Vietnamese Beauty Brand Debuts in US

Watch out, K-beauty; cosmetics brands from another Southeast Asian country are also eyeing opening brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S.  Exhibit A: Hasaki, based in Ho Chi Minh City, which looks to be the first Vietnamese beauty brand to open stores in America. Hasaki worked with broker CBRE to sign leases for its first two stores in the U.S., both in California, the  Los Angeles Times reports.

The initial Hasaki is a 7000-square-foot retail space at the Cudahy Plaza, which is about a dozen miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, the Times reports. A second, similar-sized store is slated to open late this year in Anaheim’s Magnolia Square, and as many as eight more could be in the offing. In its home country, Hasaki has about 300 stores.

According to an internet news search, variety no other Vietnamese brands have yet to open stores in America, but the potential is there for such online-only brands as vegan skincare brand Cocoon (also based in Ho Chi Minh City) to follow suit.

A video produced by Vietnam Today, notes that cosmetics brands from that country “are rapidly making their mark by combining indigenous natural ingredients such as coffee, turmeric, rice, and green tea with cutting-edge science. Competing directly with long-dominant global giants, local skincare products offer high quality at accessible prices, signaling a dynamic shift in the domestic and international beauty market.”

Any Vietnamese brands setting up shop in the U.S. would join a variety of Korean-based brands making inroads into the domestic market, led by Olive Young.