How K-Beauty Brand Hince Is Making Korean Makeup More Accessible for All

"Have you tried Hince yet?" I've gotten some form of this question from my friends in not only America but also South Korea since the Korean beauty brand launched in January 2019. Hince's lipsticks in MLBB hues, housed in ultra-sleek packaging, shimmery pigments, and jelly-like nail polishes have quickly become sophisticated staples in the makeup bags of thousands of Koreans in less than two years.

Although skin-care trends in Seoul, the epicenter of K-beauty, rapidly change, makeup ones are relatively stagnant. They tend to revolve around one specific look: bold, straight brows; popsicle-stained lips; barely-there, glowing foundation; and twinkling eye shadow. Thanks to beloved makeup artist Jung Saem Mool, the overall aesthetic is often referred to transparent makeup.

Although the beauty market in Korea is highly competitive with new brands and products constantly popping up, Hince co-founder Kim Hyun Joo noticed "most beauty brands presented the same aesthetic, products, and colors," she tells Allure.

With its evolving lineup, Hince is expanding the standard of Korean makeup trends while making them more accessible for all skin tones. It's shifting the usual color palette, making duochromes, earthy blues, and soft purples into sought-after neutrals. It also plays off of K-beauty's innovative textures to create a more playful, adaptive makeup experience. The emphasis remains on subtly accentuating one's features, though.

All of this was exactly Kim's intention when launching the brand with her two other cofounders.

Meet Kim Hyun Joo

Growing up, Kim admits she didn't have a lot of self-confidence. As she explored her identity and how she wanted to present herself, she bought a myriad of beauty products hoping just one would complement her, but nothing felt right. She could never find a beauty brand that fit her vibe — one that values individuality, diversity, and a message beyond superficial beauty.

Because she enjoyed coming up with new ideas and concepts as she wrote her own narrative, Kim decided to major in film. After graduating, however, she ended up working at one of Korea's biggest cosmetic companies, LG Household & Health Care. (It's the parent company for popular K-beauty brands like Belif, VDL, and The Face Shop. While honing in her product development and brand marketing skills there, she decided she wanted to create a beauty brand that reflected her own vision.

So Kim set out to create a beauty brand that respected and inspired our generation with a name that sounds soft yet firm: Hince.

Exceptional Consistencies

Kim's primary goal for Hince is to develop products with sheer, buildable textures that effortlessly accentuate customers' natural beauty instead of correcting it. "I wanted products to be able to be applied however our consumers desired in its thickness and saturation, so they could create their own desired look rather than a look according to 'the standard,'" she explains.

Hince's best-selling product (and Kim's favorite among her babies) — the Mood Enhancer Matte — is the best example. The non-drying lipstick has a soft, velvety matte finish that feels more like a weightless lip stain than a waxy coating. My favorite shade is called Allure. Although I'm biased based on its name alone, the lipstick has a cool-toned mauve hue (as seen below) looks dreamy on everyone I know who uses it, no matter what their skin tone is. When I was in Seoul earlier this year, I noticed it was sold out at a Chicor, which is like Sephora, in Gangnam I stopped into.

Depending on how much you swipe on, you can achieve different effects. Just one allows the pigment to melt into your lips and adapt to your natural lip color for a blurred stain moment. Two or more create a plumping, full-on lip look.

Kim formulated Mood Enhancer Matte based on her own lipstick experiences. Whenever she swiped on lipstick, she realized she (and several people she knows) always ended up applying very little and blending out the pigment because it was too heavy straight out of the tube. "I was then inspired to create a formula that would make it easy to control the amount used upon application," Kim adds.

Hince's new eye shadow palettes have the same versatility, too. Among its 10 colors, there are eight different textures and finishes. They come with a mixing palette and spatula, so you can easily concoct custom hues. You can take the matte rust or teal and glitz it up with flecks from the pan of creamy glitter.

Accesible Shade Ranges

The second concept Kim keeps in mind for Hince is a muted, soft color palette for the products across the board to make them approachable for a wider range of skin tones. Other Korean makeup brands, on the other hand, often cater to lighter, fairer complexions.

Kim focuses on desaturated pigments with relatively low intensities, making sure they don't contrast with any skin tones. In a sea of watermelon and tangerine lip stains, this is an uncommon approach in her field. "K-beauty has been limited to a certain color trend — often very bright and strong — so your skin looks paler," she notes. With Hince's subdued-yet-striking pigments, Kimm hopes to help people embrace their natural complexions.

Although Hince hasn't ventured into the foundation category, it has two highlighter formulas: one in a creamy stick and the other is an opalescent blush. Both bathe cheeks in sheer washes of color with transparent bases that aren't chalky on any skin tone.

Creating a Narrative

In addition to high-performing products, Kim ensures Hince's offerings have a clear, authentic philosophy or "Mood-Narrative," as she calls it. She translated "individuality" in "mood," with the help of the Korean interpretation of the word, which usually means "your own unique aura," Kim explains.

With the release of each collection, Kim also writes a little story to go along with them to "help people navigate what they can achieve by using our products on their own," she explains. However, they aren't specific guidelines. It's more of an encouragement to express themselves in whatever way feels right to them.

For Hince's latest collection is called "My Attitude." On its website and social media, you can find tag lines alongside images of Korean actress Kim Yong Ji motivating customers to find freedom in self-expression and confidence in your passions and beliefs, as well as living for yourself in your own point of view — not someone's perspective. Another called "New Depth Inside You" urged customers to discover new sides of themselves alongside glossy, moody hues.

Because Hince is still a small indie brand, Kim reveals members of her small team even model some of the products for their photoshoots. In fact, the campaign for the sold-out Glow Up Nail Color feature Kim's hands. I highly recommend checking out the transparent jade shade called Cross the Line and Odd In Red, which looks like painting your nails with raspberry jam in the best way possible. I've never seen anything like this formula.

As Hince continues to grow and produce never-before-seen products, Kim says the brand plans to launch in more countries to continue sharing its message with new people.

You can shop a limited selection of Hince now on Amazon. Global shipping on Hince's website is currently on hold.

All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Read more about Korean beauty products Allure editors love:

• 15 Products That Won Allure Korea's Best of Beauty Seal of Approval

• The 13 Best Korean Makeup Brands, According to Beauty Experts

• The Best Korean Skin-Care Products That'll Transform Your Complexion

Now, watch Monsta X try nine things they've never done before: 

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Originally Appeared on Allure