Founder

My Journey to K-Beauty 

After years of worsening pimples, I was diagnosed with severe cystic acne at the age of 14. What followed was 3 more years of trauma, punctuated by countless visits to the dermatologist, being prescribed increasingly harsh medications and topical treatments to blast every last ounce of sebum from my pores.

At home, my skin care products dried out my skin until it cracked and bled. 

By the time my acne finally "cleared" I was left with severe scarring and the trauma of feeling as though my skin defined my entire worth as a person. 

Moving to Korea 

My attempts to treat my acne drained my bank account, ruined my relationship with my skin and left me feeling embarrassed about the skincare products I had to use.   

This all changed when I moved to Korea in 2011 for the final semester of my law degree.  

I stumbled across Korean beauty products and it is no exaggeration to say that they changed my life. Learning that skincare could be fun and that there were people who took pride in caring for their skin with beautiful products was transformative. 

Upon my return from Korea, I set up Australia's first online K-Beauty store, STYLE STORY.

In 2016, I was invited back to Seoul and became the 7th Australian to be registered as a Foreign Legal Consultant in Korea.

 

Going "All In" on Korea 

In 2018, I decided to go "all in" on Korea and my K-Beauty businesses. I learnt the Korean language to qualify for residency, quit my job and started a second business, in Korea. 

Since then, I have lived and breathed all things K-Beauty. 

I started a podcast, the Korean Beauty Show, was invited to be the guest K-Beauty expert on Korean radio station TBS eFM and have been lucky enough to work with some of the best in the industry, from manufacturers, to chemists, packaging companies, designers and distributors. 

Starting Jelly Ko 

In 2020, after almost a decade in the industry, I finally felt the time was right to start my own K-Beauty brand. 

By that time I'd noticed a growing trend - brands were starting to lose focus, along with much of what had made them special to start with. Their distinctive logos, eye-catching packaging, founder stories and core products were disappearing.

Instead, they were being replaced by thousands of the same product again and again.

"Blanding", greenwashing and constant product discontinuations were taking over the industry as brands attempted to "hack" the algorithm or ride the latest trend.

At the same time, consumers were feeling the overwhelm with 12 Step K-Beauty routines and an endless stampede of new products. 

My Goal 

I never want anyone to have the experience I did with acne as a teenager. For me, skincare was a chore and something I "had" to do because I had bad skin.

With my collection, I wanted to put the "fun" back in functional skincare. You can have beautiful products that care for your skin at affordable prices. You should have products you look forward to using in your routine.

Jelly Ko guarantees the results that Korean beauty is world-famous for, without the confusion of multi-step routines. Instead, all of our products are multi-functional, simple and intuitive to use. 

Given my first-hand experience with over-exfoliation and skin damage, our formulas are the antidote to this. Instead of harsh actives, we formulate to nourish, hydrate, plump and restore. We boost the skin with scientifically proven ingredients.

You deserve to treat your skin. 

I hope you will enjoy using our products as much as we have enjoyed making them for you. 

Lauren X