Hye Young Kim Is Rewriting What Modern Skincare Can Be

Why “Good Enough” Wasn’t Enough

Kim has loved skincare for as long as she can remember. Growing up in Korea, she was immersed in rituals rooted in care and intention, surrounded by constant innovation and a deep respect for the skin. Yet years later—after trying countless cleansers and moisturizers—she found herself constantly switching products. Something wasn’t sticking.

It wasn’t a lack of options. It was a lack of balance. Kim realized there was a clear gap in the market: “efficacy without joy, or joy without real performance,” she describes it. Products either worked without delight, or delighted without delivering. That realization reframed everything for her.

Rather than accepting that compromise, she asked a different question…what if skincare could do both? Partnering with a top-tier lab in Korea, Kim began developing the formulas she had been searching for herself: products designed to truly work, feel incredible on the skin, and earn a permanent place in daily life. “I didn’t want just another skincare brand,” she says. “I wanted one that consistently delivered both results and joy.”

That desire for balance—between performance and pleasure—is exactly what shows up in products like the brand’s Pudding Calming Cream, a moisturizer designed to comfort the skin while still delivering real results. It’s the kind of formula Kim wanted to reach for daily, not rotate out weeks later.

A Name That Holds a Story

OLIVIAUMMA is deeply personal by design. Translating to “Olivia’s mom” in Korean, the name honors Kim’s daughter and the bond they built through skincare. What started as shared routines (talking through textures, results, and small discoveries) became moments of genuine connection.

Those moments clarified Kim’s vision. She didn’t just want to create products; she wanted to create closeness. Skincare, to her, should be something you don’t experience alone. It should be something you “love, share, and grow with, together,” between mothers and daughters, friends, and communities.

Designing for Feeling, Not Just Function

From the beginning, Kim knew OLIVIAUMMA needed to spark emotion. Aesthetics mattered deeply, but not as decoration. Visual beauty was about curiosity and feeling: how the product looks on your shelf, how it feels in your hands, and how it fits into your life.

That emotional connection extended beyond packaging and into how people discovered the brand. While many K-beauty brands leaned heavily into affiliate models and digital-first growth, Kim took a more intentional, analog approach. She wanted to meet people face to face. Through intimate gatherings and community events, women experienced the products together, feeling textures, sharing reactions, and connecting in real time. That IRL experience became foundational, because for Kim, skincare was always meant to be communal.

Tradition, Reinterpreted for Today

OLIVIAUMMA sits at the intersection of tradition and modern life. Kim begins every formula with the timeless principles of Korean skincare—respect for the skin barrier, consistency, and thoughtful routines—then reimagines them for how people live now. Innovation shows up through texture, multifunctionality, and smart formulations that save time without sacrificing efficacy.

The goal is skincare that feels familiar and comforting, yet exciting every time you use it. Grounded in proven philosophy, designed for today.

One of Kim’s proudest milestones came with the brand’s Milky Resurfacing + Brightening Toner Pads. From the start, the vision was clear: create one product that could act as a toner, a serum, and an intensive mask, without adding extra steps to anyone’s routine. Achieving that balance took more than a year of development with her Korean lab, refining texture, saturation, and performance until it felt exactly right.

When it finally came together, Kim knew they had created something special, a moment where “innovation met real life.” It was proof of why OLIVIAUMMA exists: to make everyday skincare easier, more intuitive, and genuinely effective.

Beauty as Memory, Not Trend

Kim’s heritage shapes everything she creates. In Korea, self-care was never positioned as a trend; it was simply part of life. Korean rituals like jjimjilbang, now reframed in the U.S. as “social sauna,” were always about collective care and connection.

Because of that, OLIVIAUMMA doesn’t begin with chasing trends or overanalyzing what’s next. Much of the inspiration comes from memory and lived experience. For Kim, beauty should feel intuitive, comforting, and joyful—not complicated. That belief is woven into every formula.

What people don’t always see about being a founder and CEO is the emotional endurance it requires. Kim isn’t an influencer or a celebrity. She’s a mother who built small businesses in her 30s, worked in large corporations in her 20s, and learned everything step by step, often through failure. Creating her own path meant carrying the vision, pressure, and responsibility every day, but it also became her strength.

OLIVIAUMMA, she says, could only have been created at this stage of her life, and she sees that as a real advantage.

A Legacy Rooted in Care

Kim’s greatest motivation has always been her daughter. Olivia once told her that when she hears the phrase “people reward audacity over potential,” she thinks of her mom. It’s a reminder that choosing to try, even without guarantees, is its own form of courage.

When Kim thinks about legacy, she hopes OLIVIAUMMA is remembered as a brand that truly cared about skin, about people, and about connection. One built with intention and heart. One that proved beauty doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective, and that joy belongs at the center of self-care.

And if along the way it inspires women—especially mothers—to trust their instincts, take risks, and believe it’s never too late to create something meaningful, then OLIVIAUMMA has already fulfilled its purpose.