“TODAY IS HARD, TOMORROW WILL BE WORSE. BUT THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW THERE WILL BE SUNSHINE”. A QUOTE THAT RANG TRUE FOR MANY OF US. THE OLD GENERATIONS WORKED HARD TO PAVE AN EASIER PATH FOR THE YOUNG GENERATIONS, ALL TO MAKE LIVING A LITTLE MORE SIMPLE. THUS THE SURVIVAL OF A&M BEAUTY GROUP FOR THE PAST TWO DECADES. WE’RE GIVEN THE CHANCE TO HAVE A CHAT WITH STEPHANIE WONG, VICE PRESIDENT OF A&M BEAUTY AND HOW SHE HAS BEEN SUSTAINING THE COMPANY THAT WAS STARTED BY HER MOTHER AND HOW SHE IS STEERING THE COMPANY IN THE FUTURE.

The story of how A&M Beauty started 24 years ago, by Stephanie’s mother. Having an immense passion and is enthusiastic about the beauty industry, she founded the company. Stephanie soon followed in her mother’s footsteps and took an interest in the beauty and wellness industry before she eventually took over the company and managed it in her mother’s stead. “Under my mother’s guidance and support, I gained a lot of experience growing up and it has become my mission to be heavily involved in this industry. And with the influence of Korean dramas, many people are craving for flawless skin now!” Stephanie said.

A&M Beauty started off as a homegrown business. Over the years, it slowly grew into an internationally recognised company. A&M Beauty manufactures its own products, mainly for skincare and health. A quick look at the website shows that it has products that cater to all types of skin, such as acne-prone skin, sensitive skin and all-in-one product for general skin care. Besides that, the company also has products that focus on women’s garment comfort. Yῡga, a brand under the company centred health and wellness fashion. The brand aims to help women find comfort, whilst at the same time reminding women on their worth and value. With so many products under its wing, it’s no wonder that A&M Beauty managed to set its footprints in countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, Brunei, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Australia.

As if managing such a big company is not a remarkable feat for someone as young as Stephanie, she added that her biggest achievement is bringing her brand to the market and receiving positive reviews from users. “My biggest achievement in life is being able to bring our brand and products to the market, and coming back with good reviews for it. This is why we have to constantly ensure tiptop quality control for our products and be innovative as time goes by so that our products stay current in the market.” Nonetheless, the beauty and health industry is a very competitive industry, with many companies and businesses coming up with their own products in order to be at the top of the competition. On top of having to compete with well-established international beauty brands, they have to also fight with well-known local brands that have managed to penetrate deeply into the local market. However, instead of looking at it as a competition, Stephanie takes it as a motivation to strive for betterment. “I don’t think of it as a competition, rather, I would consider it as a drive to keep myself and my team to constantly learn and improve continuously,” Stephanie said.

As A&M Beauty catered more towards the women, Stephanie eventually founded Yugirls Women and Children Association, an association that aims to become a medium or a safe space for women and children. “Yugirls’ objective is to offer goodwill to the women and children who are in dire need of help. To me, I think that lending a helping hand is the first step in an act of kindness.” Despite the fact that Yugirls has only been established for one year, the association has been active in its charity programmes. Throughout 2021, Yugirls has helped single mothers and given financial support to people who are in need. In July of last year, Yugirls collaborated with KTIC Group (an authorised reseller of internet products and services) and launched a fundraising campaign to assist individuals, families, and communities that were badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.  Besides that, Yugirls have also partnered with A&M Beauty’s Yῡga to raise fund. Through the fund-raising, revenue collected through the sales of Yῡga’s outfit will be channelled directly into the association.

With her commitment towards the betterment of women, it’s not surprising that she received her well-deserved recognition at the Women of Excellence Awards 2021/22 recently. To this Stephanie remarked, “This is definitely a teamwork. I would love to express gratitude to my agents and at the same time, share the value of women excellence. We made it!”