hince closed its China stores 3 years after LG bought it for expansion

hince was a Korean 'mood beauty' brand that defined the low-saturation aesthetic, popular in Korea and Japan for its subtle, minimalist color palette. In October 2023, LG Household & Health Care acquired 75% of its parent company Vivawave for 42.5 billion KRW, betting that hince's aesthetic could win Chinese consumers as LG's next overseas growth driver.

The China strategy relied on TMall flagship stores, Douyin shops, and Xiaohongshu presence — all digital, no offline stores. But hince's positioning was trapped: priced above mass Korean brands (Laneige, Innisfree) but lacking the product performance (longevity, pigmentation) to justify the premium. Chinese domestic brands at the same price point iterated faster, offered more shades, and understood local marketing better.

On January 1, 2026, hince closed its TMall official flagship store, TMall Global flagship store, Douyin overseas flagship store, and Xiaohongshu official store. The official reason was 'brand strategy adjustment.' In reality, the brand that LG had acquired to grow overseas had failed to gain traction in the world's largest beauty market.

The aesthetic had no product moat, so Chinese rivals matched it cheaper, and the mood beauty concept failed on Douyin's fast-paced livestream model.

hince's aesthetic-driven positioning had no product moat — Chinese domestic brands matched the look at lower prices with faster iteration

The 'mood beauty' concept, built for Instagram-style storytelling, could not translate into sales on Douyin's high-ROI, fast-pace livestream model

LG overpaid for a brand that was popular in Korea but had no China market proof — the acquisition assumed the aesthetic would travel, but it did not

Buying a Korean beauty brand does not buy you the China market. An aesthetic without a product moat is a filter, not a business.

hince continued operations in Korea and Japan, while its China digital footprint was reduced to zero. The exit was part of a broader 2025–2026 wave of Korean and foreign beauty brands leaving China, including Filorga and HAYDON.