All About K-Beauty (Nature Republic & Tonymoly)

What Is K-Beauty?

As the name suggests, K-Beauty refers to skincare products that originate in South Korea. Most popular in East and Southeast Asian countries and South Asia, the trend emphasizes health, moisture as well as a brightening impact on the skin. Popular Korean cosmetic companies like TonyMoly,  Innisfree, and Nature Republic are in huge demand.

However, South Koreans prefer dazzling "glass skin" above other types of skin aesthetics such as health and moisture. Toners are preferable to layers of makeup. In addition to the various stages in a skincare regimen, these products are made with a variety of natural components. When it comes to economic benefits, the beauty sector continues to lead the pack. Historiography has impacted the criteria for a perfect skincare regimen in Korea. Many debates and campaigns against damaging and strict beauty standards have resulted as a result of this.

In the K-beauty business, China, Hong Kong, India, and South Korea will have the greatest market share by December 2022.

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Korean beauty standards

As a result of the preference for cremes over powders in 21st-century Korean beauty standards, a young appearance and the appearance of moisture on the skin are prized. South Korea's history of import substitution industrialization has resulted in K-beauty goods being geared toward export. As a result, K-Beauty products are offered with high-quality ingredients and attractive packaging. Green tea leaves, orchids, and soybeans are some of the more natural components included in products, while others include snail slime, morphing masks, bee venom (a supposed inflammatory "faux-tox"), moisturizing starfish extract, and pig collagen. Cleaning procedures (with oil and water-based products) are followed by masks, essences, serum, moisturizer, and SPF 35 sunscreen. A "night cream" replaces the sunscreen at night. According to variables such as hormone changes and lifestyle, each program is tailored to the individual's skin type.

It took an average of 10 steps to complete the K-Beauty skincare routine, which was quite detailed. An SPF sunscreen is applied at the end of the day after a double cleansing routine and a series of sheet mask treatments; at night the sunscreen is replaced with a thick sleep cream. Many new skin products are being developed, and two-thirds (68%) of all launches of skincare products are coming from South Korea, which is why these products are so successful. Women still dominate the market, despite the fact that males are becoming more involved. Tutorials on how to use cosmetics and skin care products may be found on YouTube. In Korea, women are bombarded with beauty advertising on buses, subways, and television.

K-Beauty Economics

According to experts, K-Beauty will create massive growth, and the rise of Korean skincare businesses will bring in significant income. For the foreseeable future, this will remain the case.

Many skincare brands do research and development in South Korea, and the country is a manufacturing and production powerhouse. Skincare and health knowledge is common among Koreans, thus many of the products created in Korea are tightly controlled. Additionally, the impact of popular cultures, such as the Hallyu Wave, where celebrities promote cosmetics companies both domestically and abroad, contributes to the success of the brand's marketing efforts.

So, for example, South Korean cosmetics firm Amorepacific sponsored My Love from the Star (2014), a K-drama in which continual marketing of Amorepacific goods led to 75 and 400 percent increases in skincare and lipstick sales, respectively. Cosmetics sales in Korea have been boosted by rising foreign travel and the availability of K-Beauty items at duty-free shops.