Amore Pacific, the nation’s biggest beauty company, said Wednesday it opened the first flagship store of its low-cost cosmetics brand Innisfree in downtown Shanghai.

With the new launch, the company said it will step up efforts to expand its presence in China where a new beauty trend based on natural ingredients has gained popularity in recent years.

According to the company, some cosmetics products of Innisfree are made of natural ingredients grown on Jeju Island, the nation’s southernmost resort island.

More recently, the brand launched a skincare line using organic green tea leaves raised at the beauty giant’s tea garden in Jeju.

Following the first location, Innisfree plans to open up to 10 new stores in major cities in China within the year.

Last year, the brand logged 140.5 billion won ($123.1 million) in sales through its 434 locations in Korea alone.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)