Skin Deep

We all know that Samsung and LG are Korea’s biggest exports – and maybe Psy, that dancing queen who mesmerized us with his Gangnam Style- but the latest import from South Korea is a formidable array of beauty products. Korea’s skin care products are catching on big time in the US and it all started with BB cream in 2011, when the Korean brand Dr. Jart introduced two BB creams at Sephora here in the States. They had dermatologic roots, intended to protect and heal patients’ skin care treatment, and had been popular as all-in-one-skin-care and makeup products in Korea for several years before they came this way. The cream was a hit and major beauty companies took note. Soon enough, it spawned versions from L’Oreal, Smashbox, Clinique, Jane Iredale, Stila and Doir.

The beauty market has long been led by European countries, which were thought to be the source of innovation. But in recent years, American women – and beauty companies- had their interest piqued by the BB cream and began to look closely at Korean multi-step skin-care regimens. As Korean women are voracious beauty consumers- just check out Peach and Lily, an e-commerce site devoted to Korean and Japanese beauty products- seeing them care for their skin made consumers curious about new techniques, and both the high-tech innovations and affordable prices were alluring. Although the American approach is all about keeping it quick and simple, the Korean mentality is comprehensive and detailed, which could take upwards of thirty minutes for their skin-care routine. Each month there’s something new, like snail cream and snake venom lotion. Right now it’s donkey milk, but one thing is for sure…beauty companies will continue looking to Korea. But definitely not to the North…