Asia’s leading stem cell skin care specialist, CALECIM® Cosmeceuticals (CALECIM®), a subsidiary of Singapore-based biotech company CellResearch Corporation, has named former Zalora and Skin Inc executive Cooper McGuire as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this role, Cooper will spearhead the company’s shift from being primarily doctor-focused to adopting a direct-to-consumer approach, tapping into the growing global cosmeceuticals market which will hit US$81.75 billion by 2028.
Cooper will also lead the company’s online expansion by growing its e-commerce channels, focusing primarily on key growth markets – the US, Europe and China. US accounts for a majority of CALECIM®’s e-commerce revenue. The country’s online sales of health and beauty products are forecasted to grow from US$63 billion in 2020 to US$99 billion in 2023. China is the world’s second largest cosmetics market after the US. In 2020, retail cosmetic sales reached over US$52 billion, with just under 75% of purchases through e-commerce. Within Europe, CALECIM® will focus initially on the UK where the skincare market is estimated to exceed £2 billion.
Cooper will also oversee the streamlining and optimising of CALECIM®’s logistics and fulfilment processes. He will report to Gavin Tan, Chief Executive Officer of CALECIM®.
CALECIM® holds eight patent families across 68 countries for stem cells sourced from the umbilical cord lining. CALECIM®’s subsidiary CALECIM® Professional is the world’s only skincare powered by umbilical cord lining stem cells, which leverages globally patented technology to target the visible signs of aging. CALECIM® Professional has a range of anti-aging skincare care products and has recently launched a product to treat hair loss.
CALECIM® is also working towards developing two new brands, focused on men’s hair loss and over-the-counter dermatology concerns.
The products are sold primarily through CALECIMPROFESSIONAL.COM. They are also trusted by top aesthetic doctors and plastic surgeons globally and are sold in over 600 premium clinics across 23 countries including Japan, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, US and UK.
“CALECIM® has all the makings of a market leader in the skincare space: an early loyal customer base, a committed and intelligent team, and most importantly real, clinically validated results in an industry that often relies on marketing more than science. I’m excited to bring my experience scaling early-stage consumer businesses through digital transformation to CALECIM® to see how far we can grow together,” said Cooper of his recent appointment.
Cooper previously served as the COO and CFO of Skin Inc, a leading custom skincare brand, where he led the company’s digital transformation and e-commerce expansion. Prior to Skin Inc, Cooper took the helm at Ensogo Group as COO, a publicly-listed online marketplace with operations in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia where he was responsible for leading the company’s restructuring efforts. Before Ensogo, as co-founder and CFO, Cooper built ZALORA Group into Asia Pacific’s leading group of online fashion destinations with responsibility for core infrastructure including corporate finance, finance and accounting, business intelligence, legal and human resources.
Gavin Tan, Chief Executive Officer of CALECIM® said of the appointment, “We are thrilled to welcome Cooper on our quest to turn CALECIM® into the market leader in anti-aging stem cell cosmeceuticals. Cooper’s experience perfectly matches our needs at the right time — he has an excellent track record in the digital transformation and aggressive scaling of consumer brands and we are looking forward to his guidance as we continue this exciting journey.”
