From Beauty Lab to Tariffs: Yoonseo’s career, geopolitics, and 70 lip tints

I met Yoonseo at SATE, a fusion Asian bar on the hillside of HBC — one of Seoul’s liveliest neighborhoods. Over cold ales and the low hum of a Friday crowd, she filled me in on her latest life pivot and the beauty products she won’t leave home without.

Yoonseo Oh @HBC, Seoul

HER CAREER

“I studied biology and stayed loyal to it. That’s why I went on to do my Master’s in biology and then started off my career in R&D at a cosmetics company in Korea. My first career shift was internal: I moved departments from Research to Global Marketing — my key accounts being skincare brands like Belif.

Going from formulas to forecasts was a jump. In a way I’ve experienced the opposite ends of the beauty value chain. Beauty marketing moves fast. Trends shift daily, and you're constantly switching between creation and execution. I learned a lot but was also in need of something that embodies the interrogative nature of R&D.

That’s when I decided to pivot again. I’m still fascinated by biology, but it started to feel like a world of its own — somewhat separate, siloed. Fields like biology or medicine require deep specialization — a kind of moat you build and stay inside. Whereas the rest of the world — including buzz concepts like AI, semiconductors, beauty — is very much intertwined. I grew more curious of the world’s mechanics, how different industries are assembled then dissembled.

So I quit my full-time job as a Global Marketer and began exploring consulting. Nowadays I’m working on practicing for case interviews and acquiring more industry knowledge. I’m thinking of more ways to sculpt my biology-expertise into a differentiator.”

HER PASSIONS

“Tariffs, geopolitics, wildfires, climate change — I’m into the macro forces that shape everything. I’m these days most invested in discovering an method or an item to reciprocate change. Recently such items had been introductions of new platforms and contents - what now?

My ultimate goal is taking over the world — less in a villainous sense, more in reclaiming pace in a world that doesn’t slow down. In finding a way to override the rapid alternations of the 21st century and paving my own path.

Everyone has something that drives them — a personal why. For me, it’s achievement. Big or small, I’m always working toward the next milestone, following that compass point. Even if the path is winding now, I believe that as long as I don’t lose sight of that direction, I’ll eventually connect the dots and end up with a life that tilts the way I want it to. 

On a softer note — shoes.

It’s nearly impossible to find a pair that’s both beautiful and wearable. Pretty shoes hurt, comfy ones are not as pretty. There are a million of perfect shoes out there, but finding my pair is a lifelong quest.”

HER BEAUTY

“The one thing I never leave home without: Lip tint. I have over 70. They say power is in the red lip, and I get it. People listen more closely when you’re saying something with bold lips on. It’s a kingmaker.

I always carry two. One to apply as a base, and one to bring out the saturation. I use this Clio lip tint as a base color (on the left). It has a water-blur formulation so it melts in like your own lips. Then I layer this glossy Rom&d lip tint for that extra saturation and shine (on the right).

If I were to pick out another holy grail, it would be this pressed powder. I got this from Canmake, the Japanese makeup brand. Its a compact, matte blur-finish that covers up your pores and smoothens out the skin. I carry it around to apply mid-day when I feel my skin gets oily. I don’t always prefer matte over glow, but sometimes you need to tone down the shine — and this does the job.”

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