She draped a Hermès towel over her shoulders under her freshly washed hair and cheered, “Hello! I’m here!” at a local shopping mall featuring her face to promote her beauty brand. When publicity isn’t shown enough, Kim Lim always makes her presence known. After all, “go big or go home” is her ethos, especially when it comes to running a business. The daughter of billionaire tycoon Peter Lim has her sights set on building an empire and is determined to succeed.
Kim has been working towards her goal since founding the hair loss treatment center Papilla Haircare in 2019. Over the past three years, she has added more brands under her holding company KLHealth, including Medi Spa her Ilumia Therapeutics, Aesthetic Clinic Ilumia Medical, and Kim Her Lim Skincare her line her Ilumia Skin. Did.
The 31-year-old has been expanding her empire with new outlets. These days, Illumia Therapeutics, Illumia Medical and Papilla Haircare are her one-stop beauty destinations under one roof in i12 Katong. “The East is a strategic location because many of our customers live in the East,” she says. “We bring our signature beauty experience to those who live in the East and don’t want to leave the area.”
Like other founders on their entrepreneurial journey, Kim prides herself on not only knowing the inner workings of her business, but also being very hands-on in various departments. . She’s a beauty fanatic herself, all of her treatments are “Kim-approved,” and she’s front and center as the brand’s face and ambassador.
But Kim, born with power and privilege, has always been in the public eye. She inevitably has some detractors who believe she is simply running the business for her enjoyment, to which she seriously affirms: The success of our business is a blend of my passion for beauty and our commitment to delivering unparalleled results. Nevertheless, the astute businesswoman has understood that a strong product alone may not be enough to quell criticism, and has worked to strengthen brand awareness and credibility.
“I hope that one day my name will be synonymous with aesthetics and beauty. When people think about how to achieve their beauty goals, the first thing that comes to mind is to be the Illumia and Papilla brands. I hope you will,” she says. “I want to leave a legacy”
As Kim hits her stride as an entrepreneur, there are some hard lessons she learned. A lot, she surmises, boils down to mutual trust and respect. She refers to Japanese author Haruki Murakami’s novel Blind Yanagi, The Sleeping Woman. No one knows what lies at the bottom. All you can do is imagine what pops up from time to time. ”
She resonated with this statement after realizing that in her early years she often trusted others too much. “I have been very fortunate to meet many people who have shown me goodness of heart, but not all of them. “Some people really don’t know,” she explains. Although she’s become more savvy, Kim’s been on her guard in our behind-the-scenes shoots with the team she knows and loves. You are betraying a healthy soul. Her banter with the photographer, whom she affectionately calls “Uncle,” and her outspoken sarcasm reveal her warmth and openness.
Despite his busy schedule, Kim regularly finds time to give back to society. Growing up her father taught her the importance of her philanthropic work. She’s now passing that value on in her workplace and instilling it in her five-year-old son Kaiden. When founding KLHealth, she introduced Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives to help disadvantaged groups such as the elderly, children and animals. “These are constant efforts and we will support them wherever we can,” adds Kim, who is in talks with several organizations to build her CSR plans for the longer term.
Kim hopes to not only grow the brand in Singapore, but eventually expand overseas, including in Southeast Asia. Currently, Kim has paused her brick-and-mortar expansion, instead focusing on developing her e-commerce business and partnering with more platforms such as tangs.com. In the third quarter of this year, we plan to renew the Papira Hair Care series and introduce the new Ilumia Skin series.
Though putting a lot of energy into her business is fulfilling, the self-confessed workaholic places a high priority on spending quality time with loved ones and taking care of herself. I am finding rest in therapy at Therapeutics and Papilla Haircare. She says, “Treatments make me look and feel great, so every time I step outside I feel new. It’s important to know when to take a break and recharge your batteries before heading back to conquer the world.” is.”
Her first priority and greatest joy, of course, is her son. Everything she does is for him. “He’s one of the best things that ever happened to me,” says Kim. An ideal day for her mother and son would be shopping for toys and groceries. “Toys are something that both Kaiden and I love, so it’s always a lot of fun. Then when I go to the grocery store and see all the fruits and vegetables, Kyden always says something very random and pisses me off.” .”
She believes herself to be a rather “cool mother” to Kaiden, but is adamant about not spoiling him. “You can have all kinds of wealth and the best education, but if you are a fundamentally bad person, it means nothing. Things don’t just fall out of the sky, and this is what Kyden is learning: We use a reward model in our home, where he only gives gifts when he’s behaving very well or doing housework. receive.”
While our crew reviewed photos of Kim in between shots, she took the opportunity to pose in a Gucci outfit on her cell phone. “Send to Kaiden!” she calls out as she returns to the set. he is always in her heart.
Header Image: Shirt with tulle overlay, Comme des Garçons
fashion direction Johnny Koo | | Art direction Audrey Chan | | Photo shoot Wee Kim | | Fashion Styling Jackie Ann | | Hair Louis Lim / Passion Hair Salon | | Makeup Sean Lee uses Chanel Beauty | | Photo support Ivan Teo | fashion assistance Kevin Tew
This story was first published in the August 2022 issue of Prestige Singapore.
