Mimitime debuts in US with collagen jelly snack fusing K-beauty and K-food

A collagen-infused konjac jelly brand, Mimitime, has debuted to bring the Korean beauty snack format to the US. The functional snack launch represents the increasing category convergence of beauty and food and the growing influence of K-beauty practices. 

The new solution is made from the konjac plant, a tuberous root vegetable native to Asia. The jelly is a low-calorie, fiber-based snack that touts a soft, gel-like texture. Mimitime also features 1,500 mg of marine collagen per pouch. It was developed over two years with Korean suppliers.

Mimitime was formed by Cocokind’s founder, Priscilla Tsai, and beauty creator, Ava Lee (Glow With Ava). The company’s founders identified an opportunity to introduce a format already established in Korean and Asian markets to US consumers.

“It’s a product obsession that we had that does not really exist here [in the US], in the capacity that we think it could be,” Tsai told Women’s Wear Daily (WWD). “Most Americans don’t know what konjac jelly or Korean jelly snacks are, so we felt like it was such perfect timing.”

Mimitime’s creation demonstrates how emerging brands are venturing away from traditional cosmetic product launches and focusing on new formats. 

Beauty-from-within boom

Mimitime will be positioned within Target’s beauty ingestibles category. Target has committed to more than doubling Mimitime’s footprint in January 2027. Both moves show Target’s increasing investment in beauty-from-within products. 

“Our guests are increasingly looking for innovative beauty products that become part of their everyday wellness routines while helping them achieve healthy, radiant skin,” Amanda Nusz, SVP of merchandising, essentials, and beauty at Target, said in a statement. “As beauty and wellness continue to converge, bringing Mimitime exclusively to Target reflects our commitment to introducing guests to emerging beauty trends and giving them access to what’s next.”Mimitime brings the Korean konjac jelly format to US beauty shoppers. 

Mimitime’s debut features four flavors: strawberry, peach, grape, and apple. Each pouch contains 30 calories, three grams of sugar, and 1,500 mg of marine collagen. 

Marine collagen was chosen over other formats, such as animal, due to its bioavailability, according to the founders. The marine collagen is intended to support skin hydration, firmness, and elasticity with regular consumption.

K-food/beauty to US 

The product’s format is not new, but it is with mainstream US shoppers. Konjac jelly is already a fixture of Korean convenience stores and everyday snacking, sold as a cheap, low-calorie treat. Mimitime is betting that the interest in the format travels. 

“[We started Mimitime]... because we both are obsessed with Asian konjac jelly snacks and always felt like there was an opportunity to bring a version to the US,” wrote Lee on her blog.

“Mimitime is your daily K-beauty snack… If you’ve had them in Asia, you know the appeal: juicy, chewy, weirdly satisfying. We kept coming back to the same thought… We wanted ours to keep everything we loved, but skip the sugar alcohols (and that lingering aftertaste), while adding even more beauty functionality with marine collagen.”The brand debuts in strawberry, peach, grape, and apple. 

Lee and Tsai developed Mimitime for over two years with Korean suppliers to refine the product’s texture and flavors. The product uses organic brown sugar instead of the sugar alcohols found in some existing konjac products. This choice was made by the founders to create a more approachable taste for American consumers while keeping a low sugar content.

The new brand expects to generate over US$1 million in sales during its first four-and-a-half months. Looking ahead, the founders see konjac jelly as an entry point to a broader functional-snacking business.

“We want to build and define the functional snack market for the next generation,” said Lee to WWD. “We’re doing konjac jelly and collagen, but I feel like this is just the beginning.”