Aid Korea and Grace Establish Strategic Alliance for Global Expansion

Aid Korea Company and Grace have entered into a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) on September 29, aimed at expanding the distribution network of the Korean beauty brand Mary&May into the U.S. and Japan. The signing ceremony took place at Grace's headquarters in Gangnam, Seoul.

This collaboration is designed to combine Aid Korea's global brand competitiveness with Grace's domestic and international distribution and marketing infrastructure to accelerate Mary&May's penetration into the North American and Japanese markets. Grace has established a local subsidiary, 'GRACE America Inc.', to develop a North American distribution infrastructure that handles retail responses, vendor management, logistics, customs, and inventory operations.

In particular, Grace has secured vendor codes with key U.S. retail channels such as Costco, Ulta Beauty, and Nordstrom, which allows them to supply products directly, bypassing intermediaries. This approach aims to facilitate the entry and establishment of K-beauty brands into the U.S. market. Additionally, Grace has set up a local subsidiary in Japan, 'GRACE JAPAN', focusing on product registration and a 3PL logistics network, with K-beauty products being supplied to over 5,000 variety stores, including Loft and Don Quijote, as well as expanding distribution into premium channels like Isetan department store.

Under the new MOU, both parties will collaborate in several areas including: identifying overseas buyers and distribution channels, product supply and quality management, local marketing and sales activation, sharing necessary export documentation and market information, and other foreign business-related tasks agreed upon by both parties.

Mary&May, Aid Korea’s flagship brand, focuses on efficacy-proven K-Clean Beauty and is currently present in over 70 countries, with approximately 85% of its total revenue generated from overseas markets. There is a strategic emphasis on enhancing its functional skin care portfolio centered around the Spicule PDRN line.

Grace is recognized for its long-standing partnerships with global brands and companies, facilitating both international brands entering the Korean market and domestic brands expanding globally. With established partnerships in key markets like Japan, China, and the U.S., Grace's experience helps successfully integrate foreign brands into the domestic market while connecting Korean brands to international markets such as Japan, Taiwan, and the U.S.

Grace positions itself not just in distribution, but also in brand discovery, launching, channel development, marketing, localization, and export, establishing a unique competitive advantage as a ‘global brand builder’. This enhances its role as a bi-directional global distribution platform linking international brands' entry into Korea and K-beauty brands' overseas expansion.

An Aid Korea representative remarked, “The global distribution network and local market execution capabilities of Grace will serve as a crucial foundation for Mary&May to advance to its next growth phase.” They further expressed commitment to long-term partnership development that synergizes brand strategy, marketing, and retail operations across strategic markets, including the U.S. and Japan.

A Grace representative highlighted, “Mary&May already possesses verified product competitiveness and an established global growth foundation as a K-beauty brand. We will leverage our direct trading systems with major U.S. retailers and the distribution networks developed through our Japan subsidiary to actively support Mary&May's market entry, local distribution expansion, and brand establishment.”