Chances are if you’ve walked through any CVS or Walgreens store, you’ve passed by KISS beauty products or even bought some for yourself. But did you know that the Korean American cosmetics company is based on Long Island, in Port Washington?
KISS was founded by CEO John Chang and cofounders Sung Yong Chang and Won Shik Kang in Flushing, Queens in 1989. It began as a small startup offering do-it-yourself nail care products, which was a niche market at the time, and reached the national stage selling 18 of its items in Walgreens stores by 1992.
As the company grew, it needed more space. That’s when KISS arrived in Port Washington, where it’s been operating since 2005. The larger facility was fit to “accommodate the company’s continuing expansion and growth,” its website states.
The beauty brand has only expanded further in the past 16 years since coming to Long Island. Its KISS IVY division moved to its own Port Washington warehouse in 2014. And the entire company got a brand-new, 272,000-square-foot headquarters, also in Port Washington, in 2018.
“Bring the salon home” is the KISS mantra, the slogan appearing on its logos to remind consumers that it is the leader in at-home manicure and pedicure products. The company strives to “provide cutting-edge innovations that make every day more beautiful for everyone,” according to its website.
Though it got its start in the nail business, and still remains well-known for its nail art kits, electric nail files, and the like, KISS also sells hair accessories, lashes, and makeup. It owns several brands, such as imPRESS press-on manicure kits; JOAH, its Korean beauty brand; and KISS Colors & Care, its line of hair care products.
For the holiday season, KISS is selling special nail designs that will dazzle at Christmas parties. The nail packs are sold individually or in a set of three. They come with the option to stick or glue onto natural nails.
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