The encyclopedia · Strategy & Leadership · Strategic decision · 2019–2024
SYCA, Indonesian beauty brand, closes after five years
A Jakarta cosmetics brand that went viral with an Emily in Paris collab closed in 2024, unable to compete with Chinese brands spending 30-40% of revenue on ads.
SYCA
What happened
SYCA was founded in 2019 in Jakarta, Indonesia, by Pamela Wirjadinata and Monica Tan. The brand sold natural beauty cosmetics including lip, eye, and face makeup, and quickly gained attention for its viral collaboration with the Netflix series Emily in Paris. Its liptint products became popular among Indonesian beauty enthusiasts, and the brand built a presence on e-commerce platforms Tokopedia and Shopee.
But the Indonesian beauty market was becoming increasingly crowded. Chinese beauty brands with significantly larger marketing budgets — spending 30-40% of revenue on marketing compared to roughly 10% for local brands — were entering the market and capturing consumer attention. SYCA's viral moments created buzz but not the repeat purchase or brand loyalty needed to sustain a business in a price-sensitive, trend-driven category.
On September 30, 2024, SYCA announced its permanent closure via Instagram, effective October 15, 2024. A final farewell sale offered discounts of up to 85%. The brand's five-year run ended as one of several Indonesian local beauty brands that closed in 2024, in what industry observers called a 'Local Brand Winter' — a period of slowing growth and intensifying competition.
Why it happened
- SYCA competed in Indonesia's crowded beauty market where Chinese brands spent 30-40% of revenue on marketing, far outpacing local brands' roughly 10%
- The brand's viral Emily in Paris collaboration created buzz but not repeat purchase — when the novelty faded, customers moved to the next trend
- Founded in 2019, SYCA had only five years to build a sustainable business, and the window for Indonesian beauty startups was closing fast as competition intensified
- The closure was announced via Instagram on September 30, 2024, with an 85% off final sale — a fire sale that signaled the brand had no path to profitability
The lesson
A viral moment is not a moat. SYCA's Emily in Paris collab drove buzz but not loyalty. When Chinese brands arrived with bigger budgets, the brand had no defense.
Sources
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