With South Korea continuing to be the shining star of innovation in the beauty industry, MakeUp in Seoul’s second edition trade show, held in April, saw a significant spike in visitors, up 28% to 2,300, with strong growth in international visitor presence, not only from countries in Southeast Asia but also from Europe and the Americas. Here, Beautystreams editors reported on the trends from among the 40 exhibitors at the show.

Next Generation Cushion Compacts

Riding high on its fame, the cushion compact, which originated in South Korea, now needs no introduction. But innovative alternatives to the famous compact are now arriving on the market. One company offering such solutions is Easypowder, a powder and foundation puff manufacturer set up in 1963 and currently run by the second and third generation of its founding family. Its innovative products include the Break Powder Puff, patented in Europe, North America, and South Korea, a puff within which loose powder is encased inside the cushion and compacted. When used for the first time, the “powder pad” inside the cushion is broken to diffuse the product through the puff. The Easy Cushion, meanwhile, contains a liquid foundation within the puff. Again, it is diffused through the cushion itself. The company claims that because the product is not exposed to the air, the foundation stays fresh longer.

Oil Infused

Different types of oil have long been an essential in cosmetics products, and they are increasingly being used in makeup. South Korean contract manufacturer Kolmar Korea offers a range of products in which oil is separated from the other ingredients and only mixed on use. Among its most recent innovations, the company’s Oil Capture Tint is a lip tint with a gel texture in which oil drops are encapsulated for a moist effect. Its Oil Capture Balm Foundation encapsulates oil drops in a solid foundation cream that are only mixed when the product is applied. Kolmar also offers the Layer Oil Ampoule, which incorporates four layers with different roles: antioxidant, deep moisturizing ingredients, surface hydration and nutrition, and is shaken before application.

Double Benefit

Aligned with our on-the-go lifestyles, two-in-one products continue to be prevalent. One company offering innovative solutions to the market is South Korean contract manufacturer Hwa Sung Ltd, which has been supplying the Korean market since 1964 and began targeting international clients in 2001. Its specialty is wooden pencils, but it also offers a wide range of other color cosmetics products. Some of its most innovative designs are products that offer double benefits. One of these is a brow pen that offers a liquid brow product at one end and brow wax at the other, while another combines a highly pigmented lipstick with a powder that is applied to the middle lower lip to achieve an added volume effect.

Many leading Korean contract manufacturers exhibited at the show, here are ones to watch and their new product innovations:

Purple Patch

This new Korean startup, founded by make-up artist and former Cosmax creative director Daekuen Tché, is a full service company that helps brands to coordinate production, design and sourcing. Daekuen Tché worked in Paris for many years and understands the international as well as local markets. Using its in-house trend knowledge, the company partners with suppliers including Samhwa Plastic for packaging and Cosmax, Coson, Kolmar and Cosmecca for formulation to provide turnkey solutions for beauty manufacturers. Its developments include a foundation dropper capable of delivering viscous formulas that the company claims is the first such product available to the market.

FS Korea

South Korean packaging and brush specialist FS Korea, which supplies the high-end market, is focusing its efforts on twin-chamber packaging containing two formulas that only mix once the product is applied. One of these is the visually impactful Release and Shake Dropper, comprised of a pipette containing a colored product and the main chamber filled with transparent liquid. When used for the first time, the liquid in the pipette is infused into the main product to activate the formula, a development suitable for skin care applications like serums and toners. A second development is the company’s Dual Foamer product, a similar concept to the above but for use with foaming products like cleansers and shampoos.

Coson Co.

South Korean firm Coson Co. has been active in the cosmetics market for around 14 years, and in addition to offering its own brands, it also has a contract manufacturing activity. At MakeUp in Seoul, this arm of the company focused on innovative textures. These include the extra long-lasting Lingerie Shadow, which offers an elastic texture and soft touch finish. The product is highlighted in the IT Products by MakeUp in Seoul selection in the formulation category. Other developments include Watery Powder, which has a creamy texture in its jar but transforms to a powder on application, and Chewing Tint, a lip tint with a chewing gum-like texture to be applied with the fingers. The texture transforms to a liquid on application.