Korea has ignited the Western beauty market with a consistent ability to introduce novelty products characteristic of breakthrough formulations and indigenous ingredients. From BB and CC creams to cushion compacts and the rise of sheet masks, K-beauty brands are at the forefront of beauty innovation and trends. The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) is looking to make it possible for the next wave of bestselling K-Beauty products to gain traction in the U.S. with its third annual

Korean Beauty and Lifestyle Showcase, which featured more than 20 Korean suppliers and manufacturers interested in entering the U.S. market.

“Many of the brands at the showcase are featured on KITA’s online shopping mall website Kmall24,” explained David Kim, Assistant Marketing Manager, KITA. “Each brand is hand-picked by our team based on sales volume, but we also look for companies that have potential based on marketability, superiority and originality.”

According to David, hanryu, the term used to describe the global popularity of Korean entertainment and popular culture), has played a major role in the development of innovative products.

“Korean idols are famous for displaying flawless and blemish-free skin on the screen and when K-pop fans see and connect it with the usage of K-beauty products, there is a synergy effect,” he explained. “Consumers are willing to use an extensive range of products to achieve the look, which has sparked Korean brands to deliver ground-breaking products.”

These products are further popularized because they promise instantaneous results. Add to that the marketing appeal of intriguing ingredients, ranging from snail mucus to dragon fruit, fun packaging and quality research and development, and consumers are intrigued. Many of the products are also affordable.

“If you look at online retailers of K-Beauty such as Glow Recipe or Soko Glam, you’ll see that the products are clustered at price points that are consumer-friendly,” David said. “Plus, the convincing number of reviews and high ratings per displayed product could act as word-of-mouth marketing to attract new consumers, while symbolizing retention.”

Here are some of the brands KITA expects will be the next buzzed-about products in K-beauty:

Secret Key Tattoo – A best seller in this line is its Cover Cushion, a full coverage foundation that uses micro-powder particles that adheres to skin like a magnet, resulting in long-lasting coverage. The product is infused with six herbal ingredients and offers sun protection, skin brightening and moisturization. Another best seller is its Lip Tint Pack, which is applied like a lip gloss, left on to dry for 10 minutes, and is peeled off to reveal color-stained lips that are transfer-proof and lasts up to 12 hours.

Vanav – One of this at-home skin care device company’s star products is a galvanic ion, UP5, which provides different modes to tackle five different skin care solutions, including deep cleansing, eye-zone care, moisturization and skin lifting. The product also features music therapy through the transformation of sound waves into a vibrating massage, which the user can take advantage of by using the phone jack to plug in their cell phone to play music.

TreeannSea – This eco-friendly beauty brand has several skin care lines made with raw ingredients. Perhaps its most intriguing line is Eskimo Mella which contains USDA Organic Tremella Fuciformis (SnowFungus), a tropical gelatinous fungus that has strong water-retentive properties (it can hold up to 500 times its weight in water), which helps to deeply hydrate and plump skin.

FG-Beauty – After working with flight attendants to develop skin products that could hydrate skin in extremely dry conditions, the brand released its FG-Beauty premium mask pack, which features squalene, an optimized version skin’s natural moisture molecules, extracted from shark’s liver. The ingredient is now the featured element in its entire line along with Opuntia Humifusa extract, a flower from the Seorak mountain (the third largest mountain on the Korean Peninsula) which the company claims provides brightening, moisturizing and soothing effects on skin.

Natural Waterless Shampoo for Urban Life – An alternative to dry shampoo sprays which may leave white streaks, this product cleanses hair with a mild conditioning foam without water or rinsing. Designed for urbanites exposed to microdust and smog, the shampoo aims to detoxify hair and leave it feeling as clean as an actual hair wash.