KPop Demon Hunters helps Anua beat Ulta sales targets by over 62%

Table of contents

Jump to each section:

• A fandom visit became a skincare shopping trip
• Why Anua chose skincare products that fit the audience
• Creators helped build the audience before the pop-ups
• What this adds to the KPop Demon Hunters retail playbook

KPop Demon Hunters has already made its way from streaming screens to collectible shelves, but Anua now has a number to attach to the fandom's retail appeal. The Korean skincare company says its October Los Angeles pop-ups with Ulta Beauty beat sales targets by more than 62%, according to chief marketing officer Michelle Miller in a November 11 Vogue Business interview.

The result is a follow-up to an activation ContentGrip previously covered, not a newly launched collaboration. What is new is the disclosed performance figure and a clearer account of how Anua connected licensed entertainment, creator marketing and physical retail.

A fandom visit became a skincare shopping trip

For fans, KPop Demon Hunters offers a world built around the fictional girl group HUNTR/X, whose members perform as pop idols while battling supernatural threats. Anua translated that world into products that people could encounter outside Netflix, including pimple patches, gentle sheet masks and sunscreen.

The campaign included 48-hour events at Ulta Beauty locations in Santa Monica and Westwood in October. Miller described queues at the pop-ups and said sales exceeded targets by more than 62%. That figure is a company-reported comparison against internal targets, not a disclosed year-on-year revenue increase or an independently audited sales lift. Neither the target baseline nor the total sales value was provided.

Anua's chief executive Changju Lee personally approached Netflix for the licensing rights, then pitched the tie-in to Ulta Beauty. The agreement helped secure additional shelf space and premium in-store merchandising positions across the US retailer, according to the Vogue Business interview.

As Anua CMO Michelle Miller told Vogue Business, "People are just eating up Korean culture, and wanting more." The comment helps explain why the company chose a Korean entertainment property for its beauty retail campaign.

Why Anua chose skincare products that fit the audience

The brand's choice of products matters because the film also reaches younger viewers. Rather than building the licensed range around its stronger active-ingredient formulas, Anua emphasized barrier-friendly products such as patches, masks and sunscreen. Miller described the collaboration as a way to reach mothers and daughters together.

That gives the licensed products a practical role beyond character packaging. A shopper who arrives for the entertainment tie-in can discover the brand through accessible products, while the broader Anua range remains available in-store.

The partnership is scheduled to continue through February 2027 and includes a short film directed by K-pop music video director Kylie Kang. Anua's strategy therefore extends beyond the two October pop-ups, combining storytelling, shelf placement and physical events.

Creators helped build the audience before the pop-ups

The Netflix partnership sits within a wider creator-led growth strategy. Anua has built awareness through TikTok Shop affiliates, smaller niche creators, dermatologists, makeup artists and larger cultural figures. Vogue Business reported more than half a million TikTok posts featuring #Anua, with over seven billion aggregate views; those are platform-content figures cited in the interview, not impressions attributable to the KPop Demon Hunters campaign.

Lee said the company has long invested in putting products into the hands of creators and consumers who could share their experiences. The brand also named Kendall Jenner as its first global ambassador in June, giving it another route into mainstream beauty culture.

The commercial question is whether that attention leads to repeat purchases. Anua says it is trying to move from a digitally native, trend-driven brand toward a lasting global skincare business. The Ulta events offer an early example of how entertainment-led discovery can connect with in-store sales, although the publicly disclosed figure cannot establish longer-term customer retention.

What this adds to the KPop Demon Hunters retail playbook

Other retailers are using the same franchise in different ways. In Malaysia, MR.DIY's KPop Demon Hunters collection pairs character merchandise with a free HUNTRIX bag for qualifying RM30 purchases. That offer is built around a clear spending threshold, while Anua's pop-ups connected licensed products to a beauty retailer's shelf space and experiential shopping.

The contrast shows how one entertainment property can support different retail mechanics. MR.DIY has not disclosed campaign sales results; Anua has shared a target-beating figure, but not its underlying sales totals. Neither disclosure alone proves how much incremental revenue the IP generated.

For marketers, the most useful lesson is to separate attention from commercial evidence. A recognizable fandom can give shoppers a reason to visit, and product selection can help them make a purchase. Measuring whether those visits beat a target is a useful next step, provided the target and its limitations are explained.

Sources: Vogue Business interview with Anua; Netflix Tudum collaboration guide.