The brand’s current philosophy is summarised as “Respect Your Sensitivity.” Klairs states its products are designed for everyday use and that its formulas avoid artificial fragrance and unnecessary irritants.

2010 — Foundation

Dear, Klairs was launched in Korea in 2010, initially establishing itself around a relatively straightforward proposition: skincare should be effective without being unnecessarily complicated. Rather than positioning itself around aggressive treatments or constantly changing beauty trends, Klairs focused on basic skincare for sensitive skin, covering cleansing, hydration, soothing and maintaining the skin’s condition.3

The company’s philosophy was eventually expressed through the phrase “Simple but enough,” which became one of the defining ideas behind the brand.

Early growth

Klairs built its reputation largely through skincare communities, customer reviews and word-of-mouth rather than relying heavily on conventional celebrity-driven marketing. The brand has emphasised that customer satisfaction and recommendations were important to its growth.4 Its relationship with Wishtrend and Wishcompany was particularly significant for its international expansion. Wishcompany lists Dear Klairs among its major beauty brands and operates the Wishtrend global beauty ecosystem.5

International expansion

Klairs gradually became one of the recognisable names associated with modern K-beauty, particularly among consumers looking for minimalist, barrier-conscious and sensitive-skin-friendly products. By 2022, Klairs reported that its products were being sold through major international channels including Amazon, iHerb and YesStyle, stating it had reached consumers across dozens of countries.6

Current business materials report over 17 million bottles sold worldwide and distribution in more than 40 countries, with figures stated as cumulative through 2025.7

Klairs’ identity is defined by four core concepts.

Be Essential

Klairs does not aim to make skincare complicated simply for the sake of having more products. The brand focuses on products that are essential to customers rather than chasing every beauty trend, with the objective of creating products that people actually finish and repurchase.8 This is the meaning behind “Simple but enough.” In practice, this translates into routines centred around cleansing, preparing or hydrating, treating and moisturising, rather than requiring consumers to use a large number of specialised products.

Respect sensitive skin

Sensitive skin is at the centre of the brand. Klairs describes itself as beginning with “a deep respect for sensitive skin” and states that its formulas are developed for everyday use. The current brand philosophy emphasises removing unnecessary ingredients and restoring skin balance.9 The concept is that skincare should work with the skin rather than overwhelm it, making Klairs particularly recognisable within the sensitive-skin segment of K-beauty.

Sustainability

Sustainability is a longstanding part of Klairs’ identity. The brand lists “Be more Sustainable” among its core values and notes that sustainability extends beyond ingredients to packaging and shipping practices.10 Initiatives have included recycling and reuse of cosmetic packaging, such as the “USE WELL, RE-USE WELL” empty-bottle collection campaign.

Coexistence with animals

Klairs has positioned itself as a cruelty-free brand since its foundation in 2010. The company explicitly states that it has not tested its products on animals since its establishment and describes animal welfare as part of its broader philosophy of coexistence.11 While cruelty-free concerns animal testing, vegan status concerns animal-derived ingredients. Klairs currently describes its formulas as vegan and identifies products that have obtained certifications such as The Vegan Society or Korean vegan certification.12

Klairs occupies a specific position within K-beauty. While much of Korean skincare historically became famous for elaborate multi-step routines, Klairs became associated with a more minimalist approach based on the proposition that consumers need the right products rather than necessarily more products. This results in several distinctive characteristics:

• Sensitive-skin orientation
• Relatively minimalist routines
• Emphasis on hydration and soothing
• Barrier-supportive skincare
• Functional rather than novelty-driven products
• Vegan and cruelty-free positioning
• Relatively accessible pricing
• Strong international K-beauty presence
• Products designed to work as everyday staples

The brand describes this philosophy as “Basic but ultimate” and “Mild but powerful.”13

Klairs’ products historically revolved around fundamental skincare functions:

• Cleansing: Removing makeup, sunscreen, sebum and impurities without excessively stripping the skin.
• Hydration: Maintaining water content and preventing the uncomfortable tightness often associated with dry or sensitive skin.
• Soothing: Helping calm skin that feels irritated, stressed or uncomfortable.
• Barrier care: Supporting the skin barrier rather than repeatedly subjecting it to aggressive treatments.
• Brightening: Using ingredients such as vitamin C and related actives to address dullness and uneven tone.
• Anti-aging and elasticity: Expanding into products targeting firmness and signs of aging, including newer EGF-focused products.

Klairs has evolved beyond being exclusively a “sensitive skin” brand while retaining sensitivity as its central identity. Its current product architecture includes categories for calming and barrier support, hydration, glow, dark spots and uneven tone, and firmness.

Several products have become closely associated with the brand.

Supple Preparation Facial Toner

This is arguably the product most strongly associated with Klairs. The toner helped establish the brand’s reputation for hydrating, gentle skincare. Klairs subsequently introduced an Unscented version for consumers who prefer to avoid fragrance. The product represents the Klairs philosophy of hydration rather than aggressive treatment, uncomplicated daily use, compatibility with sensitive skin and emphasis on skin preparation.

Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop

The Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop is another iconic Klairs product that introduced a vitamin-focused side of the brand while retaining its relatively gentle positioning. Historical brand materials identify the Vitamin Drop alongside the Supple Preparation Toner as one of the brand’s major bestsellers.15 Its role in the portfolio combines hydration with antioxidant and brightening-oriented skincare rather than highly aggressive vitamin C treatments.

Midnight Blue Calming Cream

The Midnight Blue Calming Cream became particularly associated with soothing stressed or irritated-feeling skin and gave the brand its recognisable dark-blue product aesthetic. Klairs identifies this cream as one of its steady sellers alongside the Supple Preparation Toner and Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop.16

Gentle Black Cleansing Oil

The cleansing range includes the Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil and Gentle Black Fresh Cleansing Oil. These fit the brand’s fundamental philosophy of effective cleansing without making the step unnecessarily harsh.

Klairs traditionally emphasises necessary ingredients rather than excessive formulation complexity. Earlier brand materials described products as avoiding unnecessary components such as artificial fragrances, dyes and other potentially irritating ingredients.17 The current philosophy focuses on proven, effective ingredients formulated with sensitive skin in mind. However, “sensitive skin” is not a single medical condition, and individual reactions to ingredients can vary.

Klairs has made animal welfare part of its brand identity since 2010. The company states it has not tested on animals since its founding, identifies itself as cruelty-free, describes its formulas as vegan, and notes that selected products have registrations or certifications from organisations including The Vegan Society and the Korea Agency of Vegan Certification and Services. Certification should be checked at the individual-product level, as not every product carries exactly the same certification.

Dear, Klairs is part of Wishcompany, a Korean beauty company established in 2010. Wishcompany describes itself as a global beauty brand and content company. Its ecosystem includes Dear Klairs, By Wishtrend, Wishtrend and beauty-related content platforms. The company reports a presence in 80 countries, approximately 9,700 online and offline stores, and 10 million owned-channel followers.14 This relationship is significant because Wishcompany combines brand development, e-commerce, content and international distribution rather than functioning solely as a traditional cosmetics manufacturer.

Klairs exemplifies how K-beauty expanded internationally beyond the traditional image of Korean cosmetics. Instead of selling primarily on the basis of Korean beauty trends, Klairs built a globally understandable proposition of gentle skincare for sensitive skin. In 2022, Klairs stated it was performing strongly across channels such as Amazon, iHerb and YesStyle and had reached consumers in 64 countries. Newer corporate materials report distribution in over 40 countries and over 17 million bottles sold cumulatively through 2025.

Klairs’ visual identity follows the same philosophy as its formulation: quiet, clean, understated and functional. Rather than relying heavily on colourful packaging, many best-known products use neutral colours, white or black packaging, restrained typography, simple product names and clinical or apothecary-inspired visual cues. The Midnight Blue line is a notable exception, using dark blue as a recognisable visual identifier. The aesthetic communicates serious skincare without being intimidating.

The brand expanded beyond online and global distribution into physical retail with its first flagship store, Klairs Seoul, located at 44 Nonhyeon-ro 153-gil, Sinsa-dong, Seoul. According to Klairs, the store serves as a space where customers can experience the product range while the brand conducts collaborations, events and lifestyle-oriented community activities.

Klairs’ sustainability philosophy goes beyond labelling products “clean.” The brand highlights eco-conscious packaging, sustainable shipping, recycling initiatives, reusable or recycled cosmetic containers, partnerships with environmentally conscious businesses and reduced emphasis on unnecessary consumption. The “USE WELL, RE-USE WELL” campaign encouraged customers to return empty cosmetic containers for resource-recycling efforts, connecting directly to the brand’s value of “Be more Sustainable.”

These principles appear consistently across Klairs’ historical and current brand materials.13

Klairs has maintained its original identity while expanding its scope:

• Early Klairs: Sensitive skin and minimalist skincare.
• Established Klairs: Sensitive skin, hydration, soothing and vitamin care.
• Current Klairs: Sensitive skin, barrier care, hydration, brightening and firmness or anti-aging.

The newer portfolio includes products built around ingredients and technologies such as EGF, PDRN, vitamins and barrier-supporting formulations, while the overall brand language remains centred on sensitivity and balance.

The current website organises skincare around several major concerns:

• Calm / Barrier: For redness, sensitivity and strengthening the skin barrier.
• Hydrate: For dryness and dehydration.
• Glow: For dull or tired-looking skin.
• Clarify: For dark spots and uneven tone.
• Firm: For early signs of aging, bounce and resilience.

This represents an evolution from the earlier perception of Klairs as simply a “sensitive-skin toner brand.”

Klairs’ success is attributed to several factors:

1. Clear target consumer: Sensitive-skin consumers have an obvious reason to seek the brand.
2. Simple product philosophy: “Simple but enough” contrasts with overly complicated routines.
3. Hero products: The Supple Preparation Toner, Vitamin Drop and Midnight Blue Calming Cream provide recognisable entry points.
4. K-beauty credibility: Its Korean origin places it within the globally popular K-beauty category.
5. Word-of-mouth growth: Historical emphasis on customer reviews and organic recommendations rather than expensive traditional marketing.
6. Ethical positioning: Cruelty-free, vegan and sustainability messaging aligns with modern consumer expectations.
7. International distribution: Wishcompany’s infrastructure helped Klairs reach consumers outside Korea.

The typical Klairs consumer broadly fits the following profile:

• Has sensitive, reactive or easily irritated skin
• Prefers gentle skincare
• Dislikes unnecessarily complicated routines
• Values hydration and skin-barrier care
• Is interested in K-beauty
• Wants effective but relatively approachable products
• May prefer vegan or cruelty-free cosmetics
• Is willing to build a routine around a small number of reliable products

However, Klairs is no longer exclusively a sensitive-skin brand; its current range also covers brightening, pigmentation, hydration and anti-aging concerns.

While K-beauty encompasses thousands of brands with varying philosophies, this comparison highlights Klairs’ distinct positioning.

Strengths

• Strong brand identity: “Sensitive skin + simple but effective skincare” is immediately understandable.
• Hero-product strategy: Products like the Supple Preparation Toner and Midnight Blue Calming Cream offer recognisable entry points.
• Consistency: The brand has maintained its central philosophy since 2010.13
• International accessibility: A substantial global distribution network exists.
• Ethical positioning: Cruelty-free, vegan and sustainability initiatives are integrated into the brand story.
• Approachable K-beauty: Provides an entry point for consumers interested in Korean skincare without a 10-step routine.

Limitations

“Gentle” does not mean “allergy-proof”; sensitive skin can react to individual ingredients, including those considered generally mild. Similarly, vegan or cruelty-free status does not automatically mean a product is medically appropriate for every skin condition. Additionally, because Klairs has expanded considerably, its current portfolio is broader and more active than its older reputation might suggest.

Dear, Klairs is a South Korean skincare brand founded in Seoul in 2010 that built its international reputation around minimalist, gentle and functional skincare for sensitive skin, combining the K-beauty emphasis on skin health with vegan, cruelty-free and sustainability-oriented values. It is best understood as a specialist sensitive-skin K-beauty brand whose competitive advantage is consistency of philosophy: fewer unnecessary steps, carefully selected ingredients, gentle daily use, and products intended to become dependable staples rather than disposable trends.

1. About us – Dear Klairs
2. Meet Dear, Klairs: Our philosophy – Dear, Klairs
3. B2B Inquiry – Dear, Klairs
4. About us – Dear Klairs
5. Dear Klairs | Gentle K-Beauty Skincare for Sensitive Skin – Dear, Klairs
6. Q&A Session: Get to Know Klairs! – Dear Klairs
7. International Women’s Day Edition: Meet Icaria, Mastermind Behind Dear
8. Klairs Cruelty-Free Campaign 2020? Go Cruelty Free: Let Us Be
9. Learn the Brand: Dear Klairs, Simple But Enough
10. About US – Dear, Klairs
11. Dear Klairs | Gentle K-Beauty Skincare for Sensitive Skin – Dear, Klairs
12. Giới thiệu – KLAIRS VIỆT NAM
13. Giới thiệu – KLAIRS VIỆT NAM
14. 위시컴퍼니 | 글로벌 뷰티 브랜드·콘텐츠 기업
15. Dear Klairs | Gentle K-Beauty Skincare for Sensitive Skin – Dear, Klairs
16. DEAR KLAIRS | Brand | Watsons Việt Nam
17. GIỚI THIỆU – KLAIRS VIỆT NAM