Japan’s SK-II lands on Coupang’s Rocket Luxury platform in South Korea

12 Aug 2024 --- Leading South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang adds premium Japanese skin care brand SK-II to its Rocket Luxury platform. This move expands Coupang’s selection of high-end beauty products and caters to the growing demand for luxurious skin care experiences in the country.

SK-II spotlights its proprietary ingredient, Pitera, a yeast fermentation extract. Its best-selling product, the Pitera Essence, boasts a concentration of over 90% Pitera and promises noticeable results.

To mark the SK-II launch, Coupang held a promotion, which included various benefits such as lucky boxes, free samples with every purchase of Pitera Essence, SkinPower Advanced Cream, GenOptics Ultraura Essence and cash rewards.

Lucky box freebies include Clear Lotion (30 ml) and a sheet mask for purchases exceeding KRW 400,000 (US$291.79). Higher purchase tiers unlock more gifts, including the iconic Pitera Essence and Skinpower Advanced Cream. All freebies will ship out starting mid-September. 

“We’re thrilled to expand our Rocket Luxury offerings with SK-II,” says a Coupang official. “This addition reflects our commitment to introduce world-class premium brands that cater to the evolving needs of our customers.”

SK-II builds on 22 premium cosmetics brands currently available on Rocket Luxury. These include Estée Lauder, L’Occitane, Sulwhasoo and Darphin.

Coupang launched its Rocket Luxury service in 2023 to expand its premium beauty businesses, where its brands were historically staples of physical department stores.

In other global e-commerce advances, Smashbox made its foray into the US Amazon Premium Beauty store last week with its cosmetics portfolio, which includes consumer favorites such as The Original Photo Finish Smooth and Blur Primer.

By Benjamin Ferrer