Korean makeup brand VDL has teamed up with Kakao Friends, the emoticons made famous by Korea's top messaging app, for an upcoming makeup range.



The special-edition makeup line will feature Kakao Friends emoticon characters in its packaging and product design. A preview photo shows the peach cartoon character "Apeach" imprinted on blusher compacts.





The upcoming makeup range by VDL featuring Kakao Friends launches on May 22. (VDL)

From left: Kakao Friends include a secret agent and hip-hop singer mole; a wealthy dog; a cat with a wig; a radish dressed in a rabbit suit; a duck with an angry alter ego; a genetically-modified peach; and a tiny crocodile scientist. (Daum Kakao)

(Elle Korea/Facebook)

The new range by the mid-range brand will be made available at VDL stores on May 22.Kakao Friends is a series of seven emoticon characters -- including animals, a vegetable and a fruit -- on KakaoTalk, Korea's most popular messaging app.Kakao Talk has 35 million users in South Korea, which has a population of 50 million.Last month, Daum Kakao reported its strategic goal of heightening the marketability and offline visibility of its Kakao Friends characters, following lackluster sales earlier this year.In addition to collaborations with food companies, Kakao Friends appears on lifestyle products like four flavored toothpastes by local toothpaste brand Perioe.Daum Kakao's cochief, Choi Se-hun, announced Thursday plans to launch Kakao Friends as a separate corporate entity for more efficient future collaborations.By Yoon Sarah (sarah356@heraldcorp.com)