Kolmar Korea Appoints Global Experts to Further North American Presence

Kolmar Korea is expediting its global expansion by appointing experts in the global cosmetics industry to its North American subsidiary.

With a plan to build its second US plant early next year, the company has appointed a new head for its North American operations and a global chief commercial officer (GCCO). The company has also set up a strategic framework that integrates production, sales and R&D to better penetrate the local market. This plan includes creating an R&D team for North America and appointing a new manager.

The Hires

President Yongchul Hur will serve as CEO of Kolmar Laboratories and Kolmar USA, its North American subsidiaries. Philippe Warnery has been appointed GCCO; George Rivera will serve as chief science officer of the North American subsidiary; and Managing Director Inki Park is head of the R&D Center for North America, responsible for bridging the Korean and North American markets.

Hur brings a wealth of experience in the global ODM business, having overseen production of Kolmar Korea’s skincare and makeup products. He has previously served as president of Kolmar Beijing and Kolmar Wuxi, driving significant growth in Kolmar’s Chinese operations. Prior to his tenure at Kolmar Korea, he held prominent positions in the cosmetics manufacturing industry, including factory manager at Amore Pacific and CEO of Cosvision.

Warnery is an expert in the global cosmetics market. His prior roles include CEO of Intercos North America, an Italian cosmetics ODM and president of the UK & Ireland region and general manager of the Canadian Affiliate at Estée Lauder. With 25 years of experience in the global cosmetics industry, spanning both brand companies and ODM companies, his extensive network is a key competitive advantage. Warnery aims to focus on securing significant sales from major global brands as well as indie brands and recruiting influencers that are gaining popularity worldwide.

Rivera is an expert with over 20 years of R&D experience at global cosmetics companies such as L’Oréal USA and Intercos. Most recently, he led process and technology innovation as president of Kolmar USA. CSO Rivera, in collaboration with Inki Park, head of the North American R&D Center, plans to concentrate on research and development tailored to the local market’s needs.

Center Head Park, a research expert with 18 years of experience, is responsible for adapting core technologies developed at the Kolmar R&D Complex, the Kolmar Group’s global R&D hub located in South Korea, to the local market. Utilizing data accumulated at the Complex, including color, formulation and scent, Park’s team will analyze the needs of overseas markets and focus on developing customized formulations.

Kolmar Korea intends to leverage these hires to maximize the operational capacity of its North American production facilities, including the first US plant and the second plant under construction. The company said it aims to achieve $100 million in sales in the next five years. To this end, it plans to aggressively expand its sales network not only in North America but also in Central and South America. Moreover, with the rising popularity of K-beauty in the US market through global distribution channels such as Amazon, the company plans to actively promote ODM sales that emphasize market accessibility and logistics efficiency for small and medium-sized Korean indie brands seeking entry into the US market.

Kolmar Korea has acquired Kolmar USA (formerly PTP) and Kolmar Canada (formerly CSR) in 2016 preemptively establishing a foundation for global expansion. In 2022, Kolmar Korea acquired 100% of the Kolmar brand trademark rights, securing exclusive rights to the brand and enabling unrestricted business operations in the US and global markets.

The company is expanding its sales network with the recent opening of the Kolmar Innovation Center in New Jersey.