IT ALL BEGAN WITH THE CULT-CLASSIC AGE-REVERSING ALL-IN-ONE CONCENTRATE. NOW VENN'S SUPERCHARGED STREAMLINED SKINCARE IS TAKING THE INDUSTRY BY STORM.
Developed by lawyer Brian Oh and his partner, a nuclear physicist, VENN marries the latest innovations in skincare research from South Korea with clean, clinically proven ingredients (including traditional fermented superfoods and powerhouse actives) to streamline daily routines. Learn how VENN is redefining the skincare space with category-defining products with uncompromising efficacy to revolutionize anti-aging repair.
Brand name: VENN
Founder: Brian Oh and Kevin Mun
Date founded: November 2017
What was the first product you developed and why did you create it?
The first product we developed was Age-Reversing All-In-One Concentrate. Before VENN, I worked as a bank finance lawyer in NYC. Although I’ve always been interested in skincare (and back then, I literally owned 90+ skincare products), I always struggled to find time to invest in a meaningful, multi-step skincare routine. I also couldn’t find a streamlined solution that didn’t require compromising on the skin benefits. I basically needed the “iPhone” of skincare – a single product that can effectively meet all of my skin’s needs. When I met my co-founder and learned about his research that focused on creating a powerful “engine” for skincare formulations that can effectively process and deliver multiple actives to the skin for maximum results, I decided to quit practicing law and start my career in skincare. So, VENN was created to combine the best of skincare research and innovation in South Korea with clean, clinically proven ingredients to develop category-defining products that would help streamline skincare routines without compromising on the efficacy. Hence, our first, hero product—Age-Reversing All-In-One Concentrate—is a multi-correctional cream, clinically proven to deliver comprehensive skin benefits, including deeply hydrating the skin, improving skin’s moisture barrier, visibly reducing fine line and wrinkles, improving skin’s firmness and elasticity, brightening, minimizing discoloration, and improving skin’s texture for a smoother and more even complexion.
What was the inspiration for the line?
I learned that there are many innovations and advanced technologies in skincare that don’t ever materialize into products due to their high cost. So, in developing our line, we combined the best of innovations and technologies—notwithstanding their high cost—with clean, clinically proven ingredients to create category-defining products that would re-define K-beauty. Hence, our name VENN, which comes from the word “Venn diagram” in geometry. Each of our products represent an intersection among science, nature and lifestyle.
What is the brand philosophy?
Our mission is to bring together our over 25 years of skincare research and innovation with clean, high-performance ingredients to develop category-defining products that help streamline skincare routines without compromising on the efficacy. Our goal is to challenge the status quo in the skincare industry by offering efficient, streamlined skincare products that replace unnecessary steps and complications in traditional skincare routines with advanced technology and clinically proven results.
What is your bestselling product and why do you think that is?
Our bestselling products are our Age-Reversing All-In-One Concentrate and Vitamin B Activated All-In-One Concentrate. I think people appreciate the efficiency and convenience as well as the results-driven effectiveness of the products.
Advanced Multi-Perfecting Red Oil Serum is another best-selling product. While the product looks gorgeous, it’s really the efficacy of the product from combining an ancient, time-tested skin prescription from traditional medicine in Korea with modern science (i.e., our fermentation technology) that helped to build a strong cult-following behind the product.
What's your favorite product in the line and why is that?
My current favorite product is our new Probiotics Cica Complex Biome Booster. With the skin constantly irritated from the summer’s scorching sunlight, I’m enjoying the Booster’s visible soothing benefits. Just to brag a bit more about our newest innovation – VENN, as a company, has been researching probiotics, postbiotics and prebiotics derived and cultured using the fermentation processes for kimchi and doenjang—the two most important traditional fermented superfoods in Korea. Our research culminated in the creation of Microbiome Balance SystemTM—our proprietary combination of kimchi and doenjang-derived probiotics, postbiotics and prebiotics that, when topically applied, helps balance the skin’s microbiome and visibly soothe and repair damaged skin. Microbiome Balance SystemTM constitutes 37.5% of Probiotics Cica Complex Biome Booster’s formulation. As a result, the Booster has achieved microbiome-friendly certification by MyMicrobiome AG, which developed the world’s first and only quality standard for microbiome-friendly personal care products. Further, the Booster is clinically shown to visibly soothe damaged skin after physical, chemical or UV-induced irritation.
What makes the brand unique?
Our science focuses on the “engine” of skincare formulations. There are many science-focused brands, but most only focus on their special ingredients, which, if I use a car analogy, is the “fuel” that converts into skin benefits. But what many people don’t realize is that you also need a good “engine” to effectively process the fuel or the ingredients and deliver them to the skin for maximum results. Our patented technologies all focus on creating a powerful engine so that multiple actives can be used within a single formulation without compromise. Specifically, we focus on water-solubilizing natural actives in high concentrations, creating multi-layer delivery vehicles that can deeply carry multiple actives through the skin layers, and hydrating the skin from the inside by helping to create natural water channels.
What's one surprising thing people might not know about the brand?
Our brand name “VENN” comes from the word “Venn diagram” from geometry. It’s because our brand DNA is the intersection among science, nature and lifestyle, and when you draw this out, you’d see a Venn diagram.
What do you want people to think of when they think of your brand?
Advanced, innovative science meeting clean, clinically proven ingredients to create category-defining products that are lifestyle focused. My goal has been to redefine streamlined skincare by introducing solutions that don’t involve compromising on the quality and efficacy. I want VENN to be the pioneering brand in this category.
What is your proudest moment as a founder?
My proudest moment as a founder is when the brand launched at my dream retail partners, including Shen Beauty. I’m sincerely grateful for all the love and support of the brand from customers at Shen. VENN is now in 18 different countries, and we are continuing to grow fast.
What can we expect from the brand in the future? Any exciting news you can share?
We will continue to expand our line using our Microbiome Balance SystemTM, using our proprietary combination of probiotics, postbiotics and prebiotics. We believe that just like using clean ingredients, creating formulations that are microbiome-friendly and help balance the skin microbiome is very important and non-negotiable. Our next product will be a body cream that is not only microbiome-balancing, but also uses the key fermented extracts from our cult-favorite Advanced Multi-Perfecting Red Oil Serum. We also have another booster, a SPF product and more hair care products in our R&D pipeline.
