With Korean skincare continuing to be a main part of the global beauty conversation, De:maf — short for “Dear My Friends” — returned to New York City to share its thoughtful approach to achieving truly healthy skin. Focused on strengthening the skin barrier and helping it recover from everyday stressors, De:maf is dedicated to creating long-term, visible improvement for all skin types.

Expanding beyond its roots in Korea, De:maf set out to grow its community in New York City — and we were honored to bring that vision to life in our NoLita space. It’s no coincidence that Parasol was chosen for this project. The brand was drawn not only to our 21 Spring Street location but also to our full-service production capabilities, which offered the confidence that every detail would be thoughtfully executed.

Partnering closely with our production team, De:maf created an immersive experience that perfectly reflected its philosophy of intentional, results-driven skincare. Over two weekends, the pop up welcomed 1,854 guests eager to explore, connect, and discover the brand’s story through interactive design elements that engaged both skincare enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

The rise of Korean skincare in NYC
Korean skincare has captured New York City’s attention with its focus on long-term skin health, innovative formulations, and a philosophy rooted in care rather than quick fixes. Its rise is also intertwined with the global influence of K-pop and K-dramas, which have introduced millions to the glow-centric approach of K-Beauty.
Known for its gentle, multi-step routines that prioritize hydration and skin balance, Korean skincare has become synonymous with intentional, results-driven beauty. As Asiance describes it, K-Beauty is “a multi-billion-dollar global force reshaping the way we think about skin health, beauty rituals, and even product design.”
With New York emerging as a growing hub for K-Beauty, it’s no surprise that De:maf chose to bring its thoughtful skincare philosophy to life at Parasol Projects’ 21 Spring Street space in NoLita — continuing the city’s love affair with innovation and self-care.
The birth of De:maf
Sometimes life’s frustrations can birth new ideas that benefits a multitude of people. Founded by Regina Choi, De:maf was born out of her skin concerns that included breakouts and a rough skin texture. Upon research, she realized that strengthening the skin barrier is the best solution to the ever-changing skin stressors that we face daily.

We had the opportunity to learn more about De:maf at their 21 Spring pop up.
Parasol Projects: What led you to Parasol? How did you find out about our 21 Spring space?
Regina: We had a pop up 3 months ago a few blocks away and then we saw this spot and its a beautiful space. It’s perfect and the location is perfect so we did our research and found out its [owned by] Parasol.

Jiwon chimed into the conversation as she worked closely with our Production Manager, Queenie to bring the space to life and really create a space that aligns with the ethos of the brand.
Parasol Projects: What was the process of building out this space with our Production Manager, Queenie?
Jiwon: Queenie helped me so much from the start. This is my first time doing this pop up and I told her our idea. She told me how we can realistically build it out. I just explained to her what I want and what our team wants and she made this happen. Everything was so smooth. She came here two days ago and she helped me check everything in detail. I would like to suggest that we work with Parasol again next time.

Parasol Projects: That’s amazing! What do you have planned for your activation?
Jiwon: We are having an influencer party today. Starting tomorrow, for two weeks, we’re going to be open to the public during the weekend for 6 days. We are expecting so many people and we’ll explain our products to everyone. We are so excited. We want people to know about their skin, genuinely.

Parasol Projects: Can you speak more about the personalized offerings that you will be providing to each and every guest at the pop up?
Linda: We have a skin paper and we show them every step that we have. We really recommend a routine. Use our products as a routine. The first step, second, third. We want people to know their skin type and stick to this routine. The ultimate goal for our brand is to help people that meet De:maf, truly have better skin. We are passionate about that.

The De:maf pop up
De:maf’s pop up, held October 2–12, 2025 at 21 Spring Street, opened with an intimate VIP event where beauty and lifestyle influencers experienced the brand firsthand — sampling products, enjoying light bites, and sipping champagne.

What truly set the pop-up apart was the intentionality behind every detail. Each guest received a personalized skincare consultation tailored to their unique needs — a testament to De:maf’s thoughtful, results-driven approach to real skin transformation.

A TikTok showcasing one of these consultations reached 41.2K views, drawing attention to the brand’s hands-on care. But what really captured hearts was a touching moment on Instagram: a firefighter stopped by 21 Spring Street to tell the founder, Regina, that he was her first pop up customer — and that he still loved her Glow Jojoba Oil. Regina immediately ran inside the pop up space to grab more skin-loving treats for New York City’s everyday heroes. The video amassed 223K views, 16.5K likes, and many comments of support — including one from @itsbettylam, who wrote, “Aww the absolute sweetest! Now they’ll all have amazing skin thanks to you.”

It’s not every day you see a skincare founder personally engaging with customers, and Regina’s genuine connection with her community expanded through Parasol Projects continues to draw admiration across platforms.

If you missed this pop-up, stay tuned — you just might see De:maf back at a Parasol space soon.


