, but she did not mind. Merbei now has a five-item lineup: essence, serum, cream, sunscreen, and foam cleanser. She uses the products every day and records changes. As both consumer and developer, she verifies them herself.
A player who didn't ask caddies now says as CEO, "you live by learning"
She said a significant share of early sales were "friendship sales." She doesn't cast a wide net socially, but once she forms a bond, it lasts. Purchases of support followed from acquaintances, fans, and across the industry. "After three months, the next phase is where you're judged on product power."
In her playing days, she was a golfer who rarely asked a caddie about putting lines. She was used to seeing and deciding for herself. But as CEO, her approach changed. She deciphers ingredient lists, writes down manufacturers' explanations, searches for and reads related research, and records consumer reactions. She actively seeks and reflects expert opinions. "In this field, I'm truly a rookie."
In her playing days, An was famous in golf wear as a "sold-out woman." Even as she moved through multiple brands, the models she wore sold out in days thanks to her superb fit. She was that in tune with consumers. There were also rampant unconfirmed rumors that An received hefty appearance fees for invited pro-am events. Even now, the amounts would be top-tier. In fact, she rarely played Monday pro-ams. Managing stamina and practice came first. As a result, her "value" shot up sky-high, she said. That experience applies the same way in business. "I'm aiming not for a brand that flares up with trends, but for one people come back to," she said. The company name Merbei is inspired by the French word merveille and carries the image of "wonder." The brand, she said, is skincare that approaches fundamental skin problems and aims for skin that glows healthily from within.
"Golf and business are both long games"… An Shin-ae's new round
An defines her life philosophy as "a sense of achievement." Setting daily goals and moving toward them is not much different from her playing days. But in business, the sense of a "long game" is stronger. "Golf doesn't end in one hole. Merbei is the same." For her, Merbei is not a post-retirement hobby but the starting point of a new line of work. "I hope that someday I can say, just like when I was a golfer, 'I worked hard and have no regrets.'"