WRITER – MANU SINGH
EDITOR – ARPITA JENA
Did you ever feel like having beauty like Korean actors while watching K- Dramas? Did their skincare ever impress you?
During the Covid period when the K-Dramas were taking over the world Dramas like TRUE BEAUTY, GANGNAM BEAUTY, PERFUME, BEAUTY INSIDE paved the way for K-Beauty products to enter into our lives.
The YouTube is full of makeup tutorials now. People are showing Immense love and interest for K-Beauty. After seeing Mun Ga Young In true beauty learning how to do makeup, people too started doing the same to achieve that natural looking Korean look.
So, if we shortly see what K beauty products are for those who might not be aware about them:
K-Beauty product which stand for Korean beauty products are basically makeup and skin care products that originate from south Korea. They are famous for emphasizing on the 10-step skin care routine, use of natural ingredients and they are mainly famous for achieving “KOREAN GLASS SKIN”
케이 비유티의 줄임말 코리안 비유티는 한국에서 유래한 스킨케어와 화장품이에요.케이 비유티는 혁신적인과 여러 단계의 일상으로 유명하고 자연과 순한 재료에 강조하고 투명하고 빛나는 유리 피부가 달성을 목표로 합니다
Now if we talk about some key features that make them special, then they are listed below:
1. Use of naturally extracted ingredients –
The Korean beauty products make use of natural ingredients like GINSENG, GREEN TEA, SNAIL MUCIN, etc.
2.Its emphasis on the 10-step skincare routine
These steps include :-
#Oil based cleansing
#Water based cleansing
#Exfoliation
#Toning
#Essence
#Serum/Ampoule/Booster
#Sheet mask
#Eye cream
#Moisturiser
#Sunscream
3.Cute and attractive packaging :
K-Beauty products come in cute packaging which attracts the people to buy them.
4.The “GLASS SKIN”
Korean beauty products focus on achieving the famous “KOREAN GLASS SKIN”.
There are many popular brands like
LANEIGE
https://www.laneige.com/int/en/skincare/line/bouncy-firm/
These K-Beauty products are available online and you can purchase them from anywhere in the world. It is interesting to note Korean beauty products and routines have not always been this complex. They developed over time with the influence of western culture and economic boom as well.
Traditional beauty skincare was simple and did not use any products. They just relied on natural ingredients like Ginseng, Rice water, Moong bean, Camellia oil etc. However, it was only after the post Korean war that basic skincare and cosmetic brands started to arise. One such brand could be Amorepacific in 1945.
Now as the people started to earn more and more there was an economic boom in the country along with the influence of western culture and people started to adopt modern beauty routines and color cosmetics.
Over time the government of South Korea also started to push the cosmetic industry so that they can achieve global branding and this became easier with HALLYU [Korean wave] which expanded the Korean beauty products globally. This is because, as people started watching Kdramas and Kpop they gained more and more interest in Korean culture and as a result in Korean beauty products as well, which we all know is widely displayed in Kdramas and Korean industry.
HOW K-BEAUTY IS INFLUENCING THE GLOBAL BEAUTY TRENDS?
As the Korean beauty trends entered the global market, they influenced how people used to view cosmetics and makeup. Earlier people used to rely on heavy foundations, creams and compacts to achieve a glowing look but that trend has shifted towards skincare. Now people are more concerned with healing and caring for their skin rather than just relying on heavy makeup. Now people care about healing their skin internally through various steps of Korean skincare like cleansing, toning, exfoliating, sheet masks, moisturizing etc. Ingredients like ginseng, green tea additionally helps in healing the skin naturally. Hence K-beauty standards promote clean beauty and often avoid using any harmful chemicals [ex-Beauty of Josean, COSRX] which might affect your skin. With these principles K-Beauty products are hitting the market and are getting a good response from people all over the world.
DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA DOMINANCE
In the present time social media and other platforms like YouTube and TikTok have greatly influenced in promoting the K-Beauty products. Be it re-creating Lim Ju Kyung’s makeup look from TRUE BEAUTY or trying out the viral sheet masks on camera. These things have spread the K-Beauty to a larger audience. This has prompted many girls as well to learn how to do makeup and skincare focusing on their skincare and in turn opening their own brands and studios as well. Hence promoting the Korean beauty products.
THERE IS NO GENDER IN K-BEAUTY
When it comes to K-Beauty there is no division between the genders. Males are being equally influenced by the K-Beauty. Males are also showing their keen interest in learning about skincare and beauty products. And this has become even more apparent after the Korean wave [HALLYU]which has greatly shaped how the males view skincare. Earlier it was only the male celebrities and influencers and actors who did skincare but now with the HALLYU entering the lives of people males have also started showing interest in beauty and skincare. BTS especially has contributed in this as they normalized doing makeup as males as well. Now the males have also started prioritizing skincare aiming for “Glass skin”, hence changing the gender stereotype about skincare, which was only for females earlier. Now we can see numerous skincare and makeup tutorials for males as well as they are also showing their curiosity in this field. And it is even more surprising and dazzling to know that males are also following the 10-step skincare routines like females now.
Also, as the Korean beauty standards emerged wearing makeup for males on a daily basis also became normal. Earlier it was only for special occasions like dates, fests or formal events like job interviews. With skincare being normalized among the males, thanks to the K-Beauty influence, stores have stared to display more male oriented beauty products, hence influencing the overall skincare market. Thus K-Beauty products paved the way for males into the skincare world.
THE ANTI-AGING EFFECT
Have you ever guessed a Korean person`s age wrong just because their skin didn’t tell how old they are??
Because the whole K-Beauty industry focuses more on skincare than relying on heavy makeup, it provides an anti-aging effect.
They focus more on hydration, multi-step routines exfoliation, collagen boosting to achieve a naturally glowing skin. Plus, they use ingredients like Ginseng which has anti-aging properties, Niacinamide which brightens the skin and strengthens the skin barrier, Retinol which again has anti aging effect due to skin cell regeneration.
So overall we can say that K-Beauty product`s natural and effective ingredients ,it`s routine and attractive appearance and especially the GLASS SKIN trend has helped it to gain people`s attention. Plus it`s social media dominance through Kdramas, Kpop, BTS has further helped it to reach the larger audience and influenced males as well to participate in it as well.
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