Fabric masks, cushion and first-skin: How Korean cosmetics have dazzled the world

[kumartk]

If you haven't used a snail slime cream, seaweed mask, or tiger grass serum yet, you may be missing out.

South Korea is obsessed with skincare. Its products are known and purchased in 175 countries, with the most popular being in Japan, the US, China and Vietnam. In the first quarter of 2024 alone, Koreans exported a record $2.3 billion worth of cosmetics, up 20% from the same period last year.

It was Korean brands that brought cushions and patches to the market and finland phone number data taught robots to make tinted creams. You can easily recognize their cosmetics by their tubes shaped like cartoon characters, ice cream and fruit. Kate Hudson, Adriana Lima, Jennifer Aniston and Blackpink also liked Korean products.

Let's find out what the secret to K-beauty's popularity is and how Korean brands have managed to win over Western consumers so quickly.

SPF isn't just about beauty, it's part of culture
As early as the 8th century BC, Koreans used rice bran and mung beans to cleanse and nourish their skin. However, the real cult of makeup began in the first century BC. At that time, Koreans believed that it improved not only the body but also the soul, and applied it extensively. Cotton flowers, sesame seeds, soot and crocus flowers were used for makeup. Cosmetics were made at home and stored in clay pots .

Later, beauty became more sophisticated : clean and smooth skin, a minimum of makeup. These standards in South Korea remain to this day. In cosmetics, the emphasis is changing from decorative to caring. Historians have found many books with recipes for cosmetic rituals, which are now stored in the Korean Cosmetics Museum. In total, its collection includes more than 5.3 thousand cosmetic artifacts from different eras.

In 1876, Korean ports were opened and cosmetics were shipped to China and Japan. The real bestseller was Park Family Powder , the first mass-produced cosmetic product in South Korea. It was invented by a woman named Jeong and placed for sale in her husband's shop in downtown Seoul in the late 1890s. The powder whitened the face, which attracted great interest.

Other traders, including foreigners, came to the store to buy goods for resale. About 10,000 boxes were sold daily. It is worth noting that this family business laid the foundation for the Korean trading corporation Doosan, which in 2023 achieved a turnover of 14.5 billion dollars.