Innisfree products have been a hit in Chennai long before the brand’s first store opened shop in Phoenix MarketCity last week. Known to put green tea in everything from foam cleansers to foundation — the Korean naturalism brand has had a strong following world over ever since they first started over a decade ago in 2000. The evident fanfare from the swarming crowds at the 599 sq foot flagship store on launch day is an indicator as to why “the Indian market is the only one in the world to have its own kajal line,” says DoYoul Lee, Country Head, Innisfree India. He adds, “There are four new shades slated to release in October.”
This is apart from a spree of other new products expected to drop in the coming months — including 30 shades of Liquid Foundation, a line of Derma Care and an all-new City Defender range of water-based and foam cleansers to fight pollution. These are all made at their manufacturing unit on the Jeju island, known to have mineral reserves with deep healing properties — due to a volcanic eruption that occurred some 5,000 years ago. So it comes as no surprise that their Jeju Volcanic Color Clay Masks (currently only available online) are already a raging success. “This will be available in our offline stores by July,” says Brand Manager Mini Sood Banerjee.
Other natural ingredients from Jeju that you can expect to find in their products are orchid, lava sea water and bija — apart from the sweeping 167 hectares of green tea farmland on the island. Currently, there are 392 options on the shelf covering skincare, fragrances, makeup and hair, as well as a men’s range with a No Sebum Sunblock, all-in-one-cream and deep cleansing foam. Lee adds, “To give our customers a sense of newness, Innisfree follows a 30 per cent in and out principle every year.” After stores in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Mumbai and Pune, “This is our 10th store in India and the first store in Chennai, we are extremely excited about it,” says Lee. With a second store planned for Chennai next month and expansion to Bengaluru and Kolkata in the pipeline, he says, “Expect 30 stores in India by the end of 2020.”
Products priced between Rs 800 to Rs 4,500.