29. K-Beauty’s continued influence

K-Beauty has lost a bit of its shine Over the past 10 years western consumers have fallen in love with the fast paced, innovative products coming out of Korea But recently there has been less buzz However Korea continues to innovate and set Beauty trends across the globe. Here I talk to Holly Kim from Measure Commerce about the hottest Korean Beauty trends CLEAN BEAUTY AND VEGAN PRODUCT TRENDS Clean Beauty continues to be very popular in Korea but now Vegan is the hottest buzz word. MZ Generation consumers in particular look for products with vegan certifications. A few reasons why Vegan is so popular in Korea: 👉 EWG (environmental working group) has been popular with Korean brands as a sign of safety for several years and remains something brands use in their marketing 👉 Vegan has come up not particularly linked to food as very few consumers are actually vegetarian or vegan 👉 Vegan is synonymous with healthy living 👉 Vegan products are seen as mild and good for sensitive skin 👉 Vegan is thought to be good for the environment as well PRODUCTS FOR SENSITIVE SKIN & BARRIER REPAIR Koreans are very concerned about their sensitive skin. The sensitivity comes from overuse of products, procedures and surgery but it has spurred a demand for Skincare addressing sensitive skin. Barrier repair is very important in China as well but it is not linked to Clean Beauty like it is in Korea. There are many highly successful niche Korean Beauty brands focused on Clean Derma – efficacy is still at the heart of the marketing strategy. And they are mainly positioned at an accessible price point vs. luxury. CICA (Centella asiatica) INDREDIENT TREND Cica is an ingredient that is being used in K-Beauty originally to fight acne but now focused on calming for sensitive skin. It is a plant ingredient and it is being added to many products. It is a popular ingredient in Chinese medicine to treat redness and inflammation. K-BEAUTY’S POPULARITY IN SOUTH EAST ASIA Korean culture is extremely popular in south east asia from K-pop to K-drama and K-Beauty. Increasingly we are seeing Korean brands export to these markets and also locally brands being inspired by K-Beauty and creating their own products at a more affordable price point