The evening of May 29 was a pretty big one for Bangkok’s high society crowd — it was when Korn Narongdej finally proposed to Sririta Jensen. And where were we when the extravagant down-on-one-knee took place? Celebrating the launch of Koh Gen Do. Under the theme of ‘Spotlight Glamour on the Red Carpet’, the city’s creme de la creme gathered at The Waldorf Astoria Bangkok’s Camellia Ballroom in a stunning sea of sophisticated red and black, reminding us that when you give Thai high-society a dress code, they’ll be sure to pull it off well. We weren’t surprised by the impressive turn-out rate — Koh Gen Do can be considered almost a cult beauty brand for society’s elite. The labels’ official launch in Thailand was definitely cause for celebration. From who attended to what went down, here’s our #PrestigeRecap of the affair.
Koh Gen Do: What’s the Story?
Known for premium cosmetics and skincare products, Koh Gen Do originated in Japan, established by Japanese actress Ai Saotome. Due to her profession, Ai was constantly sleep deprived and had to wear heavy makeup each day, leading her skin to gradually lose its fresh glow. Concerned about her stressed skin, she decided to create a line of pure and healthy skincare products. Inspired by the skincare traditions of her country, as well as her own lifestyle, the result was a beauty line designed to deliver radiant skin both on and off screen.
What’s the Craze?
Any self-respecting beauty enthusiast would have come across — and probably even subscribed to — the effective, non-intrusive and preventative approach of Japanese skincare. Koh Gen Do takes this philosophy and elevates it. Stemming from the idea that everything applied onto the skin should contribute to its health, all products in the line avoid artificial ingredients, fragrances, synthetic pigments and petroleum-based mineral oil. The top quality skincare and cosmetic products have made their way into the movie sets of some of our favourite Hollywood classics — including the likes of The Tourist, Glee, Sex and the City, American Hustle and more. Not only is it popular in Japan and the Asian region, but the products are loved by global superstars worldwide, gracing the skin of Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba, Anne Hathaway, and Blake Lively among others.
The official launch introduced two of Koh Gen Do’s top selling product lines to the Thai market. For the social media-savvy, you have Koh Gen Do Maifanshi, a high-performance, eco-friendly collection of makeup products specifically created to keep your skin flawless in front of high-definition cameras. For those looking to pamper their skin, there’s the Koh Gen Do Spa Series — moisture-dense skincare products enriched with botanicals, created to hydrate and soothe the skin. While all products deserve praise, we were particularly impressed by the waterproof foundation, which really stays true to its waterproof characteristic. Ideal for Thailand’s humid summer days, this is one of those foundations you can truly rely on to keep your skin on point without becoming too oily, cakey, or blotted — definitely one to add to our makeup routines!
The Launch Event: What Went Down?
Surrounded by animated mingling and chatter, the event kicked off with rather informative on-stage makeup tutorials by Bank Natdanai. We got to play around with some of the products on show, which is always ideal — it’s great to be able to experience new beauty products firsthand in order to see how well they suit your specific needs. The tutorials were soon followed by a fashion show of Koh Gen Do products, led by — and you won’t believe this — none other than Sririta Jensen herself, who was then proposed to mere hours later. The night ended — or shall we say began again? — on a bubbly note, with a champagne toast for celebration.
Who Was There?
Brand Director of Koh Gen Do, and the sister of founder Ai Saotome, Megumi Setoguchi was present at the event to give a special, heartfelt speech on the brand’s origins, history, and philosophy. She was joined at the event by a rather full red carpet of Bangkok’s most prominent names — most of which, we were happy to see, were good friends of Prestige. We bumped into both close friends and Prestige regulars alike, including Kingkan Salakorntanawat, Nishsha Boonyagorn, and Punnyaaphat Thanhomkul. Scroll to see who else was there!
To find out more about Koh Gen Do, visit FB @KohGenDoThailand, or kohgendocosmetics.com.