Personalization, innovative brand experiences and new moisturizer formulas are what’s hot in K-beauty, according to popular K-beauty site, Soko Glam. Created in 2012 by Charlotte and David Cho, the site has become a go-to destination for its curated assortment of makeup and skin care products, tutorials and blog (The Klog), which features content on Korean beauty and culture. Recently, Charlotte jetted off to Seoul to seek out the latest trends and brands that are at the forefront of beauty innovation. Here, Charlotte’s top discoveries.
Customization
Korea’s color brand Etude House (AmorePacific Corp) takes the customization and experiential concept to a new level with the launch of its Color Factory, an in-house personalized lipstick service. Consumers can meet with an in-store consultant to get recommendations on which lip colors are most complimentary, and then create their own lipstick, which is made-to-order right in the shop. Consumers also have the opportunity to select a unique lipstick case design and personalize it with an engraved message. The entirely customized experience takes about an hour and a half and the lipstick costs less than $20.
Moisturizers on Damp Skin
Korean women are known to go straight into their skin care routine while skin is damp, for two reasons. First, the skin’s outer layer acts as a barrier between living cells and the outside world, but water helps topical actives penetrate past this layer. Secondly, water can easily evaporate from skin, but moisturizers create a film that can seal water in. Brands such as Skinfood, have doubled down on products like the Skinfood Intensive Shea Butter Cream in Shower, an innovative moisturizer that is applied while skin is still wet to increase absorption and efficacy of the product. Other brands such as Hanskin, are encouraging applying multiple layers of the same product, such as their Hyaluron Skin Essence, for the same effect.
Tone-up
Many moisturizers, sunscreens and primers in K-beauty are using the words “tone-up” to describe the brightening, glowing finish that results after application. While most moisturizers typically provide hydrating effects, it has become more expected that moisturizers also offer even-toned skin and a brightening effect.
Cushion Innovations
The cushion category is continues to develop in Korea. Originally a foundation-soaked sponge, new types of sponges featuring a wide variety of textures and materials are being incorporated into cushion compacts. For example, tension pacts from Missha offers a filter-type net to evenly distribute and keep product from being wasted. Another brand, Klairs, has developed a mochi-type cushion that distributes foundation from an inner sac within the sponge to keep foundation moist for longer.
Virtual Reality
Innisfree (AmorePacific Corp) is leading the experiential beauty market with virtual reality concepts in two of their prominent Seoul locations. Because key ingredients used in Innisfree are sourced from Jeju, an island south of the Korean peninsula, they offer customers a chance to virtually tour the island with one of Korea’s leading actors, Lee Min Ho, which makes for a memorable experience. It remains to be seen if the VR technology will be incorporated into its first US flagship when it launches in NYC’s Union Square this fall.
Trending Ingredients
Squalane, Cica, PHA (polyhydroxy acids) are ingredients seen front and center in the latest Korean beauty products including Bio-RTx Mentor Cream 3 and PHA Moisture Renewal Power Cream.
