AMUSE Bets on "Serum Dough" — and Spins Off a Beauty Brand That Launches in Drops

Korean makeup brand AMUSE says its fall launches are already selling out. In an Oct. 6 release published on the Shinsegae Group newsroom, the brand said its new Nu Serum Volume Glow-Up Cushion, launched Sept. 30, hit No. 1 in Olive Young's overall sales ranking right after release.

The selling point is texture. AMUSE says it developed what it calls the world's first "serum dough" formula with cosmetics manufacturer Cosmax. The product is a soft balm loaded with serum, pushed through a domed mesh. According to the company, this combines the smooth density of a balm cushion with the light feel of a mesh cushion. The balm is made with oils and no wax. AMUSE says the formula contains 79% hydrating essence ingredients, including anemarrhena root extract and peptides, and 78% naturally derived ingredients. It comes in five shades: Fair, Porcelain, Vanilla, Natural and Medium.

The cushion follows the Dew Serum Liquid Blush, released in late August for what AMUSE calls an "anti-blusher" trend: color that looks like you aren't wearing blush at all. The brand says every shade sold out on day one at Olive Young, and the "Oat Mocha" shade went into its 13th restock at Olive Young within a month. The blush uses a 65% hydrating serum formula with 2% niacinamide. Both products contain AMUSE's in-house vegan ingredient complex, goGlow, which combines peptides, plant-based PDRN, ceramides, ectoin and plant mucin.

The more interesting development may be what AMUSE did next. On Oct. 8, Korean outlet Electronic Times (etnews) reported that AMUSE Korea had launched its first sister brand, Rawdew (로듀), whose name combines "raw" and "dew." Rawdew will not release a full product line at once. Instead, it will put out new products one at a time in a "drop" model, with each release changing color, texture, format or design. The first drop is the Vita Butter Lip Balm in eight shades: Pure Dew, Guava, Oat, Peach, Soy Milk, Blueberry, Fig and Pomegranate. Each shade is built on vitamins C, E and B5 plus shea butter, with an added ingredient such as panthenol, niacinamide, PDRN, ceramide, cica, peptides or hyaluronic acid. Each balm holds 6g, about twice a typical lip balm, according to the report.

Rawdew launches first on AMUSE's official online store before expanding to the fashion platform Zigzag and the convenience-store chain emart24.