Founder retains 60% ownership and management control after building a profitable global business grounded in vegan standards, climate-inspired beauty and community participation
SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In an industry often defined by fast-moving ingredient trends, viral products and rapidly changing consumer attention, AXIS-Y has followed a different path.
Since launching in 2019, the global vegan skincare brand has built its identity around three consistent foundations: vegan and cruelty-free principles, a climate-inspired approach to skincare and direct participation from its global community.
That approach has now translated into measurable results.
AXIS-Y is present in approximately 100 countries, generates more than 90% of its revenue outside Korea and has sold more than 20 million units of its hero product, the Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum.
The brand has now entered into an agreement to welcome MBK Partners as a minority growth investor at a valuation of approximately KRW 430 billion.
Under the agreement, MBK Partners will acquire a 40% stake in Asia Master Trade Co., Ltd., the company behind AXIS-Y, for approximately KRW 172 billion.
Following completion of the transaction, the founder will retain a 60% stake, remain the company's largest shareholder and continue to lead the management and strategic direction of AXIS-Y.
This is not a founder exit or a transfer of management control. It is a minority investment in a founder-controlled global beauty business.
The transaction represents external recognition of the brand, business and global consumer base AXIS-Y has already built—and provides a foundation for taking that model into its next stage.
A Different Path to Global K-Beauty Growth
K-beauty's rise has been shaped by rapid innovation, ingredient discovery, accessible pricing and the ability to respond quickly to emerging consumer trends.
AXIS-Y has benefited from that global momentum, but it has not built its identity around the trend cycle alone.
Rather than redefining the brand around each new ingredient or viral product moment, AXIS-Y established a long-term framework rooted in how climate, environment and lifestyle affect the skin.
The brand recognized that consumers living in different places experience different temperatures, humidity levels, environmental stressors and daily routines—and therefore do not share one universal definition of ideal skincare.
This became the basis of AXIS-Y's climate-inspired approach: developing skincare for different consumer realities while maintaining clear vegan and cruelty-free standards.
Its community has played an active role in that process. AXIS-Y has gathered insights from consumers and creators across 68 countries through surveys, voting and product testing, incorporating their perspectives into product development and global communication.
The brand did not wait until products were finished to begin listening. Community participation became part of how the products and the brand were built.
The World Recognized AXIS-Y Before Its Home Market Did
AXIS-Y launched in 2019 and expanded internationally before achieving widespread recognition in Korea.
The brand grew across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the CIS region. Today, it is available in approximately 100 countries, with international markets accounting for more than 90% of total revenue.
Its Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum surpassed 20 million units in cumulative global sales, becoming the clearest proof point of the brand's international demand.
Only after establishing its global foundation did AXIS-Y formally expand its presence in its home market.
The brand entered Olive Young in Korea in 2025, approximately six years after launch, and key products subsequently reached No. 1 in the retailer's online rankings.
AXIS-Y did not follow the conventional path of building domestic recognition first and exporting later. It proved its competitiveness with global consumers and then returned home with international demand already established.
The Investment Is the Result—not the Beginning—of AXIS-Y's Growth
The minority investment from MBK Partners does not represent the beginning of AXIS-Y's success.
It recognizes the value of a global business that was already growing, profitable and supported by a clearly defined brand foundation.
The founder's continued 60% ownership and management control are central to the structure of the partnership. AXIS-Y will continue to be founder-led, with MBK Partners participating as a financial investor and growth partner.
The purpose of the partnership is not to replace the identity that created AXIS-Y's current value, but to expand its potential.
"The valuation recognized through this transaction is meaningful, but what matters more is the long-term brand value AXIS-Y will create from here," said the founder of AXIS-Y.
"This investment recognizes what our team and global community have already built. We did not create AXIS-Y around a single trend or market. We built it around a clear point of view, consistent standards and the belief that consumers should be part of the brand's development."
"We will preserve the vegan beauty philosophy and global consumer-centered identity that have guided us from the beginning while continuing to invest in our products, our brand, technology and people."
From Global Skincare to Global Beauty
With MBK Partners joining as a minority growth investor, AXIS-Y will focus its next stage of development across four areas.
Global Expansion
AXIS-Y will increase online and offline distribution and strengthen brand investment across key international markets.
Category Expansion
The company will extend its consumer insight and product-development capabilities beyond skincare into haircare, beauty devices and other new areas.
AI & Data Transformation
AXIS-Y will expand its use of AI and data across global consumer analysis, market forecasting, demand planning, product development and operational efficiency.
Global Talent & Organization
The company will attract key global talent and strengthen the expertise and execution capabilities required to support its next stage.
Creating Long-Term Value with the People Behind the Brand
AXIS-Y also views talent as a central driver of long-term company and brand value.
The company has introduced an employee stock-option program for key talent and plans to expand participation as the organization grows.
The program is designed to connect the company's future value with the people contributing to its creation—ensuring that the next stage of growth is not only built by employees, but meaningfully shared with them.
"Together with MBK Partners, we will strengthen our global competitiveness from a long-term perspective and continue to explore new markets and categories," the founder said.
"Our goal is not simply to become larger. It is to build a global beauty brand with a clear identity that consumers around the world will continue to choose for years to come."
Built Beyond Trends. Built for What Comes Next.
AXIS-Y grew quietly before it became widely known in Korea.
It expanded globally without abandoning the principles on which it was founded. It turned one hero product into more than 20 million units sold while continuing to invest in a broader brand identity. It built relationships with consumers across different markets instead of treating global expansion as distribution alone.
The KRW 430 billion valuation and MBK Partners investment are not substitutes for that story.
They are evidence of its results.
Now, with the founder retaining majority ownership and management control, AXIS-Y is preparing to carry the same foundation into new markets, categories, technologies and consumer experiences.
Built beyond the trend cycle.
Global-first from the beginning.
Community-built for what comes next.
About AXIS-Y
AXIS-Y is a Korean 100% vegan skincare brand founded in 2019, creating Climate Inspired Skincare Solutions in response to the changing conditions that influence skin. Built around the concept of Climate of You, the brand recognizes that each person's Skin Climate is shaped by a unique combination of environment, lifestyle, and individual needs. Today, AXIS-Y products are available in more than 100 countries worldwide.
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Built Beyond Trends: Global K-Beauty Brand AXIS-Y Enters Its Next Growth Chapter with MBK Partners at a KRW 430 Billion Valuation
