Head of Sales, Cosmetic Active Ingredients – Korea

About Debut

Debut is the unconventional innovation lab spearheading the next generation of big business. Only Debut has a scalable, integrated, climate-positive creation model powered by biotechnology that puts human wellbeing at the center of everything we do—setting the new standard for profitable business and a new pace for an ever-changing world.  Our hybrid biotechnology approaches unlock latent markets, providing access to sustainably produced, natural ingredients with health benefits that cannot be obtained through other methods. We are committed to traversing the entire process, from ingredient discovery to the scaling of these products, for consumer markets. If you are passionate, enjoy fast-paced innovation and collaborative teams, then Debut is for you.  

Summary

 

Debut is seeking a dynamic and results-driven Head of Sales, Cosmetic Active Ingredients in Korea to drive market penetration of our high-performing, novel biotechnology-derived ingredients across contract manufacturers. Based in Korea, this role is directly responsible for growing Debut’s Korea business by establishing and expanding relationships with major contract manufacturers (CMs) throughout the region. The successful candidate will report to the Chief Executive Officer and will serve as the primary commercial driver ensuring Debut’s ingredients are adopted and integrated across all key CMs in Korea.

 

Essential Functions

 

• Own and execute the commercial strategy for ingredient sales across Korea, with a primary focus on achieving deep integration of Debut's active ingredient portfolio into CM formulation libraries and with responsibility for building the commercial infrastructure that supports future formulation expansion.
• Identify, engage, and develop deep partnerships with contract manufacturers South Korea with the objective of achieving broad ingredient adoption across all major CMs in the region.
• Serve as the primary relationship holder and commercial point of contact for CMs, driving ingredient specification, formulation integration, securing long-term ingredient supply agreements, and establishing Debut's actives as the preferred performance ingredient across key CM formulation libraries.
• Travel to meet with clients, attend industry events, conduct product presentations, and close business, with travel to the United States 1-2 times per year as needed.
• Plan and organize regional trade shows and industry events in coordination with the marketing team and other sales hires in Asia, including identifying the right shows, managing logistics, coordinating booth presence, and arranging for senior leadership and technical team members to attend and present as appropriate.
• Translate local market intelligence, including regional trends, CM needs, competitive dynamics, regulatory shifts, and customer feedback—into actionable insights that inform Debut’s broader global commercial strategy, product roadmap, and go-to-market planning.
• Develop and maintain a robust sales pipeline with clear forecasting, reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer on progress, pipeline health, market intelligence and strategic partnership development.
• Work autonomously and at pace to capitalize on market opportunities, requiring minimal day-to-day oversight while maintaining strong alignment with global commercial objectives.
• Collaborate with Debut’s R&D, formulations, marketing, and operations teams to ensure customer needs are met and that Debut’s ingredient value proposition is effectively communicated.
• Represent Debut at trade shows, industry conferences, and customer events across the region and build a team as needed for broader penetration across the Asia region.
• This position is based in Korea.

 

 

 

Education and Experience

 

Important: Candidates who do not meet the minimum experience requirement below will not be considered for this role.

 

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry or Cosmetic Science, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of direct experience in cosmetic ingredient sales to beauty contract manufacturers in Korea. This is a strict requirement. Candidates must clearly demonstrate this specific experience in their application; those who do not will not advance in the selection process.
• Exceptional, established network of contacts and relationships with major cosmetic contract manufacturers across Korea. Candidates must be able to demonstrate existing, active relationships with key CMs in the region.
• Deep knowledge of the CM landscape in Korea, including key players, decision-making processes, formulation workflows, and procurement practices.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, move quickly, and deliver results with minimal oversight in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience managing complex B2B sales cycles, from prospecting through to contract execution.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills with the ability to translate technical ingredient value propositions into compelling commercial narratives.
• Fluency in English and Korean required.

 

Essential Physical Characteristics

 

The physical characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of a job, on a case-by-case basis.

 

• Frequent sitting, standing, and walking during customer meetings, trade shows, and extended travel.
• Repetitive use of hands to operate computers, mobile devices, and presentation equipment.
• Ability to carry and transport sales materials and samples weighing up to 30 pounds.
• Frequent air travel, including long-haul international flights across time zones.
• Ability to navigate diverse physical environments including manufacturing facilities, trade show floors, and customer offices.

 

Condition of Employment

 

As part of Debut’s pre-employment process, prospective candidates will undergo a background check prior to beginning employment. Additional types of background investigations may be conducted based on the job-related activities of the position.

 

Debut is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to age, nationality, sex, marital status, pregnancy status, caregiving responsibilities, race, religion, language, disability, or mental health conditions. Employment decisions at Debut are based on merit, qualifications, and business needs.

 

This role is based in Korea. Employment is subject to the candidate's eligibility to work in the Republic of Korea in accordance with applicable immigration and work authorization requirements. Debut complies with all obligations under the Labor Standards Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity and Work-Family Balance Assistance Act, the Act on Prohibition of Age Discrimination in Employment and Elderly Employment Promotion, and all other applicable Korean labor laws and regulations.

Additional Information

Location: Korea

 

Reports To: CEO

 

Type: Full-Time

 

Salary Range: ₩150M – ₩220M (~$110K–$160K USD) + performance-based incentives, commensurate with experience