hince

hince is a South Korean makeup brand based in Seoul, launched in 2019 and built around what the company calls a "mood" concept [4]. Its products are organised into base, cheek, lip and eye lines, and the brand has drawn a following in both Korea and Japan. Since 2023 hince has no longer been independent: the consumer-goods group LG Household & Health Care acquired a 75 percent stake in its parent company, Vivawave, making hince part of LG H&H's makeup portfolio [5].

The brand styles its name in lowercase as "hince", though it appears as "HINCE" in some retail settings. It continues to trade actively, with a live e-commerce site and current 2026 collections, but operates as a sub-brand of its new majority owner rather than an independent house.

hince was launched in 2019 by Vivawave Co., Ltd., a company headquartered in the Mapo district of Seoul [4]. Trade reporting around the brand's 2023 acquisition states plainly that it "launched in 2019" [5]; the brand's own site does not give a founding year in its text, listing only a 2019 mail-order sales registration that is consistent with that date. The names of hince's founders are not documented in the available sources.

From the outset hince positioned itself as a millennial-oriented makeup brand. According to BeautyMatter, it set out to serve "a dedicated following that seeks to express their unique styles" through natural colour palettes rather than dramatic transformation [4].

hince's parent company is Vivawave Co., Ltd. In an agreement reported in late September and early October 2023, LG Household & Health Care — described in trade press as Korea's leading consumer-goods company — signed to acquire a 75 percent stake in Vivawave for 42.5 billion won, equivalent to about 31.5 million US dollars [4]. The deal placed hince alongside other LG H&H beauty holdings and was framed by the company as a way to strengthen its makeup line-up and reach younger consumers.

LG H&H also cited hince's standing in Japan as a motive. Reporting at the time noted that the brand's 2022 sales revenue was 21.8 billion won (about 16.2 million dollars), split roughly evenly between domestic and international markets, with most overseas sales coming from Japan [4]. The Korea Economic Daily quoted the company's aim to "accelerate its market presence, particularly in Japan" by drawing on hince's recognition there [5].

hince frames its approach as "narrative beauty". On its brand-story page the company describes building up "your own unique mood" through dense, rich colour to draw out a person's latent, innate beauty. The concept rests on three stated pillars — Mood, Tone and Attitude — and the brand summarises it in the tagline "Build Your Own Narrative". hince says its purpose is to provide inspiration for living more passionately and with conviction in one's own beliefs.

This individuality-over-trends framing connects to a wider Korean makeup idea that hince leans on in its marketing: enhancing natural features rather than reshaping them. K-beauty editorial has placed the brand within glass-skin and "mood-makeup" trends.

hince's catalogue spans base, cheek, lip and eye categories, with foundations, cushions, lipsticks, eyeshadows, blushes and primers among its featured product types. Its lip products are frequently singled out: the Mood Enhancer line of tints and glosses is described in K-beauty editorial as the brand's signature first purchase, and one guide frames hince as "a real reference" in K-beauty makeup [6].

Other products noted in editorial coverage include the True Dimension Radiance Balm, a multi-purpose item promoted for use as highlighter, blush, eyeshadow or lip balm, and the Second Skin Glow Cushion, described as leaving a glass-skin finish [6]. The brand markets chiefly on colour and finish rather than on active ingredients, and one guide reports that its products are manufactured entirely in South Korea.

hince is an actively trading brand that is no longer independent. Following LG Household & Health Care's acquisition of a controlling 75 percent stake in parent company Vivawave in 2023, it operates as an LG H&H sub-brand [4]. Its website remains live with current best-sellers and a 2026 "Chill Voyage" collection, and the site footer carries a 2026 Vivawave copyright. The brand's core markets are South Korea and Japan, with international shipping available.