Meet Lauren Ing | President

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Ing and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
Authenticity means that our actions and words are congruent with our beliefs and values. It is being ourselves and being true to who we are. We value accepting ourselves and others for who they truly are. We value thoughtfulness and being able to be transparent. We value honesty and integrity and being trustworthy. Most of all, we honor the trust placed in us by our customers. Our products are safe, non-toxic and natural. We only use top quality ingredients combined with the latest science to make products that are truly effective, natural and luxurious. We hold ourselves and our products to the highest standards. We know that our products reflect our core values and we are proud of what we have been able to accomplish.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Founded over 20 years ago, as one of the first luxury, natural Korean skin care companies to combine advanced technology with powerful, rare ancient herbal medicinal formulations, we know the secret to help heal and transform your skin. Each patented formulation has over 35-65 active ingredients. Compare this with most skin care products that only contain 1-3 active ingredients. Everything about SMD Cosmetics is meticulous and held to the highest standard of excellence. In South Korea, we are the only cosmetic company, in the whole industry, to ever be awarded the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence and Innovation. We proudly remain dedicated to being natural, safe, non-toxic, dermatologist tested, non-comedogenic, cruelty free, paraben-free, gluten-free and environmentally friendly and we never test on animals. We are a high conscious company that values ethical and socially responsible actions. SMD Cosmetics is the original natural, luxury, safe and non-toxic skincare company. SMD Cosmetics is a company committed to providing the confidence of healthy, glowing, beautiful skin through the most innovative, powerful Korean botanical skincare that is available anywhere in the world. What makes us stand apart from the others: SMD Cosmetics truly stands out, by simply being the best. Patented, clean, natural and non-toxic. SMD Cosmetics is completely vertically integrated, which means we own every step of the process, from research and development to manufacturing. We use only top quality ingredients, advanced technology and meticulous, labor-intensive processes, to help ensure that our products are truly the best. Our 39 patents guarantee that our proprietary formulations are truly unique. ANCIENT HERBAL FORMULATIONS: As one of the founders of hanbang (Korean Herbal Medicine) skincare, SMD Cosmetics epitomizes Eastern beauty philosophies and herbal medicinal practices. INNOVATION: With over 39 patents, we are up to 15 years advanced in providing the latest technology and break-though advancements to making natural skin care that is powerful and natural. NATURAL: With over 35-65 active ingredients in one formulation, only the purest, most premium natural ingredients are sourced. Challenges: Although the parent company, Saimdang, was founded over 20 years ago in South Korea, it was only recently that SMD Cosmetics was founded by Lauren Ing. She introduced these amazing products to North America, for the first time. The biggest challenge that she faced was educating women in the United States, and beyond, of the importance of a skincare regimen. Being that most women, at the time, focused mostly on covering up with color cosmetics, she had to spend a lot of time educating women about the importance and benefits of having a regular skincare routine. She also continues to educate customers about the importance of using natural and non-toxic products. Our skin is our largest organ and it functions to help pull out toxins from our bodies. Generally, most people put on skincare products in the morning and leave it on all day and wash it off and put more on immediately after cleansing. Most people are exposing themselves to the ingredients all day and all night. Many of the skincare ingredients go straight into the bloodstream. This is why it is so important to use products that are safe and non-toxic. Many people don’t think about this… It is possible to have skincare that is natural, luxurious, safe and effective. Brand Story: Beauty entrepreneur, Lauren Ing, is the Founder and President of SMD Cosmetics Intl., a natural Korean skin care and beauty company. With a M. Ed. in Psychology and a M.A. in Organizational Leadership, both from Columbia University, Lauren began her career as a Licensed Marriage and Family psychotherapist, but transitioned quickly to being a successful serial entrepreneur. She understood the devastating impact that skin issues can have on a person’s sense of well-being and self esteem, long term. After so many years of struggling with her own skin, she became a self-taught expert in skincare. She considers herself a “ skin therapist” by helping people find their way to feeling good about themselves and their skin. After discovering the miraculous results of this incredible Korean beauty secret, she combined her passion to help others with her experience and intuition for entrepreneurship, beauty and skin care, to launch SMD Cosmetics Intl.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite spots in the LA area include some of the staples… although things are very different now, with covid… I would stay at the Oceana or the Waldorf and start my day at 10 Speed Coffee in Calabasas with my maple latte with oat milk, and then have lunch on the Rooftop by JG and dinner at Nobu in Malibu. Some other places I would also enjoy include the Gucci Osteria, Soho House, West Hollywood and Malibu, Malibu Farm Restaurant, Geoffrey’s Malibu, Highlight Room Grill and enjoy some non-dairy ice cream at Salt and Straw in Venice.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have been so blessed to have so many people help me along the way. It has been a combination of so many people supporting me… It’s been a group effort, in so many ways. All of the people that believed in me and my products, especially all of the customers, and celebrity makeup artists and celebrities and influencers that all swore by my products and helped to spread the word and all of whom continue to be devout fans made what SMD Cosmetics is today. I know I am leaving out a lot of people, but I would like to thank my dear friends, family and supporters who have helped to make all of this possible: Amoreena Berg, Shveta Goel, Elizabeth Hoel-Chang, Devon Ableman, Candice Kim, Karina Cha, Troy Jensen and Jarek Addison, my parents, Eddie Yang, my graphic designer, Sara Station, my attorney, Mark Holmes, my website designer, Anthony Spain and last must not least, my wonderful husband Terry Ing, my husband, deserves a shoutout, for sure! He has been so supportive, loving and insightful during this journey. He has helped me every step of the way, in every possible way. His encouragement and wisdom have all been invaluable. I truly could not have done it without him. As a matter of fact, he was the one who suggested that I do this in the first place! In addition, I would like to thank all of the magazines and blogs that featured SMD Cosmetics and helped to introduce a lot of people to SMD Cosmetics. Finally, I would like to also thank Nigel’s Beauty Emporium and Saks Fifth Avenue’s managers, staff and customers for being amazing supporters, users and advocates of SMD Cosmetics.

Website: www.smdcosmetics.com
Instagram: smdcosmetics
Linkedin: Lauren Ing
Twitter: @SMDcosmeticsUS
Facebook: SMD Cosmetics
Youtube: SMD Cosmetics Intl.

Image Credits
Lauren Ing photos by Troy Jensen. Product Photography by Eddie Yang