Althea
Althea is a Seoul-based cross-border DTC e-commerce platform shipping Korean beauty products from Korea to 200+ countries via localized storefronts, curating 40+ K-beauty brands plus two proprietary exclusive labels (Althea Collection and A'BLOOM) for individual beauty consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Althea does
Althea is a Seoul-headquartered, cross-border direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform specializing in Korean beauty (K-beauty) products, founded in 2015. The company operates a global storefront at us.althea.kr plus country-specific Shopify storefronts for the USA, Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines, shipping from Korea to over 200 countries. Its catalog spans skincare, makeup, hair care, and body care, organized by skin type (oily, dry, combination, sensitive) and skin concern (acne, anti-aging, brightening, soothing), and includes 40+ curated Korean brands such as COSRX, LANEIGE, INNISFREE, ETUDE, MISSHA, MAMONDE, BEAUTY OF JOSEON, DEAR KLAIRS, SOME BY MI, and By Wishtrend.
The platform is built on Shopify-based storefronts and combines third-party brand resale with two proprietary exclusive brands — Althea Collection (cosmetics such as Petal Velvet Powder) and A'BLOOM (ingredient-themed sheet masks) — to capture higher-margin house-label revenue. Supporting assets include the Beauty Feed content blog for customer education and the Althea Rewards loyalty program, complemented by a $10-off referral program and ongoing promotional discount codes. Unit pricing ranges from approximately $1 to $80, with free-shipping thresholds by market (e.g., $50 in the USA).
Althea is a private, venture-backed company that has raised approximately $10.85 million across five rounds (2015-2021) from investors including Korea Development Bank, InnoVen Capital, Mirae Asset Venture Investment, 500 Global, BonAngels Venture Partners, Cherubic Ventures, POSCO Venture Partners, Tekton Ventures, Captii Ventures, and FIRSTFLOOR CAPITAL. The company operates with an 11-50 employee team, is led by founder Frank Kang (CEO) with co-founders Christopher Cynn (COO) and Jae Yoon Kim (CFO), and is presumed to be US-incorporated based on its US-facing storefront infrastructure.
Althea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Althea
- Legal name
- Althea
- Website
- https://us.althea.kr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Althea is a Seoul-based cross-border DTC e-commerce platform shipping Korean beauty products from Korea to 200+ countries via localized storefronts, curating 40+ K-beauty brands plus two proprietary exclusive labels (Althea Collection and A'BLOOM) for individual beauty consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Althea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Korean Beauty (K-beauty) E-commerce Retail
- NAICS
- Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Health and Personal Care Retailers (4561)
- SIC
- Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844), Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Beauty & Personal Care Omnichannel (CRAFAEAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Beauty & Personal Care Marketplaces (CRAFABAB)
Keywords
Where Althea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seoul
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Althea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Product Sales: Althea generates revenue through direct product sales of Korean beauty and cosmetics. The platform curates and sells products from multiple K-beauty brands including exclusive house brands (Althea Collection, A'BLOOM) and third-party brands (COSRX, Laneige, Innisfree, Etude, etc.) at retail prices with occasional promotional discounts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual product pricing with promotional discounts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Althea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Althea operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform that sells authentic Korean beauty and cosmetics products to individual consumers worldwide, shipping from Korea to over 200 countries. The platform curates and retails 40+ K-beauty brands (COSRX, LANEIGE, INNISFREE, ETUDE, MISSHA, BEAUTY OF JOSEON, SOME BY MI, DEAR KLAIRS, JARDIN, NACIFIC and others) alongside two proprietary exclusive house brands — Althea Collection and A'BLOOM — across skincare, makeup, hair care, and body care categories. It also runs the Althea Rewards loyalty program and the Beauty Feed content platform.
Product overview
Althea is a data-driven K-beauty (Korean beauty) e-commerce platform that operates multiple regional storefronts including us.althea.kr (Korea), althea-malaysia.myshopify.com, althea-singapore.myshopify.com, althea-philippines.myshopify.com, and althea-inc.myshopify.com. The platform ships products from Korea to over 200 countries worldwide. Althea's product portfolio consists of its core e-commerce platform (Althea Korea), two proprietary exclusive brands (Althea Collection featuring cosmetics like Petal Velvet Powder, and A'BLOOM featuring ingredient-themed face masks), plus a curated selection of 40+ Korean beauty brands including COSRX, BEAUTY OF JOSEON, DEAR KLAIRS, SOME BY MI, INNISFREE, LANEIGE, ETUDE, MISSHA, MAMONDE, JARDIN, NACIFIC, and others. Products span skincare (cleansers, toners, serums, creams, masks), makeup (lip, eye, tools), and hair & body care categories. The company also operates a loyalty program (Althea Rewards) and content platform (Beauty Feed blog).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Althea Collection: Exclusive brand line operated by Althea featuring curated K-beauty products including Petal Velvet Powder and various skincare items.
- A'BLOOM
Products and services
- Althea Korea E-commerce Platform (us.althea.kr) Direct-to-consumer online storefront that sells authentic Korean beauty and cosmetics products across skincare, makeup, hair care, and body care categories, shipping from Korea to over 200 countries with localized pricing, free-shipping thresholds, and a 30-day return policy.
- Althea Collection (Exclusive House Brand) Althea's proprietary exclusive beauty brand featuring in-house developed products such as the Petal Velvet Powder, available only through Althea's e-commerce storefronts.
- A'BLOOM (Exclusive Mask Brand) Althea's proprietary exclusive face-mask brand offering ingredient-themed sheet masks (brightening lemon-lime, anti-blemish peach, nourishing avocado, anti-aging blueberry, moisturizing watermelon), available only on Althea's e-commerce sites.
- Althea Rewards Loyalty & Referral Program Customer loyalty and referral program that rewards repeat purchases and lets customers earn $10 off by referring friends who place orders, designed to drive retention and word-of-mouth acquisition for the K-beauty platform.
- Beauty Feed (K-beauty content platform) Owned content platform publishing K-beauty trend articles, skincare routine guides, and product education to drive organic traffic and customer engagement on the Althea storefront.
Companies that use Althea
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Althea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Althea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Korean Beauty Brands (Featured)coreAlthea serves as a distribution channel for major Korean beauty brands including LANEIGE, INNISFREE, ETUDE, MISSHA, MAMONDE, IT'S SKIN, COSRX, Beauty of Joseon, Dear Klairs, Some By Mi, NACIFIC, and others. These brands supply products that Althea resells to international consumers.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Althea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- YesStyle: YesStyle is the largest Asia-beauty and fashion e-commerce platform shipping globally, directly competing with Althea on K-beauty assortment, cross-border shipping, and price-led positioning. Operates regional warehouses that match Althea's Korea-shipping model with localized fulfillment.
- Jolse: Jolse is a long-standing Korean beauty e-commerce retailer shipping worldwide from Korea, with a similar catalog (COSRX, Etude, Innisfree, etc.) and discount-led value proposition. Directly comparable in assortment depth, target customer, and ship-from-Korea logistics.
- Soko Glam: Soko Glam built a K-beauty specialist e-commerce brand around curation, content (The Klog), and education before expanding into its own house brand (Then I Met You). Highly comparable to Althea's curation-plus-house-brand model in the US market.
- Wishtrend: Wishtrend is a Korean beauty e-commerce platform built around curated indie and trending K-beauty brands (By Wishtrend, Beauty of Joseon, Dear Klairs). Comparable assortment positioning, content-led GTM, and overlap in target brands.
- Stylevana: Stylevana is an Asian beauty and lifestyle e-commerce platform shipping globally from Asia, competing head-to-head with Althea on Korean cosmetics assortment, price competitiveness, and international shipping coverage.
Emerging players
- Peach & Lily: Peach & Lily is a K-beauty focused digital retailer with its own house brand and a glass-skin positioning; originally an indie K-beauty pure-play before scaling via retail partnerships. Comparable niche positioning and brand-building approach to Althea.
- Beautylish: Beautylish is a curated beauty e-commerce platform with a strong K-beauty and J-beauty assortment, editorial content, and US-based fulfillment. Comparable in curation strategy, content-led marketing, and target customer.
Broad incumbents
- Sephora: Sephora is the global prestige beauty specialty retailer carrying an expanding K-beauty assortment across skincare and makeup. Comparable in end-customer and product categories, but operates at scale with local fulfillment that Althea cannot match.
- Olive Young: Olive Young is South Korea's dominant health-and-beauty specialty retailer with a growing cross-border e-commerce channel. Directly comparable in K-beauty assortment and Korean sourcing; brand-side competitor with significant scale advantages.
- Amazon Beauty: Amazon is the dominant global e-commerce platform with a rapidly expanded Korean beauty selection, often at competitive prices with Prime shipping. Represents the structural incumbent threat Althea competes against for K-beauty search and purchases.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Althea social profiles
Digital presenceAlthea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Althea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Althea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Althea M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Althea
What does Althea do?
Althea operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform that sells authentic Korean beauty and cosmetics products to individual consumers worldwide, shipping from Korea to over 200 countries. The platform curates and retails 40+ K-beauty brands (COSRX, LANEIGE, INNISFREE, ETUDE, MISSHA, BEAUTY OF JOSEON, SOME BY MI, DEAR KLAIRS, JARDIN, NACIFIC and others) alongside two proprietary exclusive house brands — Althea Collection and A'BLOOM — across skincare, makeup, hair care, and body care categories. It also runs the Althea Rewards loyalty program and the Beauty Feed content platform.
Is Althea a public or private company?
Althea is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Althea founded?
Althea was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Althea based?
Althea is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does Althea make money?
One revenue line is on record: product Sales.
Who are Althea's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are YesStyle, Jolse, Soko Glam, Wishtrend and Stylevana. Emerging players are Peach & Lily and Beautylish. Broad incumbents are Sephora, Olive Young and Amazon Beauty.
Does Althea have an API?
No public API is recorded for Althea.
What industry is Althea in?
Althea's product category is Korean Beauty (K-beauty) E-commerce Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAEAB, Beauty & Personal Care Omnichannel, with a secondary code of CRAFABAB, Beauty & Personal Care Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 456120 and its SIC code is 2844.