From a boutique spa, skincare brand Ice’s Secret breaks out into e-commerce

AFTER struggling with sensitive skin, Icemichelle Chen left her accounting career to start Supreme Boutique Spa in 1999. She soon realised that what matters for skincare are not just spa treatments, but the products used – and many products on the market were not made for South-east Asian skin.

That was around the time that the South Korean pop-culture wave hit and the country’s beauty products began gaining popularity, said Quinn Chen, Icemichelle’s daughter and managing director of Ice’s Secret. Japanese beauty products were also on the rise, joining a market previously dominated by US and European brands.

“They’re all countries with four seasons,” noted Quinn. But the South-east Asian climate is very different, with more humidity, which affects skin, she added.