Skincare and grooming has become as big a deal in our current day and age as our love for good food. As we pass those images of glamorous models flaunting perfect skin and swoon over our idols on TV, many of us have undoubtedly wondered how they achieve it – and (more often than not) the brands behind such wonderful skin. One of which, is the multi award-winning Sigi Skin.
We speak to Xenia Wong, the young founder of the brand, to find out more about her inspiration and what it takes to help so many of us achieve the skin of our dreams.
We understand that your foray into the skincare and beauty was inspired by your personal journey. Could you share more about how you founded your own brand?
It all started when I was in Seoul pursuing a beauty course with Jung Saem Mool. While I was there, I realised that the beautiful, glowing skin that I was used to seeing on TV was not achievable with make-up alone. After many attempts, I learnt that beautiful skin essentially starts with skincare.
Most beauty companies plan multiple launches a year to keep things fresh, and to maintain hype and momentum for their brand. However, we really wanted to release a product that truly is a game-changer and makes a difference on the market. Hence, we only have about a total of 10 products now as we take an average of 2 years to launch a product we’re satisfied with.
The hard work that goes into testing countless lab samples and to ensure that packaging is both pretty and hygienic is totally worth it when we come across customers who let us know about the difference they’ve experienced when applying our products.
Starting your own brand is by no means easy – what was the point in your life when you decided to really take the leap?
I have always been interested in make-up and skincare since I was young, so it was a natural transition in my life.
For aspiring entrepreneurs in the current climate, how would you advise them to start?
There will never be a perfect time to start; just go for it.
Being a relatively young founder, what are some of your biggest hurdles managing the brand?
It took about 2 years for Sigi Skin to launch. A lot of R&D was involved, and we only started with 3 products. Throughout the process, other challenges were of course in the way as well, especially when trying to get business partners and suppliers to take me seriously since I was much younger than most skincare business owners.
Sourcing for an R&D lab that understands your vision, willing to listen, and tries their best to formulate the envisioned product is another issue. I spoke to over 20 labs, and most of them tried to pass me ready-made formulas that they were producing for larger, more established brands.
Thankfully there were a few labs that we’re able to align with Sigi Skin’s brand vision, creating products with a difference that actually benefit your skin’s health.
With your insight and experience, could you share more with our readers about which areas of our skincare routine we should pay more attention to?
Sunscreen for sure! In my opinion, sunscreen is the most important product. At Sigi Skin, we actually went through about 30 lab samples over 2 years to finally perfect the formula and texture of our multi-award winning Morning Glow Physical Sunscreen – we wanted to also make it a joy to apply sunscreen.
How does your team determine which superfood ingredients to use for your formulas?
It requires a long discussion with the labs on what are the best superfood to pair with the clinically-proven actives that’re chosen for each formula. For example, with Youth Beam, we chose reishi, chaga, and snow mushrooms to pair with pre-, pro-, and postbiotics as they have the best synergistic properties to help improve microbiome and skin elasticity.
Sigi Skin is about helping your consumers receive the best fuss-free skincare – could you explain a little more about how your brand is simplifying our skincare concerns and routines?
We always try our best to combine the best of superfoods and clinically-proven actives into each product category. For instance, our Idyllic Fields Day Time Moisturiser contains 71.9% oats to really help soothe and protect the skin. Not only is it waterless, it also contains polyglutamic acid to deeply hydrate your skin, and has a lightweight texture as a daytime moisturiser to sit perfectly underneath make-up.
You’ve mentioned how the Korean beauty industry inspired you. Is there something we can learn from them that you’ve always stood by, whether for Sigi Skin or in your personal skincare routine?
Definitely the importance of using an essence to prep your skin for the best skincare absorption. This is also why Sigi Skin did not launch a toner, but a waterless essence instead – our Dew Potion helps to prep and nourish the skin. Essence can replace toners and usually gives our skin more nutrition than a regular toner.
To find out more about Sigi Skin and their range of specially formulated products, head over to their website here.
