Not all scars are visible on the skin.
Some remain deeper — and guide us throughout our lives.
Jihoon Kim, founder of Seon, knows this well.
His story does not begin in a research lab or a startup, but in an elementary school in a suburb south of Seoul, when he was only 11 years old.
There, every day, his face marked by early acne became a target.
“It wasn't just my skin that hurt. It was the stares, the comments, the quiet snickers.”
Son of two teachers, strict yet present, Jihoon grew up in a family where health was important — but only the “visible” kind.
“Don't waste money on a pimple,” his mother would say. “You're a boy, it will go away on its own.”
But it didn't go away. In fact, it got worse.
And with it, his relationship with the mirror worsened.
Every cheap patch, every "miraculous" soap secretly bought at the local minimarket, became a small hope — consistently disappointed.
The meeting that changes everything
It was only at 17 that everything began to change.
In the midst of a crisis — with inflamed skin, a low mood, and a desire to hide — Jihoon accidentally walked into a small specialized pharmacy, one of those rare places that don’t just sell you products, but ask questions.
Behind the counter, an elderly pharmacist listened to him. Truly.
“It’s your skin that needs to regain balance, not you that need to fight it,” he told him.
That phrase changed his approach.
It inspired him to study, to seek real answers, to understand why most products seemed only to "turn off" the skin, never improve it.
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The birth of a vision
Years later, Jihoon graduated in biochemistry. Not to become a "cosmetic influencer," but to truly understand how the skin works.
He started working in a small independent laboratory, where research was prioritized over marketing.
There he had an insight: what if instead of attacking the skin, we helped it function better?
From this vision, the first controlled ion release formula was born.
A system capable of acting deeply, with precision, without drying or irritating.
Thus, IonClear™ was born, the first "smart" nasal patch.
Then Invisidots™, for individual blemishes.
Then AreaFix™, for those large, inflamed, hard-to-treat areas.
Because Seon is not just a name
The name Seon, in Korean, evokes purity, but also the concept of "line" — a path.
A system, not a trend. A logical choice, not an impulsive act.
"I didn't want another skincare brand.
I wanted a simple, respectful, effective method.
A way to stop hating your own skin.”
Today Seon has become a reality in thousands of homes.
It is the result of pain transformed into expertise. Of shame turned into motivation.
And of a promise kept: to treat the skin with intelligence, not with force.
