Other
Jan 2017Hyungseok Ha said the company lost over 50% of revenue generated from China during the THAAD crisis and scaled down the China business before recovering.
SourceA global multi-brand beauty and personal care startup.
Company research
Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Updated Jul 29, 2026
Overview
MBX (formerly Memebox) is a venture-backed K-beauty and personal care company that evolved from subscription commerce into a multi-brand beauty house selling directly to consumers and through major retail partners. Its portfolio includes Nooni, Kaja, I'm Meme, I Dew Care, and Pony Effect, and recent growth has been driven by creator-led content and TikTok commerce.
Primary product
Nooni Lip Oil and other K-beauty color/care brands
Founded
2012
Headquarters
Hollywood, California, United States
Team size
100-150
Work style
Flexible
Industry
Cosmetics
Sub-industry
K-beauty and personal care brand house / e-commerce
Offices
Hollywood, California, United States
San Francisco, California, United States
Seoul, South Korea
Shanghai, China
Taipei, Taiwan
Business model
direct-to-consumer
wholesale retail partnerships
brand incubation
social commerce / content commerce
Funding
Stage
Growth
Total raised
$242.5M
Latest round
Growth · Mar 2026
Latest amount
$10M
Mar 2026 · ASQ Fund
Convertible note / growth round
Jul 2025 · Goodwater Capital
Jan 2019 · JJDC
Dec 2016
Aug 2016 · Formation Group
Mar 2015
Jun 2014
Mar 2014
Dec 2013 · SparkLabs Global Ventures
People & investors
Leadership
Co-founder & CEO
Vice President (Finance & Accounting)
Head of Finance
Head of Brand
Sales Unit Leader / Senior Director
Director of Sales
Director of Sales
Director of Sales
Director of Sales
Founders
Doin Kim
Co-founder & COO
Investors
8VC
ACF
Altos Ventures
AME Cloud Ventures
ASQ Fund
Cota Capital
Cowboy Ventures
Dong Shin Kim
Formation 8
Formation Group
FundersClub
Goodwater Capital
Janet Gurwitch
Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC
Mousse Partners
Pear VC
Pejman Mar Ventures
Saeju Jeong
Sanyo Trading
SparkLabs Global Ventures
Winklevoss Capital
Y Combinator
Work & culture
Public company materials describe MBX as a lean, collaborative, creator-led organization that values care, impact, innovation, experience, justice, urgency, curiosity, authenticity, quality, fun, and data-driven decision-making.
Work style
Flexible
Product & market
Pricing
Affordable mass-market / accessible prestige pricing; many products are positioned under $20 and sold through DTC plus wholesale retail channels.
Differentiators
- —K-beauty product innovation and manufacturing know-how
- —Creator-led and TikTok-first demand generation
- —Data-driven brand incubation and white-space identification
- —Speed-to-market
- —Affordable pricing
- —Co-developed brands with major retailers like Sephora and Ulta
Technology
Shopify
TikTok Shop
SAP ERP
Rippling
Salesforce
Segment
Customers
K-beauty and beauty consumers
Gen Z / digitally savvy shoppers
U.S. retail shoppers at Sephora, Ulta, Target, Amazon, Walgreens, Nordstrom, Macy's, and Costco
Competitors
e.l.f. Beauty
Thrive Causemetics
PAT McGRATH LABS
Renee Cosmetics
IPSY
Birchbox
Ulta Beauty
Scale & contact
Estimated revenue
$300M-$400M
Estimated monthly visits
289.1K
Traffic estimate as of Jul 2026
Signals & risks
Other
Jan 2020During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company focused on profitability and said it reached positive cash flow and EBITDA profitability in five quarters.
SourceLatest news
Modern Retail · Jun 2026
Modern Retail says MBX uses a TikTok-first model to verify demand via TikTok Shop before expanding into wholesale and physical retail, with Nooni and Kaja reaching top seller tiers on TikTok Shop.
PR Newswire · Jun 2026
MBX said Nooni Lip Oil exceeded 200 million cumulative TikTok views and promoted its largest-ever Amazon Prime Day event across Amazon U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
Inside Retail · Jun 2026
Interview covers MBX's evolution from subscription commerce to brand incubation, the launch of its first U.S. office operations, and current growth driven by Nooni Lip Oil.
PR Newswire · May 2026
I'm Meme launched in 1,900 Walgreens stores and online, with all products priced under $20.
StartupRecipe · Jul 2025
StartupRecipe reported MBX raised an additional $6.5M in a convertible note round led by existing investors including Goodwater Capital, with total funding reaching $227M.
Jobs and careers at MBX
1 job at MBX
Vice President of Business Development
Remote
Operations
Remote - within the U.S.
11mo ago
Remote
Full-time