Singaporean billionaire heiress and social media influencer Kim Lim has high hopes for her new beauty brands – not even Covid-19 will get in her way

Oct 22 , 2020

Heiress, influencer and budding beauty entrepreneur, Kim Lim. Photo: @kimlimhl/Instagram

Her father Peter Lim might have around US$2 billion to his name, but Instagram fashion icon Kim Lim is determined to build Illumia Therapeutics and Papilla Haircare into lasting businesses to pass down to her son, Kyden

Peter Lim, the Singaporean business magnate, philanthropist and owner of Spanish football club Valencia CF, has an estimated net worth of around US$2 billion – and he’s set to pass those billions on to his daughter, Kim Lim.

That doesn’t mean the 29-year-old heiress is content to sit back and wait for her future treasure trove to roll in. Nor does she have any illusions about her power as an “It girl” on social media; she’s ready to harness that power and turn it into a profitable business. She’s determined to build her own brands, become a global name in the beauty business and create an empire that can one day be passed on to her own son, Kyden.

“I can’t pass on my Instagram [to the next generation], so I want to focus on building a business that can last long,” she told Singaporean newspaper Today. “The end goal is to pass it all on to Kyden or my cousin’s kids one day.”

Her passion and work ethic have seen her business steadily rise, but how exactly did Kim start her brands, and what are her hopes for the future? Read on to find out.

Kim opened hair and scalp treatment centre Papilla Haircare at the beginning of 2020 followed by aesthetic centre and medical spa Illumia Therapeutics. She hired 23 staff members – all of them older than her.

However, getting these businesses off the ground was more difficult than expected because of Covid-19 restrictions. The centres were forced to shut during the height of the coronavirus crisis and, like every other business owner, Kim was worried. In May, at least, the budding entrepreneur told Singapore financial daily The Business Times that “we did not lay off any of our staff and continue to pay them their basic pay”.

In fact, Kim even prioritises her brand over her love life. She finalised her divorce from the father of her child, Kho Bin Kai, last July. While many might have thought she would soon be spotted on the arm of another catch, Kim said she only has time for work. When asked about getting remarried, her response to Today was “when my business is doing much better”.