Found in Beauty is a column where experts and creative minds share insights and their genesis in the game. Ahead, we have Ken Lim, the owner and founder of local luxury beauty retailer, KENS Apothecary.
Today, our access to incredible beauty brands such as Omorovicza, Floraiku, Augustinus Bader, and more is thanks to one man. Ken Lim today celebrates a triumphant 25 years of KENS Apothecary, and we managed to catch the elusive founder for a chat to go beyond the surface of what we know about him. For those of us who have gone to many a KENS Apothecary launch fetes, we have known Lim to be almost evasive—even as the entire room is toasting to the success of the brand.
“It’s never ‘I did it’—it’s ‘we did it’, because it’s all the credit to my team,” says Lim, beaming at the memory of all the milestones the group has achieved. And the retailer has achieved plenty.
The founder, who first thought about going into fashion, decided to abandon the family construction business in 1996. But in the search of finding his next purpose, he stumbled upon Aesop. After a conversation with the co-founders Dennis Paphitis and Suzanne Santos, a deal was struck, and come 1997, Lim launched the brand in TANGS in Singapore. From then on, Lim was like a sponge, gleaning everything he could from the Aesop team. The shift was pivotal to say the least for him, who began his working life within his family’s construction company.
By the year 2000, he found himself in New York, meeting with Laura Mercier. That exchange resulted in the namesake brand arriving on our shores. Of course, he didn’t stop there. Lim is also the reason why we have access to the iconic Peter Thomas Roth formulations and the delicious scents of Diptyque here.
Rewinding even further, maverick divulges that his relationship with beauty began in his teenage years. Back when celebrities held real sway in a shopper’s decision-making, it was Isabella Rossellini who influenced him to explore Lancôme’s skincare range. But his true love? You can see it all throughout KENS Apothecary today: fragrances. “I’ve always loved the category. I probably had up to a thousand miniatures lying around back then, never knowing that one day this would be the bread and butter of my business,” he muses. Today, the retailer is home to over ten decadent fragrance brands, each filling a niche that is currently lacking in the array that we have in the city.
The store also carries sublime skincare brands, from technologically-advanced cosmeceuticals that are proven to care for the skin, such as 111 Skin and Dr Barbara Sturm, to labels that harness the natural wonders of the world, like Caudalie and Omorovicza. And coming soon, KENS Apothecary is set to unveil its own facial cabin, welcoming clients who seek the perfect pampering session that features their favourite brands. It’s a landmark achievement for the KENS collective, and points to the allure it has among its clientele.
Looking at the bigger picture, Lim understands the role he plays wholly. “I was the original influencer before the existence of Instagram,” he says with a slight grin. And he’s got proof of it, too. It was 1999 when he first opened the first KENS Apothecary store in Bangsar. Back then, Malaysia had only a handful of luxury beauty brands such as Estée Lauder and Shiseido. Even Sephora was not around at the time. Introducing newer, more niche brands like Philip B and Goutal to the local audience is no small feat. Without a marketing machine behind you, this meant that it was up to Lim to either make it or break it. “You could call us the first luxury beauty retailer in Malaysia,” Lim chimes in.
The secret sauce has always been Lim’s knack for curation. He would set out on a deep dive on a particular brand, discovering every nook and cranny. To secure his stamp of approval, the brand needs to come out on the other side not only unscathed, but they have to capture his heart too. “I have to love it to sell it. I think nothing beats something that you really love. But beyond smelling perfumes and testing out skincare, I also pay a little bit more attention to the packaging, because aesthetics matter when people shop,” Lim notes. Those things aside, the founder also gets into conversation with the people behind the brands. “I feel that if I’m going to be a partner, we have to align, especially with my brand-building vision. Otherwise, we cannot have this marriage, because it would not work. I like to work with founders who are present, and want to create out of love—not just to cash out the second an exit or an acquisition is presented.”
A lot has happened in the 25 years. “In 1997, I was really carefree and wild, beyond imagination. Today I am very conscious and cautious, learning from my mistakes, trials, and errors, because along the way, you have to wise up, make careful decisions, but that means losing that fearlessness in you,” he recalls. Lim splits the decades of his life down to specific eras. His 20s were for exploration and self-discovery; his 30s were for directing his energy towards the things that he liked; and his 40s were for expanding his business. Now in his early 50s, he keeps his eye on the ball, managing the stable of 31 brands under the retailer. At the same time, the founder is also proactively thinking of teeing up his successor.
“I have to be patient in this endeavour. No one is perfect—neither was I before—so maybe it’s not up to one person. It could be a duo or even a collective of individuals. It would give me a chance to take a back seat, but still share what I’ve learnt over the years,” he contemplates. “The most important quality to me is honesty, because we’re here to do better every day. And only by being truthful can we truly achieve progress.”
That’s not all he has on his mind, though. A true visionary, he still has more up his sleeve. “I want to do something that will put Malaysia on the map,” says Lim. He doesn’t go into detail on the matter, but whatever it may be, we bet it’s going to be just as successful as KENS Apothecary itself, if not more. For now, he’s riding the high of this silver jubilee.
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