Jing Botanics is bringing an Eastern flair to the hot scalp care category.
Launching with a single product, $48 The Revitalizing Hair and Scalp Serum, the new luxury brand combines traditional Chinese medicine with science to merge Eastern and Western approaches to beauty. In TCM, the word “jing” refers to an essence or spirit, according to Jing Botanics co-founder Ivan Cheng, who says the concept is based on the belief that true vitality, health and wellness comes from within.
He elaborates, “Our name reflects this concept, and our commitment to celebrating the healing power of nature on the journey to unlocking our fullest selves and embracing holistic well-being.”
Cheng developed Jing Botanics with his old friend Hazel Yeo. The pair reconnected in Singapore, where the brand is based, during a time when Yeo was experiencing postpartum hair loss after the birth of her first child and Cheng was stressed out about the potential of hair loss due to his sensitive scalp.
The duo set off on a 2-year journey to research, test and develop formulas with the help of cosmetic chemists, trichologists and TCM herbalists. Jing Botanics’ 1.35-oz. serum contains herbal and plant extracts inspired by TCM such as ginseng, ginger, heartleaf and dong quai as well as probiotics, biotin, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.
Cheng says, “We were both big believers in traditional Chinese medicine as a source of healing and health, but we couldn’t find any modern formulations in hair care that harness its power in an innovative way.”
In the short term, Jing Botanics’ product pipeline is focused on haircare. The brand may explore categories beyond haircare like body care in the long term. Yeo and Cheng are taking the next few months to learn as much about Jing Botanics’ customer as they can and will enlarge the brand’s assortment informed by their learnings.
“We see Jing Botanics as a wellness brand that begins with haircare, but expands across the personal care category,” says Cheng. “We would love to be able to celebrate our Eastern heritage on a global scale and truly be a next-generation wellness brand.”
Cheng and Yeo expect Jing Botanics’ customers to be similar to them: young moms navigating new territory and men in their 30s concerned about hair loss. “Our target audience is those that are closest to our heart, so people like us who are looking to prioritize a more holistic approach to their beauty and wellness routines,” says Yeo. “As we enter the scalp care market, we position ourselves as a luxury player who offer both women and men elevated holistic solutions.”
Yeo worked in banking for five years and venture capital and private equity for another five before stepping back from the financial sector to concentrate on being a mother. For nearly four years in New York, Cheng worked at Revlon, where he was head of global digital prior to moving to Singapore. In 2021, he founded JIGI Beverages, a canned hard seltzer brand, with three friends. The brand’s name is a portmanteau of the co-founders’ four names: Jaidev, Ivan, Gordon and Imran.
Discussing his tenure at Revlon, Cheng says, “I really got to see a lot of the haircare industry and how much innovation there was already and how much more space there was for something like Jing Botanics.”
Cheng and Yeo hope to raise money in the future to build Jing Botanics in the American market. The pair declined to share how much it cost to start the brand. At the outset, it has an international footprint. While it’s headquartered in Singapore, it ships globally via its website. Cheng sees Jing Botanics’ marketing and distribution strategy as going hand in hand.
“As we build that momentum and look to expand, we are setting our sites on working with retail partners across the globe, particularly those who are focused on prestige and specialty beauty,” he says. “And as distribution grows, we see our content evolving, too, as we connect with new customers in different regions.
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