Alex Jenson 

You’re listening to Koreabizcast with the KBLA. I’m your host, Alex Jensen, and it’s already Friday, February 11. And it’s been a really wonderful week, the first week since we restarted after Christmas Koreabizcast that is. And of course, we would say we’ve enjoyed it. But looking at our listener numbers, it’s clear that more and more people have been discovering us in various parts of the world. And we really want to thank you for your support and hope that you’ll join us for the onward part of our journey. I’ve said many times and I’ll say it again, that one of the best ways to get in touch with us if there’s anything you’re curious about, we have some feedback, just send us an email info@kbla.net or get in touch via LinkedIn just search KBLA there. Now it is a Friday. And so we’re going to have a fun conversation today with a guest over in Europe who is doing amazing things for the Korean cosmetics industry and actually Korean culture at large. We connected with her a little while ago, and it’s time to check back in. I also want to say briefly now thank you so much to our sponsor, who’s made today’s episode possible the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, stylish elegance in the very heart of the city. And stylish elegance, I think, sums up the theme for today Well, I’m really pleased to say then that on the line right now from France, I believe Paris. Paris was where you were when we were emailing Fama Ndiaye. I said Ndiaye when we spoke to you three months ago, but I’ve been told that n is and can be silent. So thank you very much.

Fama Ndiaye 

Thank you for having me again.

Alex Jenson 

It was really fun the first time and you’ve been so busy since we last spoke, so I’m looking forward to this update. And as with other guests that we’ve had repeating if you like, we can have the opportunity to tell people to check you out. If you search on your favorite podcast provider, FAMA NDIAYE. And you go back through our various past interviews, we’ve got quite a backlog now, more than 60 episodes, then you can hear more about Fama story but just to remind everybody just in brief you are the co Founder of KbeautyFest Global and CEO of Kworld Media and we can now add yet another one to that as well because Fama, you were telling me before that you’re also now CEO of AGA Skin.

Fama Ndiaye 

Yes I am.

Alex Jenson 

How many CEO-business cards do you actually have at the moment, is it two or three?

Fama Ndiaye 

Oh my god, I actually use only one especially because I’m in Korea but the thing with Aga Skin, Aga Skin was actually the first company that I created here in Paris and then I moved to Korea and then I focused on other things with Kworld Media and then you know KbeautyFest, but you know officially registered are Kworld Media and Aga Skin and then KbeautyFest falls in under projects under with Kworld Media and also my partner Mona Lisa Hanson from East Meets West. So yeah, we quite I’m really excited about this new journey with Aga Skin because, to be honest, that’s actually my baby. That’s literally what brought me to Korea. It’s really Aga Skin and I guess you know, I think you can tell what’s the meaning of Aga Skin?

Alex Jenson   

I was gonna say it’s also literally baby in the in the translation, baby skin right?

Fama Ndiaye

Exactly. So for me I wanted like that kind of show like my first love and my first focus which was really like everything about Kbeauty and how I loved Kbeauty and I wanted to implement this concept. And I felt it would be a good thing to kind of implement a very easy Korean word like Aga and I think it works. I think every time I say the word people just like, “is that like baby skin?” and you know, that’s actually the reaction I wanted. So I guess we did a good job on that part.

Alex Jenson 

Yeah, well, it’s a good name itself. Even if you don’t know what it means, it’s memorable. And the fact is it’s got the extra bridge to Korea all the better. And speaking of which, one of the things that we wanted to talk about today that you’ve been achieving recently is this partnership for the French market regarding how the Korean wave is also often discussed in the past these days, we tend to just list off the various cultural items on their own. And tell us a bit more about that partnership.

Fama Ndiaye

I am so like, I was amazed. I’ve been here, you know, now it’s February. I’ve been here since like mid December. And when I came, initially I came because you know, I haven’t seen my family for over two years because of the COVID I was in Korea. So I really wanted like to kind of resource myself with my family, loved ones, and kind of let gauge what was going on in the French market, because I haven’t been there in a while. So I didn’t know what was the growth, but I was following online everything that was going on, and I saw that there was a big growth and interest in anything related to Hanryu and that being Kbeauty that being Kpop, Kdrama, the growth is just ridiculous. And I can see the demand. And I’ve talked and talked and talked with different companies and actors of those different industries. And yeah, these these say, like, you know, there is the demand, but sometimes it’s really hard to find partners or, and also, because it’s friends, to be honest, is part of the EU, a lot of issues with like regulations, and all the customs and stuff like that. So I was able to discuss with this company that is focused on Kpop. And we agreed to organize events over the summer, related to how you content, so we’re still in the process of what’s gonna be happening. And I cannot say too much, but something is coming probably around June. And then we’re also in talks with a French department store for also another event focused on Kbeauty. So also that would happen in the summer. So we’re quite excited with all these big things. And I think there’s going to be such a good bridge between France and Korea, because Korean market is more interested in the French market in different aspects. So the beauty, but also, you know, export the artists have them performing, have them do events and stuff like that. And in terms of French market, they want to see more of the original content from Korea. So it’s kind of a perfect timing right now to do both of that. So creating content, introducing brands, or introducing events. So yeah, I think 2022 is going to be hopefully a good year. And we can it’s funny to say that but even though it was COVID and it was not the best time but 2021 really opened doors for anything related to Korea.

Alex Jenson 

How is life in Paris right now, in that sense? Do you feel that people are just moving on now from the pandemic and starting to arrange events like you’ve just been talking about without worrying too much about them being canceled later on?

Fama Ndiaye

Yeah, people are starting going back to their daily lives. And yes, the COVID is here. Yes, people are getting positive, and people are getting vaccinated. A lot of people don’t want to get vaccinated as well. But people are just, it’s literally living with COVID at this point. It is not like, okay, let’s try to get rid of it, you know, however we can, but people are just living with it and going back to their lives. So, which is why now we have these opportunities to move forward and start planning stuff because it was kind of really hard. Like, I know that, for example, this partnership with the department store, we’ve been working on it for the past two years. And we’ve been on hold because we didn’t know what was gonna happen with the COVID and stuff like that. But now, it doesn’t matter. People are moving forward, people want to go back to their lives, if we can say normal lives, but not really. But they want to go back to activities and organizing stuff. And that’s a good thing. And I agree to you know, we cannot be held hostage of that COVID and wait until it disappears because I feel that this one, we should just learn to live with it.

Alex Jenson 

It certainly it does seem to be happening around the world, various different countries. That was very much what London was like at Christmas time. And, and I think in Korea, as well as what I’m hearing more and more people really don’t want to talk about it too much. So let’s move on. But things are changing in a positive way as well. For example, more awareness of different cultures, cultural changes, more popularity of Korean products abroad. When you’re in that cosmetics sphere, though, and you’re dealing with a very multicultural society like France, and then they’re watching Kpop and they’re watching Kdramas, and they’re seeing people with those perfect skin and it’s a certain skin type. You know, for the most part is that something that translates into a very multicultural world when you’re promoting it.

Fama Ndiaye 

It definitely translate. When people have the right elements, and what I mean by that is, that’s, for example, one of the issues we had previously, because we noticed that a lot of people are very familiar with Kbeauty. But they just don’t know the core of it and Kbeauty is just not for, you know, Asian skin or pale skin. It is not about like your skin color, it is really about like the skin type and the skin issues you have in that sense that applies to everyone. So we see more and more people are now interested in that because they see those Korean dramas, this is all those idols with perfect skin. And they’re like, oh my god, like what happened? What, what is this? So they start looking for more information, do more research and that research go through social media. And we see more and more influencers, testing, talking about it, being curious about it, wanting to try new products, new brands and experience what is this Korean beauty that everybody’s talking about? So this is just not that. I know a lot of people at some point, but this was a trend. But this is not really a trend, this is something that is going to stay because Korean beauty that philosophy is unique to Korea. So the same way people know French beauty, people will know now Korean beauty and we’ll keep learning more about Korean beauty. So this is a great opportunity for somebody like me who really wants to kind of spread this knowledge about Korean beauty. And we’re also actually going to have an event, probably two events in 2022 in Senegal, to bring in Korean beauty and share those knowledge about skincare and philosophy, so people can start implementing that.

Alex Jenson 

I wanted to go a little bit deeper this time actually with you into what makes Korean cosmetics, what they are. Actually everybody listening now will have tried it on their skin at some point whether they meant to or not, it would have been in a product that they’ve used, perhaps on their hair even but this ingredient that comes up a lot is centella asiatica. Is that correct?

Fama Ndiaye 

Correct, correct.

Alex Jenson 

Okay, so that is often a primary ingredient. But it’s not unique to Korea, necessarily. According to the Internet, it tells me that it’s indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, wetland regions of the southeastern US even. So what is it about Korean cosmetics in particular, that is unique.

Fama Ndiaye 

You know, this is so interesting what you’re saying. Because the same way you’re talking about centella asiatica, there is another ingredient that is called okra, or so you know, for example, we use that in Africa a lot in a lot of like dishes and stuff like that. And now I’m working currently with a brand who actually is using, has a whole line based on that ingredient. And that’s what makes the difference with Korea. Korea is very innovative in terms of, they’re gonna look for that product, that ingredient that that has those values, those benefits that we know about. And you’re going to implement it in a way in your skincare routine that nobody actually thought about before. I mean, that you said it yourself and tell I was here for ever, but who actually thought of creating a content like a product, a skincare routine, including that ingredient. And now what’s really interesting is, Korea started that, lot of brands saw the benefits in that. And now all these brands all over the world are starting implementing that ingredient in their product. So what makes to go back to your question, what makes Korean product or Korean beauty so different for me, is definitely the choice of ingredient. And it doesn’t mean it has to come from Korea. It’s just like the way they are extracting ingredients from all over the world and creating something new out of it. So that’s number one. Number two, the in the innovation, Korea’s coming up with like, concept packaging functions that we actually didn’t think about before, and how we see that is now maybe 10 years ago, it was Korea maybe who was looking outside and see, okay, this is something that would work for this market and this market. Let’s try that. But now it’s the other way. It’s 360 degrees completely. People are coming to Korea to figure out what can they create that is very similar to this popular product that was made by Koreans. And that works for a lot of things. It’s not just for Korean beauty, but just in general right. And then I would say the philosophy that comes with Kbeauty. It’s something different you know, in, Koreann beauty, it’s about your skin, healing your skin, making sure your skin is very healthy. Instead of using makeup and covering your issues and covering your dark spots. We’re gonna first assess the issue, treat the issue, and then the makeup is really gonna come only to kind of complement of course, you have exceptions, but that’s the whole, like, the basic philosophy. And of course, around that goes, the whole healthy eating, taking care of yourself, you know that Korean food has so many, you’re familiar with the banchan, naturally, but each banchan has a specific function, you know, for your body. So that’s just like how Korea is.

Alex Jenson 

Yeah, I don’t do enough of the banchan I think. I knew more about the functions. I probably, you know, be methodical about it. But I tend to just pick one or two that I particularly like, and they keep topping them up for me.

Fama Ndiaye 

Actually, to be honest, so it was just from a frient like I was all my Korean friends, like, you know, some of them are more knowledgeable than others. And then I Oh, you know, this is really good for you know, your liver, or this is really good for your blood or this is and I was just like, Okay, do you guys have each banchan for something specific? And that’s how usually, the meal are well balanced. Because of the banchan, yes, you have rice, but the banchan will balance all of that.

Alex Jenson 

If anyone’s listening to this podcast out of curiosity, and you don’t know much about Korea, this is the side dish culture that we’re talking about. And it makes eating out quite fun and feel like a great deal. Because you can basically fill up on side dishes that you didn’t even order. But even at home, home meals, most people certainly some form of banchan. I wanted to ask you a little bit about the business side of it too, because I’ve noticed here in Korea, a lot of cosmetic products when they start out and some of them have become quite famous that the way they promote themselves, it can almost feel a bit like a kind of pyramid scheme, like they encourage a lot of individual sellers, and then build themselves up that way. Is that something you’ve noticed as well. And I just also wanted to ask how you pick reputable partners to work with?

Fama Ndiaye 

Yeah, you definitely have that side of it. I think it’s really about. And it’s kind of understandable in a way because this beauty industry in Korea is so competitive. So there are so many brands, so many companies, so many products coming out on red on a weekly basis, I want to say. So you have to be very aggressive in that sense, right to make sure that your product will be seen, will be heard, will be tested. So for me, whenever I work with company, I focus more on number one, the quality of the product, of course. But to be honest, that is not really much of the criteria because of Korean beauty products are really good. So I’m focusing a lot on packaging, because especially if I’m going to export those products or introduce them to other actors of the transaction, they have to be appealing, they have to match the audience. I’m not going to pick a product that has a very specific what’s the word packaging that works really well for Korea, but that doesn’t work for maybe the European market or the US market. So that’s one thing. Whenever you have this packaging, that kind of goes for everybody that that’s good. And usually it’s like not too crowded, not too many colors. So it’s usually very simple, right? And then the second thing is the story behind the brand is very important to me. Because usually when you have a brand that has a real story, that means they really took the time to think about the brand, think about the concept, think about the mission, think about what they want to give to their consumers or customers, right? But if you have a brand, that’s just because you don’t have those brands, those ones who will, okay, okay, centella is working well, these days, let’s just do a product with centella. And then that’s it. And then there’s the knot is just to make money, literally, there is no thinking behind what we’re going to give to the buyer, how they’re going to feel about the product is just to make sure that okay, this is a trend, let’s jump on the trend. So usually I stay away from those kind of thing. And, of course, the content, the marketing content is really important. Because there are two ways I’m going to do this. If the brand already has a good marketing, then we just assist them for whichever market they’re going to be entering righ? If they don’t have the appropriate marketing, they have to be willing to change the marketing for that specific market. Otherwise that’s not gonna work.

Alex Jenson 

Really good insight. Thank you for that Fama. And it’s not just France in the US, it’s also one of your native countries, because you’re a dual national Senegal, that you’re going to be very closely involved with. Let’s hear a bit more about that. I understand you’re heading there for a Kbeauty event. And the whole country is in a great mood. So it’s probably a good time to go after winning the Africa combinations.

Fama Ndiaye 

I’m so excited. I, I wish I was there to be honest. But, you know, I’ll be delayed, but they were I think we had three days of celebration for this win. I mean, it’s, it’s, it’s a big thing, you know, to kind of win something like this for the continent. And it brought really a big smile. Because I saw people from all over the world like coming to me and be like, Oh, my God, we’re so happy for you. Congratulations. And it’s just amazing to see how something like soccer, can bring everybody together. No matter where you’re from, no matter who you are, how old you are. People just came together to celebrate that win. So that’s something that I was really proud about. To come back to the event. Yes, we’re going to have an event, beginning of March, where we’re going to start introducing the concept of Kbeauty. So there’s going to be two phases with that. We’re going to do a workshop where we’re going to introduce the concept of taking care of your skin, because I think it’s really important to kind of prep the people and tell them okay, yes, Korean skincare is amazing. But why? You know, you just asked me that question, right? And it’s important. So it’s important to tell people okay, yes, you’ve been using French product. Yes, you’ve been using American products. But this is why you should be using Korean beauty products. And then that’s going to be the first workshop. And then next to that, we’ll do a little pop up, where I will start displaying some products explaining how they work, how they can benefit your skin. We will have like two to three brands, we’re not going to make it too big because it’s the first one. And then after that, we’re going to have another event. I cannot say too much about it. But this one is going to be way bigger. And it’s going to be, should be in September of 2022.

Alex Jenson 

Excellent. Another thing to look forward to this year or perhaps uncertainty but more confidence fits in with the year the tiger. Then you’ll be coming back to Korea where you haven’t been since we had our Lunar New Year celebrations. I understand. And you’ve been here I think later in the spring, or actually early spring, perhaps in March.

Fama Ndiaye 

Yeah. Yeah, early spring. So I think towards the end of March, I’ll be there and will be busy to be honest. Because we’ll have to take care of all the project with Aga Skin, but also the project with Kworld media, because Kworld media will have all this content creation to prepare, related to how you because we have to keep preparing more content, you know, how it was growing. And we plan to do more video content, more live interviews. So yeah, it’s gonna be pretty busy.

Alex Jenson 

Definitely, please keep us informed on that. And let’s do another interview when you’re here, because we would love to see what you’re doing. Maybe we can tag along and see how you generate that video content and find out more about your products and witness it firsthand. Fama, that the whole future now, I know we talked a little bit about this year and the uncertainty. I think it was very important what you said earlier about this confidence in this interest being here to stay now, people up until now they might have been wondering, is it too late to get involved in some business idea that’s career related? They might have worried that that Korean way was going to come crashing down. But it’s not like a cryptocurrency, is it? that’s rising and falling. It’s basically just been rising. And it’s been rising for a lot longer than Parasite and Squid Game. Can you give us your thoughts on that in your own words?

Fama Ndiaye 

Yes, I do believe I strongly believe anything related to how it’s going to stay for a very long time. And we can see that from different news that we got Netflix invested almost $1 billion in content, you know, Korean content. So that actually says a lot because they see the value. They see that this is here to stay they see that the interest is here. They see that new people everyday get into this Korean Wave. So that’s one thing. Another thing is like I said, I just get here for the past three months almost in Paris, and I see people want to see more Korean beauty products, more Korean beauty brands and what’s the issue? Well, we don’t get access to these brands, we don’t get access to this product, because they don’t have people giving them this opportunity. So which is great for people like us, because we can just give them this opportunity. And that’s where we start creating all this partnership. Right. Another thing is Kpop is growing tremendously. They said that this year Kpop was the trend anything like the the tweets on Twitter were bigger than last year, the year before, which was already tremendous. So this is just the beginning. And we can see that everything about Korean Wave is starting getting more global. So think of it that before it was just like, you know, a very small part. I’m not gonna say a small part, but only a certain part of the globe, we’re into this Korean Wave, you know, the US some of the Asian countries, some European countries, but now, you know, Africa is all about it. You know, all the South America like Australia, like all these countries are so interested in everything related to Korea. Thehy’re gonna start making more and more global content. I’m gonna I bet that we’re gonna see very soon, way more Kpop group with foreigners in them. We’re gonna see way more Korean dramas. We’re we going to see more foreigners. So there’s going to be this like global reach that will make this grow even further.

Alex Jenson 

I mean, this is just the final point. But what about going the other way around, for example, your country of Senegal, or a number of other African nations where the culture is relatively untapped, and Korea is not alone in this, but from a Korean point of view, you being that bridge on you attempted to try to introduce a bit more in the way of mainstream culture because right now, whenever we see any cultural exports from Africa, whether it’s food or or something else, it does tend to be very much on the fringes.

Fama Ndiaye 

Yes. And you, that’s such a good point you bring in because I’ve been saying that I’ve been saying that Korea is such a good example to follow in that sense. And, you know, it being you know, something like soccer, you know, something like foods, something like tourism, like we have to take advantage of whatever’s going on right now and learn from what Korea has been doing and is still doing and will keep doing and implement this.

Alex Jenson 

Well, I look forward to seeing how you might do that as well. We’ll have to chat more. When you’re back in Korea, we wish you all the best of your very busy shedule between now and then which is going to take you from France to Senegal, and then on to here, Fama Ndiaye, again. It’s been an absolute pleasure.

Fama Ndiaye 

Thank you so much, Alex, always a pleasure to be here.

Alex Jenson 

And thank you everybody else. It’s been a real pleasure watching our listener numbers going up. And it’s actually just very touching that after this reboot of Koreabizcast, we’ve not just picked up where we left off, but we’re moving from strength to strength, and we’re gonna have some, I’m sure very exciting announcements on the near horizon. not just on the sponsor front, but maybe event front. Let’s capture this mood and start planning some offline stuff on our own. Speaking of which, the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul is very well placed right in the heart of the city. And I want to thank them as well for making today’s episode possible. We’ll see you again on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend. In the meantime,