More Than Soap: How Kojie San is aggressively expanding its beauty empire

Go to the beauty section of any drug store or supermarket and you’ll find an iconic white box with a winking geisha. Kojie San has been a solid mainstay in the skin lightening sector, and it’s become so popular among international Asian Beauty fans that you can find listings for the brand’s famous soap on Amazon! While we at Project Vanity are not interested in skin lightening and whitening per se, we find that the Kojie San’s soap is one fo the most effective products to help even out darker areas.

As successful as Kojie San is now, the company behind it has a fascinating origin story. It began with a woman named Jazz Burila, who felt unsatisfied despite having a thriving career and a comfortable life. Taking a leap of faith, she left her job and decided to blaze her own trail. While running a buy-and-sell business that had her shuttling back and forth between Laguna and Manila, the eagle-eyed businesswoman spotted an orange bar of soap that she added to her wares. It was a huge success! From selling just a few dozen bars at a time, the orders quickly reached thousands. In 2006, BEVi (Beauty Elements Ventures Inc.) was formed with Jazz as its CEO and founder. Their star product was then reformulated, recreated, and redesigned into the Kojie San kojic acid soap we know today!

Of course, the story doesn’t stop there. In addition to their signature kojic acid soap, BEVi has expanded the Kojie San line to include a wide range of skin and body care products. I only knew that they also had sunscreen, but didn’t even realize how big their business has become until in a recent event where BEVi introduced their latest campaign and new-and-improved product lines!

For their OG lightening soap and skin and body care line, the brand has improved formulations with a Zero Pigment Light Technology so that the active ingredients are more efficient and better absorbed by the skin. This makes the products better at targeting dark spots, age spots, melasma, and hyperpigmentation. There is also a HydroMoist variant that features enhanced moisturizing properties.

The brand ensures that men’s needs are covered as well with Kojie San Men, which now comes with Cell Active Technology. This addition helps increase cell resistance to stress while moisturizing.

The launch of Life by Kojie San signifies the brand’s move into cosmeceuticals and food supplements. Their first release will be the Glutathione Anti-Oxidant Drink, made with fermented pomegranate, acai berry extract, and vitamins.

Pureganics by Kojie San will soon be known simply as Pureganics. A new look accompanies this change, and a Ginger variant will be part of the lineup.

Speaking of new looks, Bellic (pronounced as “Belique”), BEVi’s brightening line is also getting a makeover. This collection highlights daisy flower extract and fruit acids (AHAs) to help achieve glowing skin.

Formerly their pimple defense line, Defensil will be relaunched as a pharmaceutical brand. Their flagship range features isopropyl alcohol products with 70% and 50% solutions for effective germ defense.

Finally, BEVi enters the pet care industry with Breedwinner, a collection of pet grooming products. They’ll soon be selling Top2Tail 2-in-1 Shampoo + Conditioner that’s safe to use for pets as well as their owners.

I had no idea that there was a lot more to the company than their iconic orange soap, and it’s inspiring to see a Filipino brand reach new heights. Their story is also a great reminder to follow your instincts, and that taking risks can have big payoffs. Have you used Kojie San products before? What are your favorites, and what are you looking forward to trying?