November 1, 2024 |
It’s almost impossible in these modern times to get your beauty day off to a good start without serving yourself a portion of special K – by which, of course, I don’t mean a breakfast cereal but a product (or several) of the Korean beauty variety, known as K-beauty.
Our obsession, you may remember, started back in 2011 when BB creams, aka blemish or beauty balms, and the tech behind them swept the beauty boards, with original Korean brands gaining traction and Western heritage brands rapidly paying them the sincerest compliment they could by copying them. “They were popularised [in Korea] in the early 2000s because a type of tinted moisturiser with SPF protection was often given to patients who needed to cover and protect scars after surgical procedures,” says Charlotte Cho, aesthetician and founder of Then I Met You, a brand which fuses the best of Korean and Western tech and launches in the UK this year. “This made it both hydrating and beneficial to skin while providing light coverage over scars.”
K-beauty is, of course, about so much more than that; it’s all-encompassing and we’ve hopped onto its bandwagon by adopting multiple-step skincare routines, embracing a plethora of texture offerings, from lotions to essences and more, wearing a wardrobe of masks from sheet face to lips and booking innovative tweakment solutions. In fact, K-beauty has become so central to a global beauty perspective that in 2019 Estée Lauder Companies bought Seoul-based Dr Jart+, which is renowned for its BB creams and cult Cryo Rubber mask (it had taken a stake in the brand five years previously). It stands alongside Lauder’s legacy stable of labels including Bobbi Brown and Tom Ford. K-beauty’s influence continues to drive innovation and trends not just in its own backyard but everyone else’s: Aesop, for instance, recently launched its Immaculate Facial Tonic, inspired by the Korean toner mask trend that took hold in 2020. It offers concentrated doses of hydration by soaking cotton pads with toner or tonic then leaving it on your cheeks/T-zone to work as a mini face mask. “It’s like sheet masks in bit-sized form,” says Cho.
“South Korea is a hotbed of innovation,” enthuses Mark Curry, co-founder of The Inkey List. “It’s driven by the derms there being a little… probably a lot… ahead of the West.” Kenza Dahbi, marketing director at Erborian, L’Occitane’s French/Korean skincare brand, agrees. “South Korea is still leading the beauty pack, perfecting a genius mix between forward technology, clever marketing and an expert vison of the skin… and consumers are here for it – #kbeauty and #koreanskincare have, respectively, more views than #antiaging or #retinol, the buzzing ingredient on TikTok. Even in the industry, all eyes are on South Korea and the biggest names have set up innovation centres there to spot novelties and trends right off the bat.”
Aesop Immaculate Facial Tonic
According to global market research agency Mintel, part of the key to K-beauty’s success is that its home market is not as brand-loyal as others, so no one can rest on their beauty laurels. “Korean customers are less likely to prioritise familiar brands, making them more open to trying new and innovative products. This has led to a market rich in diverse and advanced beauty solutions.”
None of this shows any signs of slowing – even with a cost-of-living crisis and a general industry focus on less being more. “We are definitely seeing a second surge in demand for Korean beauty,” says Shannon Monteith, head of skincare at Space NK. “It’s partly driven by viral brands such as Laneige, which are now accessible to the market. We launched them into UK bricks-and-mortar stores in 2023, and their Lip Sleeping Mask is a must-have. We’re selling thousands of units a week and new categories outside creams and serums are driving growth. And while the consumer might be moving away from the 10-step routine that was popular a decade ago, there is much appreciation of the advanced research and innovation that Korean brands offer.” Space NK launched its Korean skincare brand Innisfree in March. It’s owned by Amorepacific, the South Korean parent company of Laneige.
Mintel agrees that South Korea “continues to be a significant driving force behind beauty trends”. It helps, it points out, that the cultural influence of “the Korean Wave, aka hallyu, has had a substantial impact on global culture over the past two decades and remains strong today. It includes beauty trends, K-pop bands like BTS and popular Korean movies and shows.” (Think Parasite and Squid Game.)
Every&One 5 in 1 Multi-tasking face and body cream
But it isn’t just what they’re exporting to the world. Mintel notes that the South Korean beauty industry is currently “focusing on expanding into the US and [other] Southeast Asian markets, such as Vietnam, as it faces challenges in the Chinese market”. This shift led to a 72 per cent surge in exports to the US in 2023. It’s also a place that Western brands go to for their manufacturing. Take make-up artist and brand founder Ruby Hammer. For two of her latest – and most successful – launches it was a lab in Korea that she turned to, to develop and produce her Cheek Colour blushes (a marriage between skincare and cosmetics) and the tubing Mascara and Brow Duo. She tried labs in Europe first “but because I’m a small business they’re not interested. They wanted orders of 10,000 per shade and I just can’t do that. But the Koreans are willing to grow with you as a brand and want to innovate. We delivered something that I’m really proud of – and they are too.” The Korean beauty behemoths may be mighty but, crucially, they’ve stayed nimble.
Then there are tweakments. Dr Christine Hall from the Taktouk Clinic in Knightsbridge – who has South Korean roots – says that what they’re up to “is a good 10 to 12 years ahead of us”. She cites a buzzword: polynucleotides. “This injectable biostimulator has taken the UK aesthetics world by storm this year. The longest-standing product range is called Rejuran and was launched in South Korea more than 10 years ago. When I told UK colleagues a few years back about a salmon-sperm-derived injectable coming our way they looked at me with a mix of amusement, disgust and disbelief, but today it’s fast becoming one of the clinic’s most popular treatments,” she says. “Polynucleotides and microneedling are inspiring some of the new K-beauty products and it will only be a matter of time before we see them in the UK. For instance, the sell-out product in Seoul at the start of the year was Reedle Shot, aka Cica Needle, an innovative product containing micro-spicules made of sponge that can penetrate the skin’s surface to deliver ingredients deeper than normal skincare can.” Meanwhile, she says topical polynucleotides are already in Korean skincare in serums, creams and masks “containing sturgeon-derived DNA, which is more easily absorbed topically than salmon”, available on K-beauty websites in the UK such as Glam Touch (look for the Banobagi range, she advises).
Dr Jart+ Premium BB Beauty Balm
Also already here, thanks to Dr Jinah Yoo, a UK- and Korean-trained consultant dermatologist with a London clinic, is titanium lifting. “It’s a cutting-edge Korean method for skin-tightening using infrared light energy to deeply heat the collagen layer in the skin,” she says. “It’s one of my tried and tested favourites due to its improvements in facial contouring, skin tightening, pore reduction and overall skin-tone enhancing – and it’s pain-free with no downtime.”
If that all sounds as though we’re living in tomorrow’s world already, don’t bet on it. Here are the future innovations you need to know about.
Erborian CC Crème
Future Now
TONAL MAKE-UP Knowing your colour season is different from the resurgence of personal colour analysis in Europe, says Dahbi. There “you know your colour season: cool summer and winter, warm spring and autumn”. Now you can buy lip tints and blushes that are cool and warm-toned. For a similar(ish) UK experience, look to Erborian’s CC cream.
DOUBLE SPF K-beauty is hot on SPF and all about layering options, says Hall. “It optimally blocks all forms of damaging light. Start with chemical and follow with a mineral to create a flawless complexion.” Innisfree has both.
WEARABLE BEAUTY Sun patches designed to be used during longer exposure to sunlight, such as when playing sport or at the beach, are big in Korea right now, says Cho.
SKIP CARE The rise of multipurpose, hybrid products that mean you can save time. Look at Every&One as the serious beginning of this in the UK: it’s a cream for face and body.
ECO AWARE Mintel highlights that “the South Korean market has seen a rapid increase in eco-ethical claims in product launches. Brands are increasingly adopting sustainable packaging and upcycled ingredients.”
SKIN BOTOX (AKA MICROTOX) The administration of botulinum toxin in less-concentrated doses gives a smoothed complexion and a relaxed appearance as well as an airbrushed and glass-skin look. “It will become commonplace here,” says Hall.
STEM CELLS In the next few years, says Curry, “these will go the way of exosomes and be available and appropriate through both invasive and topical techniques versus harvesting from one’s own body”.
HEART LEAF A skincare ingredient gaining popularity in South Korea (aka Houttuynia cordata) is being hailed as the next big thing. Great for inflamed skin, it is also an antioxidant.
AI, AYE Expect to see more of this in skincare, says Hall. “Korean company Amorepacific will launch the Lipcure Beam, a sensor that assesses moisture levels in the lip before it emits visible light alongside the application of a light-responsive material, while also claiming to combat lip ageing.” Mintel predicts vibrating applicators will grow in popularity, such as Dr Twenty Project’s Lifderm Auto Eye Cream, which comes with a vibrating applicator head to help deliver ingredients quickly to the skin.
Banobagi Rejuvenating Vital Emulsion
Taken from Issue 73 of 10 Magazine – RISING, RENEW, RENAISSANCE – out NOW. Order your copy here.
