Interview: Entrepreneur Kim Lim shares about expanding her beauty brand

Since we last had a proper catch up, you’ve been expanding your brands, Papilla Haircare, Illumia Therapeutics and Illumia Medical. Tell us about what’s been keeping you busy.

This year, most of my time and energy is still being channelled into work. I just opened a new mega outlet at i12 Katong, which houses all three brands, and I’m super proud of it. I am also growing my skincare line, ILLUMIASKIN. At the end of the year, we are looking at expanding Illumia Therapeutics overseas, so this year is really power-packed with plans on building and growing my brands.

Two years ago, you spoke to us about the challenges that COVID-19 brought and the lessons learnt. How have things changed since then?

I am very thankful that my business is still growing healthily. I want to say a big thank you to all my customers, and to my team for working hard alongside me. I really appreciate all of your support and effort, every bit of it.

The most important thing I’ve learned is to always be prepared for the unexpected. Anything can happen, and at any time, so it’s about having plans a to z. Sometimes, even if we plan five steps ahead, something might still hit us out of nowhere, so really it’s about taking things in my stride. And to have a clear mind so I can think straight and take on whatever challenges come.

As both Papilla Haircare and Illumia Therapeutics are establishing themselves and expanding, what would you say sets your scalp-care centre and aesthetics clinic apart?

I am not exaggerating when I say that all our treatments deliver results. If you take a look at all of our “before and after”, you can really see a difference. This is why our customers stay with us, because we help them achieve their beauty goals. I am a strong believer of maximum results with minimum effort, so we are very results-oriented. This ethos comes through in all products and treatments. I personally design and try out all the protocols for months before launching them, and my team likes to call things “Kim-approved”.

What are your personal favourite treatments?

We have our exclusive 3-Step Signature treatments at both Papilla Haircare and Illumia Therapeutics, and they are my absolute favourites. These tailored treatments use several machines in each session to target all my concerns at once.

The Illumia 3-Step Signature Facial starts off with a Clear and Bright deep cleanse, followed by Triple Gold Ultrasound Lifting, and the Needleless PDRN Healer. It’s really my secret to maintaining baby-soft skin.

The Illumia 3-Step Signature Body mixes all of our different technologies from IllumiaSculpt, Zlipo 360, RF Body Legacy Sculpt, and more to help me look good and feel good.

Last but not least is my favourite 3-Step Signature Scalp Treatment. It uses our S.E.P Activator, DNA Activator and RF RegenULTRA to treat different scalp issues while promoting hair growth.

You’ve always been one to give back. Tell us about your business-related social responsibility initiatives.

We don’t have a fixed plan per se, but we always try to give back whenever help is needed. We mainly channel our time and efforts into old folks and animals, and we try to help each entity at least twice a year. Giving back is also not solely in the form of financial support. So apart from donating a part of the profits, I try to take time to meet the people we’re helping.

Personally, I also try to give back as much as possible. It’s very important to pay it forward, and this is a value that I want to instil in my son as well. I don’t believe in broadcasting one’s efforts when being involved in charity work. But I will just do a shout-out on social media to help raise awareness of the entities that need help, as well as to rally more people to come together and help those in need.

Especially because of naysayers in the earlier days of establishing your brands, you wanted Papilla Haircare and Illumia Therapeutics to achieve good results—for yourself, and for others. What are some things that you are proudest of now?

Firstly, it’s about how far my business has come. I’m thankful that we have been doing well. I’m very proud of the customer base that we’ve built over the past two years. They have been super supportive of me and my business, and I’ve also become close friends with some of my customers. I am also proud of the results that we have delivered, in helping our customers achieve their beauty goals. It’s really about helping them look good and feel good.

Finally, I am very proud of how united my team is. We are one big family with the same goal in mind, which is to become the top beauty destination that delivers the best results. We are super united, super driven, and it really warms my heart that we all have come together, working shoulder to shoulder, to build this brand together.

What’s the one piece of work-related advice from your dad that you value the most?

I’m all about “go big or go home”, so I tend to expect a lot of results, and I expect them fast. On the other hand, my dad is the complete opposite. He always says, “slowly, slowly, catch the monkey”, and that it’s all about consistency. And his advice is very important to me because he reminds me to be patient. He is also very dedicated to his work and he uses his heart in everything he does, so I guess I’m like him in this area.

In terms of personal growth, how have you changed since embarking on entrepreneurship?

I have definitely grown to be a lot more responsible. Right now, there are a lot more people depending on me, so I need to make sure that the business does well, so my team can do well too. Team effort is really important when it comes to running a business, so I must take care of the team and ensure that they are happy working here with me. Only when we all come together and have the same goal can we become the best beauty destination.

Have your sense of style and your beauty routine evolved since turning 30?

In terms of style, I don’t think there has been much change. Comfort always comes first for me. I still like my loose, baggy clothes and platform sandals. But my beauty routine has definitely become more streamlined.

I used to do the Korean 10-step beauty routine every day and I used to wear a lot more makeup. Now, my entire routine is based on three to four products. I’ll wash my face, apply my ILLUMIASKIN serum liberally, moisturise, apply sunscreen, and then head out. I basically don’t wear makeup anymore, unless it’s for a photoshoot or a big event. But I do go for my facials very regularly, so skincare is really just my way of maintaining and extending the mileage of my facial treatments.

What is next for you, and for your brands?

For now, I’ll still be focusing on the existing outlets here in Singapore. I want to get the names out there, and build my brands as results-oriented beauty destinations. We are also working on building my skincare and scalp care lines, so more people can try the products and be introduced to the world of Illumia and Papilla. Also, we have plans for overseas expansion, so there’re a lot of exciting things brewing. Who knows, maybe we will come up with something new soon!