Laneige (Hangul: 라네즈) is a South Korean cosmetics brand launched by Amore Pacific in 1994.[1][2] Its name comes from the French "la neige", which translates to "the snow".[3] The brand's flagship products include its Water Bank skin care line, Water Sleeping Mask, BB Cushion foundation and two-tone lipsticks.
The brand's central concept is based on its Advanced Water Science technology, an emphasis on skin hydration.[4] Laneige is noted by its parent company as one of their first brands to be launched and find popularity outside Korea.[4]
Laneige was introduced in September 1994, with a skin care collection titled UV Green.[5] Under the campaign "Laneige Protects Women", which emphasises the line's "skin immunity" properties, Laneige selected actress Lee Yoo-ri and talent Kim Si-won to represent the brand. Despite its success, Laneige found that contrary to its image, consumers perceived the brand to be slightly mature.[5] In July 1995, actress Kim Ji-ho became the third face of Laneige. The brand reached a milestone of 100 billion KRW in sales by 1996.[6][7] Their further campaigns include "Women Who Live Like a Movie" with models Shin Joo-ri, Lee Hye-sang and Chae Rim, both notable figures during the 1997 Asian financial crisis.[5]
A mid-1999 campaign with the slogan "Everyday New Face", accompanied by actress Lee Na-young, reenergized sales for Laneige; by 2002, the brand was number one on AC Nielsen's Brand Power Index.[7][5] In 2002, Laneige expanded into the greater Asian market with its first international stores in Hong Kong and Shanghai.[8] After opening over 200 stores in eight Asian countries, Laneige entered Europe by opening its first store in Moscow, Russia.[9]
The brand then launched its first cosmetics line in 2007,[8] and began targeting male consumers with Laneige Homme that same year.[2]
In September 2017, Laneige partnered with cosmetics retailer Sephora to relaunch its brand in the United States, with the exclusive debut of its Lip Sleeping Mask.[10] The brand was previously available at American retailer Target from 2014 to 2015, and its offerings have been stocked by Sephora Canada since September 2015.[11][12]
Laneige redirected its focus to its "moisturizing skincare portfolio" and underwent its first rebrand in five years, introducing a new logo and "Luminous Beauty" concept in early 2019.[13] Sephora's European outlets began to carry the brand in April 2019.[14]
^Herald, The Korea (September 19, 2017). "Laneige enters US Sephora". www.koreaherald.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
^Kim, Sang-il(김상일) (November 12, 2018). "화장품업계 비건화장품에 주목하다" [Focus on vegan cosmetics in the cosmetics industry]. Uihak-sinmun. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
^Kang Tae-hee (December 27, 2017). "라네즈, 브랜드 모델로 배우 김유정 발탁" [Laneige selects actress Kim Yoo-jung as brand model]. Global Economic Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.