In September, a pop-up store selling K-beauty products appeared in the heart of Milano Centrale railway station in Italy. The pale pink sign displayed the name “Yepoda,” meaning “pretty” in Korean, with the Korean word “예쁘다” written in Hangeul underneath. Earlier that month, Italy’s leading daily newspaper, La Repubblica, highlighted the global K-beauty craze, citing the Yepoda pop-up store as an example.
At first glance, Yepoda might seem like just one of many K-beauty brands selling Korean cosmetics. However, there is a surprising twist behind this brand. Yepoda was not created by Koreans in Korea, but was founded in 2020 by a Korean-German couple with the goal to bring K-Beauty to Europe. The connection to Korea is that one of the founders, Sander Joonyoung Byun van Bladel, is of Korean descent.
The other co-founder, Veronika Strotmann, worked alongside Sander Joonyoung at a startup in Berlin in 2015. Together, they launched Yepoda, which has since expanded into Germany, Italy, and even Paris, the heart of the beauty industry, spreading the word about K-beauty. Below is a Q&A with the two co-founders, Sander Joonyoung and Veronika.
What motivated you to establish Yepoda?
Sander Joonyoung Byun van Bladel: “The idea for Yepoda came from a personal place. I grew up in the Netherlands with my Korean mother and Dutch father but frequently traveled to Korea to visit my family. Over the years, I noticed a growing curiosity among my European friends about K-Beauty products. They were so intrigued by K-Beauty that I often found myself bringing back suitcases full of products for them.
That’s when I started to realize how different the beauty landscape in Korea is compared to Europe. There is a wide variety of products with a strong focus on skincare, which was largely missing in Europe. I also felt proud that K-beauty was gaining recognition internationally. Eventually, I thought, why just bring products back in suitcases? Why not create a way to truly bring the essence of K-Beauty to Europe? That’s how Yepoda was born, and we launched the brand in April 2020.”
Veronika Strotmann: “We met in 2015 while working together at a fashion startup in Berlin, and from there, we started dating. I visited Korea for the first time in 2017 and have returned often since to meet Sander’s family. During these visits, I naturally became interested in K-beauty. Experiencing the Korean beauty industry firsthand helped solidify the idea for Yepoda. When we were working at the startup, there were elements we considered crucial for building a brand. We wanted to incorporate these elements into Yepoda, and that’s when we decided to create the brand together.”
What are the defining characteristics of K-Beauty?
Sander Joonyoung: “When comparing K-Beauty routines and the Western approach to skincare, one big difference is that K-Beauty focuses on prevention over repair. It emphasizes building an effective routine with dedicated steps tailored to address specific skin concerns. It aims to maintain healthy, glowing skin over the long term rather than simply reacting to issues as they arise.
K-Beauty is renowned for its focus on high-quality ingredients that prioritize skin health. Many K-Beauty products feature naturally derived components, and our brand embraces this philosophy by using natural ingredients like willow bark extract. The brand was founded to embody these core strengths of K-Beauty.”
How does Yepoda stand out from other K-Beauty brands?
Veronika Strotmann: “When we founded Yepoda, we built the brand around five core pillars: K-Beauty, Clean Beauty, Sustainability, Effectiveness, and Fun. All our products are thoughtfully crafted—they’re 100% vegan, cruelty-free, and packaged in sustainable materials that reduce single-use plastic, aligning with values that strongly appeal to Western consumers.
Our ‘Fun’ pillar highlights our belief that skincare should be enjoyable. We aim to make routines something people genuinely look forward to every day. By offering clear instructions and simple steps, we strive to make the K-Beauty experience both accessible and delightful for everyone. These principles are perfectly summed up in our brand claim: ‘K-Beauty for you. No compromises.’”
Can you share some of Yepoda’s business achievements over the past four years?
Veronika Strotmann: “We started as a two-person team and have grown to a company of around 80 members over the past 4.5 years. So far, we’ve served over 800,000 customers, with a steadily increasing repurchase rate. Customers especially value the simplicity and user-friendly design of our products.
Our online presence has expanded significantly, with our community now reaching about 1 million followers. While our operations are primarily online, we’ve also launched four pop-up stores across Europe—one in Paris, two in Milan, and one in Rome. These stores offer a unique, experience-driven retail concept, featuring innovations like AI skin analyzers, which are new to many European customers and have been exceptionally well-received.”
Did Yepoda secure funding during and after its founding?
Sander Joonyoung: “Yes, we initially received support from angel investors and later secured Series A funding, led by JamJar Investments. We also brought on Chris Good, former Estée Lauder Group President, as both an investor and advisor. Additionally, we gained backing from global investment fund V3 Ventures and German venture capital firm Slingshot Ventures. These investments have been instrumental in expanding our market presence, diversifying our product lineup, launching impactful marketing campaigns, and opening offline stores.”
What is Yepoda’s ultimate goal?
Sander Joonyoung: “Our ultimate goal is to establish Yepoda as a global beauty brand. While Europe remains our primary market, we’ve seen increasing interest from other regions and are actively exploring opportunities to expand internationally. We aim to bring our effective, sustainable K-Beauty products to a wider audience. By staying attuned to customer feedback and continuously innovating, we strive to build a brand rooted in consumer trust and driven by innovation.”
