Anua Just Signed Suzy and Kendall Jenner Back to Back

The skincare brand that quietly took over Amazon US beauty rankings now has two of the most recognizable faces in the world fronting it — and the timing is not accidental.

Anua, the flagship brand under Korean company The Founders, named actor Suzy as its exclusive brand model on May 11, then followed up on June 1 by announcing Kendall Jenner as its first global ambassador. Two signings, three weeks apart. The dual move is specifically tied to pushing Anua's PDRN line — the brand's high-function skincare range — into markets where name recognition still does the heavy lifting.

For context on why this matters: Anua is already in over 160 countries, hit the top spot in the Amazon US beauty category during Prime Day last July, and was named an Amazon Top Brand for 2024. It also ranked in the top tier of Japan's Qoo10 Mega Sale overall revenue. The brand's overseas sales account for roughly 90% of The Founders' total revenue — so this isn't a domestic brand dipping its toes into global marketing. It's a global brand that happens to be Korean, now spending accordingly.

The products that built this: Anua's hero lineup includes the Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner, the Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil, and the PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum. The heartleaf (어성초, eoseongcho) angle — a natural, skin-calming ingredient — was the brand's early differentiator, and the PDRN serum represents its push into the higher-function derma space that both ambassador deals are meant to amplify.

The business reality behind the glamour: The Founders' advertising spend jumped from 45.2 billion won in 2024 to 118 billion won in 2025 — a 161% increase in a single year. Revenue grew 67.8% to 717.7 billion won, but operating profit actually fell 11.1% to 129.5 billion won. The Suzy and Kendall signings are part of that spend spike. Whether the brand can convert ambassador buzz into sustained margin recovery is the open question, but the global distribution infrastructure is already there.

For K-beauty watchers, the Suzy signing is the more interesting one domestically — she's a credibility signal for Korean consumers who already know the brand but respond to a face that carries that kind of cultural weight. The Kendall signing is pure Western market play: name recognition, reach, and the kind of social proof that moves product on Amazon and TikTok Shop. Anua is running both plays simultaneously, which tells you exactly how seriously The Founders is treating this growth window.