The Crème Shop

What The Crème Shop does

The Crème Shop is a Los Angeles-based cosmetics and skincare brand founded in 1988 by Theresa and Lawrence Kim. The company offers a portfolio spanning skincare, makeup, body care, and beauty accessories, organized around a cute-themed brand identity and licensed character collaborations with Miffy and Hello Kitty and Friends. Skincare products have been manufactured in South Korea for over 20 years, while select makeup is produced in California, giving the company a dual-region production footprint. The brand is 100% cruelty-free, BBB accredited, and CCPA-compliant.

The company operates as a privately held subsidiary under LG Beauty. Its primary e-commerce storefront transitioned from thecremeshop.com to LGbeauty.com in 2024, with the original domain now functioning as a redirect and brand-awareness landing page rather than a transactional site. The platform is built on Shopify, with Braintree handling payments and Fastly providing CDN and security layers. Products ship domestically via USPS and UPS and internationally via DHL Express to select markets, with shipping exclusions across 15 countries. Marketing relies on organic social presence across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X, supplemented by email and SMS outreach.

Revenue is generated through direct unit sales of individually priced products, with examples ranging from $10 (blemish patches) to $24 (body lotion) and free shipping available on US orders over $50. The customer base is a horizontal segmentation of beauty enthusiasts and character merchandise collectors with no disclosed enterprise accounts, and the business carries no disclosed venture or private equity funding. Strategic focus has shifted toward integrating with parent LG Beauty's distribution and retail infrastructure while continuing character-driven product launches.

Name

The Crème Shop

Legal name

The Crème Shop

Website

https://thecremeshop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Crème Shop is a Los Angeles-based cosmetics and skincare brand founded in 1988, now operating as a subsidiary of LG Beauty and selling primarily through LGbeauty.com. The company offers skincare, makeup, body care, and beauty accessories with licensed character collaborations including Miffy and Hello Kitty and Friends.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cosmetics and Skincare

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

K-Beauty/J-Beauty & Global Skincare Regimens (CRABAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Body Skincare (Lotions, Creams, Body Oils) (CRABAAAD)

Keywords

• K-Beauty skincare
• Character licensed cosmetics
• Cute themed beauty products
• Cruelty free makeup
• Direct to consumer beauty

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct sales of cosmetics, skincare, body care, and beauty accessories through e-commerce channels including the brand's website and LGbeauty.com marketplace.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Crème Shop designs, manufactures, and sells cute-themed K-Beauty cosmetics, skincare, body care, and beauty accessories, including licensed character collections (Miffy, Hello Kitty and Friends). Skincare products are manufactured in South Korea, while select makeup items are produced in California. The brand sells directly to consumers through its e-commerce platform at LGbeauty.com and through authorized retail partners globally.

Product overview

The Crème Shop is a Los Angeles-based K-beauty brand founded in 1988, now available exclusively at LGbeauty.com. The company offers a unified portfolio of skincare, makeup, body care, and beauty accessories. Their products span multiple categories: skincare products manufactured in South Korea for over 20 years, California-made makeup items, body care products (including Miffy Body Lotion and blemish patches), and collaborative licensed collections (Miffy and Hello Kitty And Friends). Some products are vegan-friendly (marked with a VEGAN label), while others contain honey or collagen byproducts. The brand is 100% cruelty-free and does not participate in animal testing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Miffy Clear As Day! Blemish Patches Pimple/blemish patches designed to visibly conceal blemishes and help absorb excess oil. Contains Tea Tree for skin clarification and Witch Hazel to improve oil control, soothe skin, and reduce pore appearance. Wear up to 6 hours for best results. Targeted at individual consumers seeking cute-themed blemish treatment solutions.
• Miffy Body Lotion Body moisturizer with a non-greasy, lightweight formula enriched with skin-loving ingredients to hydrate and nourish skin. Applied by pumping a generous amount and massaging onto body until fully absorbed. Targeted at individual consumers seeking cute-themed body care solutions.
• Hello Kitty And Friends Gloss Jelly Lip Glaze Lip product from the Hello Kitty And Friends collaboration collection. Part of the brand's makeup line featuring the iconic Sanrio character. Targeted at individual consumers and Hello Kitty fans.
• Miffy Bundles Curated bundles featuring Miffy character-themed products, including skincare and body care items. Offered at a promotional 20% discount. Targeted at individual consumers, gifting buyers, and Miffy character fans.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• LGbeauty.comcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Crème Shop has moved its primary e-commerce operations to LGbeauty.com, where the brand is now exclusively available. LGbeauty.com serves as the new home for The Crème Shop's products including skincare, makeup, and body care collections.
• Miffy (Dick Bruna)flagshipOthersLicensing partnership for Miffy character-themed beauty products including Miffy Body Lotion, Miffy Clear As Day! Blemish Patches, and bundled collections. The brand actively promotes 20% off Miffy bundles.
• Hello Kitty and FriendsflagshipOthersLicensing partnership for Hello Kitty and Friends themed beauty collections, including the Gloss Jelly Lip Glaze product line.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Etude House: K-Beauty mass-market brand under AmorePacific offering cute, affordable skincare and color cosmetics. Comparable on K-Beauty origins, character-coded branding, and target demographic.
• Missha: K-Beauty brand offering affordable skincare and color cosmetics with strong mass-market distribution. Comparable on Korean heritage, broad assortment, and accessible price points.
• Innisfree: K-Beauty skincare brand under AmorePacific focused on natural ingredients and accessible pricing. Comparable on Korean heritage and skincare-led category mix.
• Tonymoly: Korean mass-market beauty brand known for cute, character-inspired packaging and affordable skincare/makeup. Closely comparable on aesthetic positioning, price band, and K-Beauty heritage.
• Laneige: K-Beauty skincare brand under AmorePacific known for hydration-focused products and accessible premium positioning. Comparable on Korean heritage and skincare category leadership.
• The Face Shop: Korean beauty brand offering affordable skincare and cosmetics with natural ingredient positioning. Comparable on K-Beauty mass-market positioning and broad category coverage.
• COSRX: Korean skincare brand focused on effective, ingredient-driven formulations at accessible prices. Comparable on K-Beauty skincare manufacturing heritage and DTC-friendly positioning.
• Holika Holika: K-Beauty brand with playful, character-inspired packaging across skincare and color cosmetics. Comparable on cute aesthetic positioning and affordable price band.

Emerging players

• Peach & Lily: US-based K-Beauty platform and brand curating Korean skincare for the American market. Comparable as a US-facing K-Beauty brand with strong digital and DTC presence.

Broad incumbents

• e.l.f. Cosmetics: US-based mass-market beauty brand offering affordable cosmetics and skincare with strong cruelty-free positioning. Comparable on accessible price band, cruelty-free values, and multi-channel retail distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thecremeshop
• Facebookfacebook.com/thecremeshop
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecremeshop
• TikToktiktok.com/@thecremeshop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thecremeshop

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Crème Shop