Lee Yoo Bin
Korean fashion-student-turned-skincare-influencer who built TirTir publicly with her audience, took the Mask Fit Red Cushion to global #1 on Amazon, sold a controlling stake to private equity in 2023, and exited entirely in late 2025 — a defining case study for influencer-led K-beauty exits at scale.
"The audience that watches you build the brand becomes the audience that buys the brand."
— Lee Yoo Bin
Lee Yoo Bin launched TirTir in 2019 at 28 years old, after a path from fashion student to online clothing shop owner to skincare content creator. Fifteen-plus years of skincare content — before influencer was a professional category — gave her consumer intelligence at a scale no internal R&D team could replicate.
Her unusual choice was to develop the brand publicly: she communicated with her audience in real time throughout the development process, prepared the launch on social media, and let her followers shape the brief.
In June 2023, she sold approximately 60% of TirTir shares to The Hahm Partners private equity for KRW 89 billion (~USD 67M), remaining the second-largest shareholder and active in creative direction. In late 2025 she sold her remaining 36.4% stake — Korean press reported total proceeds approaching ~KRW 140 billion across both sales — and stepped away from operations.
Trust In Radiance. Healthy skin has its own inherent glow that makeup should enhance rather than replace.
Inclusion before inclusion was the standard expectation: launch the cushion in 40 shades when Western competitors launch in 15–20.
Build with the audience, not at it. The community is the development team.
- Pre-2019Fashion studies; online clothing retail; transition to skincare influencer; builds audience over 15+ years.
- 2019Founds TirTir in Seoul; develops brand identity in public with social media audience.
- 2020–2021Rapid growth to ~$21 million in sales in approximately two years.
- 2022TirTir goes viral on TikTok; Mask Fit Red Cushion achieves global #1 Amazon Best Seller status.
- 2023Sells ~60% stake to The Hahm Partners in June for KRW 89B; remains in creative and marketing leadership.
- 2024Lee Sun-young (former Sulwhasoo creative director) appointed CMO and creative director for global expansion.
- 2025Sells remaining 36.4% stake and steps away; total proceeds across both sales approach ~KRW 140 billion per Korean press.
"We believed early on that what consumers truly want, regardless of trends like 'glass skin' or 'butter skin,' is natural, healthy-looking skin. The language changes, but the essence doesn't. Our role has been to design products that enhance your own tone and texture, rather than cover them."
Lee Sun-young, CMO, Korea Herald · 15 Jan 2026
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