An Interview with Ms. Kelly Cheng,
Founder and CEO of Canadian Brand HIGHS and Teriffic Shanghai
Kelly Cheng is a businesswoman who perfectly blends international vision with local wisdom. In her early years, she held key positions at international cosmetics brands such as Yves Saint Laurent and LVMH Guerlain, accumulating extensive industry experience. After moving to Canada in 2006, she first founded Wanxiang International Trading, specializing in beauty OEM, and later co-founded the personal care brand HIGHS with her husband in 2013.
Kelly innovatively integrated coffee culture into the personal care sector, creating a product line that combines functionality with emotional value. HIGHS adheres to the product philosophy of “high quality + high aesthetics + high engagement,” starting with hand and foot care and gradually expanding into a diversified brand covering full-body care. With precise market positioning, its products are exported to over 30 countries and regions, establishing HIGHS as a benchmark in China’s hand and foot care market.
Her success, and that of HIGHS, stems from her unique business acumen: maintaining a global perspective while deeply rooting herself in local practices, pursuing product quality while emphasizing brand culture. Her entrepreneurial journey demonstrates how traditional industries can achieve breakthroughs through innovation. In this SpaChina interview, we delve into how this businesswoman transforms life aesthetics into brand power.
What inspired you to create HIGHS, and did you encounter any unexpected challenges?
Before 2013, my career was focused on OEM exports for beauty, nail care, and personal care tools. Since 2006, I had led my team to global exhibitions, from offline trade shows to P4P promotions on Alibaba’s international platform, exploring the boundless possibilities of the global market. Along the way, we experienced exhilarating breakthroughs as well as unforeseen challenges. These valuable experiences made me realize that relying solely on nail care products would not fulfill a grander business vision. Thus, I began contemplating how to break free from the limitations of a single product category and expand into the broader personal care market.
The birth of the HIGHS brand name encompasses years of my business reflections and brand ideals. Initially named “HIGH’S,” it embodied an unwavering pursuit of quality and experience. Later, it evolved into “HIGHS,” with a deeper meaning: H for High (exceptional quality), I for Intimate (thoughtful experience), G for Green (eco-friendly philosophy), H for Hobby (life’s pleasures), and S for Style (unique flair).
In 2016, when HIGHS officially entered the Chinese market, the overwhelming response exceeded expectations, prompting me to launch the consumer-facing sub-brand HELLO HIGHS, focused on coffee-themed personal care products. To better manage these two brands targeting different channels, my husband and I decided to establish the company in Shanghai and settled there for a year and a half. However, the sudden outbreak of the pandemic disrupted all plans, ultimately forcing us to suspend the sub-brand. Though this attempt came at a considerable cost, the invaluable B2C market experience gained has since informed our future business decisions.
HIGHS’ slogan, “Where Ritual Meets Relaxation,” is very striking. Could you share the inspiration behind this concept?
Coffee and tea have long transcended their roles as mere beverages, evolving into indispensable spiritual symbols and lifestyle representations for modern people. During my time living in Vancouver, I often contemplated in the morning light of cafés, observing how coffee culture permeated urban daily life. But also I noticed that the large jars of care products used in traditional beauty salons posed hygiene risks and inconvenience. One day, as my gaze fell on a delicate coffee capsule, a spark of inspiration flashed – why not blend coffee’s rich aroma and the convenience of capsules into skincare?
Leveraging my professional insights from serving top global nail care brands, I recognized the rising trend of MANICURE and PEDICURE in overseas markets. Thus, the first independently packaged coffee hand and foot care series was born, pioneering a one-time-use hygiene standard. The market’s enthusiastic response exceeded expectations, prompting us to follow up the next year with an equally popular tea-infused care series. From coffee to tea, we not only expanded our product line but also became the first brand to successfully integrate Eastern tea aesthetics with Western coffee in hand and foot care – a feat I take great pride in.
Could you share the features of some star products and the stories behind their R&D and production?
HIGHS’ core products infuse coffee’s unique aroma and properties into daily care. Beyond the star coffee capsule care, there’s the French-made coffee soap shaped like a large coffee bean, fragranced by the Grasse Laboratory in France, with adorable granules made from real ground coffee beans. Bathing isn’t just about cleansing – it’s a healing, relaxing evening ritual. Washing with a coffee-scented soap is the perfect descriptor for this product.
For this small coffee soap, I flew to Provence twice. From downtown Provence, I drove three hours to a small village near Marseille – a six-hour round trip on winding mountain roads. From concept to R&D to production, every detail – the soap’s mold shape, fragrance, skin feel, and foam texture – was tested repeatedly by me. Once completed, the product was shipped worldwide. The process was complex, but the result was perfect. This is just one product in the coffee body care line – each product reflects the founder’s relentless determination to build the brand!
Currently, the company’s core products include HIGHS Coffee Body Care, Tea Infused Body Care, and the multifunctional patented HIGHS SPA Chair. We have distributors in many countries and regions: New York, Los Angeles, Canada, UAE, Dubai, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, London, Lithuania, Poland – and the list continues. Stay tuned!
HIGHS’ coffee-scented hand creams and scrubs emphasize “Healing and Regeneration.” Could you elaborate on their skincare benefits?
Coffee, as a gift of nature, contains active ingredients increasingly recognized by modern science. Caffeine and polyphenols like chlorogenic acid form a natural antioxidant defense system, effectively neutralizing free radicals and combating UV-induced oxidative damage. Research shows these active ingredients not only inhibit photoaging and abnormal collagen breakdown but also promote keratinocyte renewal, building multi-layered protective barriers for the skin. This inside-out defense mechanism makes coffee a rare natural active ingredient in skincare.
In practical applications, coffee components reveal surprising multi-functional skincare value. In hand care products, coffee essential oil alleviates dryness and delays wrinkle formation through its antioxidant properties, while finely ground coffee beans serve as ideal natural exfoliants, gently removing dead skin cells and stimulating collagen production through physical action. Notably, the synergy between caffeine and chlorogenic acid delivers comprehensive benefits from epidermal care to dermal protection – a compound effect underpinning the sustained market recognition of coffee-infused care products.
How do you balance functionality and sensory experience in product design?
I believe “the aroma of coffee is more precious than coffee itself.” This rich fragrance seems to possess a magical ability to traverse time and space, instantly awakening dormant sensory memories. Like the scent wafting from a café in the morning, it compels one to pause and savor – carrying countless indescribable emotional imprints. Perhaps it’s the solace of late-night study sessions in student days or the warmth of a street-corner café encounter during travels abroad.
HIGHS deeply understands the power of olfactory memory, transforming coffee’s complex layers of roasted bitterness and sweetness into evocative emotional symbols in our products. The fragrance of our coffee hand cream is like a metaphor for life: the interplay of bitterness and sweetness, exhaustion and healing. Those five seconds of coffee-scented fingertips complete not just a hand care routine but a brief yet profound sensory meditation.
HIGHS’ designs incorporate carefully curated Art Deco elements, hand-drawn illustrations, or vintage typography, inspired by early 20th-century commercial art like advertising and packaging. Featuring elegance, nature, or craftsmanship, visual languages such as floral patterns and handwritten fonts are translated into HIGHS’ retro packaging or brand identity, offering consumers a visually artistic experience.
This art of perfectly balancing practicality and emotional resonance is the profound healing philosophy HIGHS aims to convey – a detail-rich, heartfelt gift that touches the soul.
What do you think modern consumers value most in health and beauty relaxation experiences? How does HIGHS respond to these needs?
In this disenchanted era, modern consumers have shed their blind admiration for flashy appearances and illusory narratives, craving instead tangible product quality and personalized experiences. The younger generation’s purchasing decisions often stem from moments of emotional resonance – perhaps sparked by a familiar scent or a meaningful memory.
Coffee and tea enthusiasts each harbor unique affinities. Coffee lovers embrace all things coffee-inspired, while tea drinkers exhibit diverse tastes: the elegance of English tea, the Zen essence of Japanese matcha, the playful joy of Taiwanese milk tea, or the crisp refreshment of iced tea. HIGHS deeply understands these nuances, meticulously sourcing premium teas worldwide – from the exotic allure of Hawaiian hibiscus white tea and the romantic richness of Moroccan roses, to the hauntingly fragrant osmanthus tea native to China.
With our threefold competitive edge – “high aesthetics, exceptional quality, and deep engagement” – we’ve built a socially compelling product matrix. This isn’t theoretical marketing but battle-tested business wisdom. Every product tells a tangible, sensory-rich story meant to be shared.
Which markets are currently the strongest? What are your plans for China in the next five years?
The U.S. and Middle East currently lead demand. The U.S. – our largest market – prioritizes volume and competitive pricing. The Middle East rapidly reorders favored products post-negotiation, provided they meet regulatory standards.
China’s market faces headwinds, but we navigate economic cycles through persistence and innovation. Brand-building inherently creates competitive barriers – imitation exists, but true surpassing remains challenging. We’ll maintain global focus while advancing steadily in China.
Over the next five years, we’ll expand HIGHS franchise and co-branded stores nationwide, creating visionary salons that offer accessible front-end experiences paired with premium back-end services – continuously elevating consumer journeys and industry standards.
You’re gradually passing management to the next generation to sustain the brand’s essence. How are you approaching this?
Generational succession weighs heavily on many entrepreneurs born in the 1970s. My son Frank began joining me at Cosmoprof Bologna – the global cosmetics industry’s premier event – at age 17. Over a decade, he navigated top international exhibitions, engaging in strategic dialogues with industry leaders. These real-world trials forged his maturity: he now independently leads business negotiations while contributing unique insights to market strategies. Such pragmatically honed expertise surpasses textbook knowledge.
In brand stewardship, I empower younger voices. Gen Z spearheads product R&D, while the new generation shapes market strategies. Our team integrates three generations, preserving HIGHS’ core values while infusing forward-looking innovation. This succession is less a transfer than a cross-generational dialogue – reinvigorating the brand’s spirit.
Does your business embody a family spirit or values?
Throughout my entrepreneurial journey, my partner has been my greatest supporter – even funding my first major Italian exhibition. Whether my decisions were right or wrong, he silently supported and encouraged me. He’s exceptionally emotionally stable! I’m grateful to my husband for caring for me in life, supporting me in work, and putting me first at home.
I believe sincerity is the greatest asset. Approach others with “The Heart to Benefit Others” – “what you give returns to you.” What you give isn’t lost; it returns in some form, someday. This guiding principle has led me forward, and I share it with you, dear SpaChina readers. Thank you!