S Korean cosmetics giant revamps products to target S-E Asia

Seoul

SOUTH Korea's biggest cosmetics maker is revamping its products to suit Muslims and darker-skinned women in South-east Asia as it tries to make up for business lost because of political tension with China over a missile defence system.

Amorepacific Corp is pushing harder into Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam with a line-up that takes into account skin tones, the region's humidity and the need for Muslim women to wash their faces five times a day before prayers. It marks a significant shift for the Seoul-based company, which generated about 90 per cent of its revenue last year in South Korea and China - where many women are fairer-skinned and the weather more variable.