EAGG meets Maree Kinder, Founder of Beauty & Seoul
- Eileen Wada Willett
- 21 minutes ago
- 5 min read
How thrilled are we to be speaking with Maree? Maree is a multi award-winning entrepreneur listed as 35 under 35 Women in Business by Management Today. She is also the Founder of Beauty & Seoul, the first online store curating South Korea's best skincare brands to Europe, founded in 2016 and an EAGG all-time favourite. Maree has been featured in Forbes, Vogue, Glamour, BBC & Refinery29. Her background is in loyalty strategy, CRM and holds a BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science, MSC in International Business and a Diploma in Cosmetic Science & Formulation. Read on to hear the story behind the brand as well as Maree's thoughts on her heritage.
You are the original K-Beauty curator in the UK, tell us about your lightbulb moment and what set you along this path?
Whenever I tell the story about how I started my business nearly 9 years ago, I always say it wasn’t really planned. Back in 2016, I quit my job in marketing and flew to Seoul to embark on a birth family search. I’m originally adopted from South Korea and I’ve always wanted to first and foremost experience living there and soak up the culture. Whilst the search was unsuccessful, as a distraction from the disappointment, I used my time there to start a blog, reviewing Korean skincare products. Then I thought “I wish I could get these products back in the UK.” So my husband and I used the remainder of our time there to meet with brands, do the paperwork and set up the website - Beauty & Seoul was born!
Beauty & Seoul is as much about caring ourselves holistically, as about enhancing beauty. What is your take on what we can all do to help improve our whole selves on a daily basis?
I always preach that skincare can be a form of self care. For me, it’s not really about achieving that perfect complexion. It’s really about taking ten minutes at the start and end of each day to do something for myself. I love the ritual of it.
Many people often say to me “I don’t have time for 10 steps!” But that’s not what K-Beauty is about. I’m a toddler mum who runs her own business, I definitely don’t have time for an elaborate routine! K-Beauty is about finding out what works for your skin and using the right ingredients to cater for your skin’s needs - in that moment. It really only takes a few minutes a day, but my little skincare ritual has served as so much more for me. My business, Beauty & Seoul, was born from a tough time. In Seoul, after learning a birth family reunion wasn’t going to happen, my blog served as a distraction. So in a way, skincare has always been my tie to South Korea and a reminder that good things can grow out of the hardest of times. It’s not just about looking after what’s on the outside, it’s about slowing down and doing something that feels good, for you. Aside from that, having my daughter has really taught me a lot and realigned my priorities. I need to feel good mentally and physically for myself, but also for her. I journal, practice gratitude, move my body, drink my electrolytes, take my collagen. These tiny habits all help my physical and mental wellbeing.
As a someone of East Asian heritage, who is also as an adoptee, what can you tell us about your experience growing up, living and working in the UK and how it has changed in your lifetime? In which ways do you think your young daughter’s experience might be different?
I really didn’t lean in to my Korean heritage until my 20s, in fact, I really hated it growing up. As an adoptee, I look nothing like my white British and Dutch parents. So in an effort to “fit in” and be “accepted”, I always tried to avoid the question where I was “originally from”. It wasn’t until my early 20s, I became curious about my motherland and dived head first into it. I learnt to cook Korean, took Korean language lessons, watched the dramas. It was as if I was making up for lost time and I really struggled with the guilt of having denied that part of my heritage for a large part of my life. Since that moment in my 20s, I proudly introduce myself as British Korean. Of course these days, that’s met with “I love BTS!”, or “I love K-dramas!” But back in the 00s, I would receive a lot of ignorant comments that were tough to receive. I didn’t quite feel fully English, but didn’t feel Korean either. My daughter will find it different, I hope. She is mixed but still has Korean traits about her that I love to see - she is the only blood relative I know so seeing part of my features in her is somewhat healing. We celebrate Chuseok and Seollal, she wears her hanbok and loves japchae. And there is nothing that gives me more joy than to see that. I hope she will grow up proud of her heritage.
What does the Year of the Fire Horse mean for both you and Beauty & Seoul?
The two are linked for me. Since having my daughter in 2024, my life has definitely changed. I had to learn to let go of control, live more in the moment, and experience a slower pace of life. Whilst this was necessary at the time to give myself peace and space postpartum, I’m now at the point where I want to gain that momentum back, both for myself and my business. So this Year of the Fire Horse is all about finding my rhythm again!
As someone with a background in Biomedical Science and a Diploma in Cosmetic Science, what are your top tips for getting the best out of the many K-Beauty skin care and beauty products that now are on offer?
Know your skin type - that way you can choose the right products for your skin. No point in over exfoliating if your skin is dry and sensitive.
Understand that what works for someone else’s skin type, may not work for you. I see so many reels starting with “you HAVE to try this product.” May not be true! Similar to the point above, just because someone raves about a product, doesn’t mean it might be right for you. Knowing your skin type will help understand if it will.
Use SPF - I think my friends are sick and tired of me preaching this all the time, even in winter, even when we’re indoors, even when it’s raining. Your future self will thank you! K-Beauty SPFs are the best in the world, their formulations are elegant and slick and not the thick, goopy SPFs people might have in mind.
Don’t expect results right away - give 8 weeks for a new product to work and for your skin to get used to it, especially for actives such as retinol or vitamin c.
Continually tweak your routine. Sometimes my skin is dry (winter), sometimes it’s congested (TOTM). Sometimes it needs more moisture (evening, during flights), sometimes it needs less (exercising). Everyone’s skin is different, it may mean exfoliating twice a week works for you, maybe only once. One thing I will say is even if you have oily skin, do not shy away from moisture. Hydration is never a bad thing!
Find out more about Maree and Beauty & Seoul:
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