May 1, 2017

Meet Leah Kim of Choc Choc Cosmetics in Lincoln Park and Lake View Area

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Kim.

Leah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I first came to the States to study, my American friends were amazed and intrigued by my Korean skincare. For them, it was something they had never seen before as American beauty focus more on makeup than skincare. This experience just sat in my mind until my then-fiancé, Steve, was looking for a new business idea. I immediately told him about my idea: to introduce Korean skincare to America. Liking the idea, he encouraged me to research further about Korean skincare. Upon hours of studying, I found out that Korean skincare was affordable, yet was made of natural, high-quality ingredients that would exceed existing skincare in the States. We opened our business in the November of 2015, and coincidentally, this was when the K-Beauty boom erupted. Stores like Ulta and Sephora and even department stores started to carry K-Beauty products. But what makes Choc Choc unique, is our ability to communicate directly with our customers and recommend products that are perfect to them. Also, customers are able to test out the products in person. We don’t want to only sell our products, but we strive to make our customers be confident about their skin. We think of customers more as friends that we really want to help out. At Choc Choc, we are confident that we will help you guide your way through finding that perfect skincare routine for you.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A big challenge as a local business is to get the word out about our store. Though we can get Facebook advertisements and put up posters, it is not enough to get people interested about K-Beauty. Another struggle is to catch up with current trends in Korea. K-Beauty trends are constantly changing, and it can be hard sometimes to be up to speed with them. However, we are still the fastest ones to keep up with the trend, thanks to our friends in Korea and also I am constantly on the lookout for the most popular items in Korea currently.

Choc Choc Cosmetics – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We specialize in K-Beauty and recommending products to customers. K-Beauty is known for its 10-Step skincare routine. Because of this, it is highly customizable. We help the customers create their perfect skincare routine. We are proud of our interactions with our customers and the high regard that our customers give us.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I am most proud when I can witness the change in their skin, and also their life as well. Our company slogan is: Add 2% More Moisture to Your Life. We are happiest when we can see this in their skin and their lives as well.

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