Ever since the early 1990’s, Korean beauty and skincare products have had undeniable dominance on Asia’s beauty market – with products that have penetrated international markets, the standards of these cosmetic items have strongly evolved. Current K-beauty products are progressive and innovative; they fuse treatments which were once exclusive to professional clinics into accessible, everyday essentials. These products are no longer just beauty hacks; they have become the cheat code that enable normal consumers to seize medical-grade results.
The standards created by Korean beauty, shown not only through visuals but also the tools which help enhance them, have been recognised globally. Popularly represented through media content like K-pop, the K-beauty hype among Southeast Asian countries is infectious. The Bangkok Post reported that South Korea earned 13.2 billion USD through K-Pop alone, with the highest viewership in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. By inspiring beauty communities across Asia, South Korea gradually conquered the entertainment industry, securing not only a strong position on the entertainment stage, but also mastery of natural, oriental beauty, which cannot easily be replicated. The country has ultimately drawn a blueprint that many strive to follow.
South Korea’s Soft Power – K-Pop’s Domino Effect
The Korean or Hallyu wave has been a longstanding phenomenon that gained momentum from nearly three decades ago, stemming from South Korea’s drive to tackle ‘soft power’ and leverage the country’s global image. Initially gaining traction from K-Pop girl groups like Wonder Girls and Girls Generation who were among the first to represent South Korean music – Korean celebrities or ‘Idols’ were deliberately chosen and trained to live up to two key criteria: talent and beauty.
Today, the trends have extended far beyond music – with culinary culture, fashion, and TV series attracting international audiences, Korean pop culture has captured the eyes of many – now more than ever. According to a report by The Korea Foundation by The Korea Foundation and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of global Hallyu fans in 2023 totalled to 225 million, a 26% jump from 2022.
With such a large fanbase, Korean entertainment projects are actively followed and rarely go unnoticed. Whatever is released gets watched, and whatever is watched quickly spreads. Recently, Netflix movie, K-Pop Demon Hunters became the most watched movie on the platform, based on a report by BBC, once again, bringing Korean media to centre stage.
As avid followers continue to consume Korean content, they absorb the aesthetics, the culture, and even the language showcased through the storyline, the actors, and the brand integrations. Amorepacific, a South Korean conglomerate spanning several beauty and cosmetic brands including Laneige stated that their two-tone lipstick line completely sold out after being featured in hit K-series Descendants of the Sun.
This demonstrates the power of K-drama product placements and its influence on consumer behaviour. The immediate and almost automatic purchase of beauty items once touched by Korea’s top actors on screen shows not only that fans are willing to buy solely based on its representative, but also that they are indeed always on the lookout for the next best product.
Aegyo: A Persona Or An Aesthetic?
In dramas, music videos, and national music shows, celebrities appear on screen with similar makeup styles, showing soft visuals and light colour palettes. These makeup looks resemble what locals call aegyo, which, when translated, means ‘cuteness’ or ‘innocence’. This could be expressed through both personality and behaviour or aesthetic and visuals.
In terms of personality and behaviour, aegyo is embodied through pronunciations, nuances, and intonations that show affection by sounding more childlike and feminine. In visuals and aesthetics, aegyo is displayed through features that represent a youthful look, such has the plumpness under the eyes, dewy skin, and soft, natural colour palettes.
A study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology conducted by Aljosa Puzar and Yewon Hong highlights that aegyo derived from cultural and traditional values, where softness and politeness are embedded in feminine traits. Historically, these mannerisms were used to please and even negotiate in difficult situations relating power and gender.
In today’s world, aegyo is a celebration of purity and a projection of innocence, depicted through both lively aesthetics and behavioural traits. Evolving into a form of self-expression, Korean idols like Sana from TWICE or Won-Young from IVE famously inherits the radiant, doe-eyed, and rejuvenated look associated with aegyo. With some of the largest, most devoted fanbases in K-Pop, it’s no surprise that the idols’ beauty choices ripple outwards, influencing trends and inspiring fans all around.
The Amplifying Effects of Aegyo
South Korea’s high-performing range of cosmetic surgeries have led consumers to continually push the boundaries of modern beauty conventions. As ideals are conveyed through the flawless appearances of the country’s leading entertainment figures, new norms are bound to be set every day, and naturally, consumers search for ways to meet them.
In 2011, The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported 13.5 cosmetic procedures performed per 1,000 individuals in South Korea – placing the country at the top of the list for the most number of participants in plastic surgery. “Nations have different need for beauty. In Korea, the land is small and crowded, that everybody can see, can look at each other in the face,” Hang-Seok Choi, director of Seoul-based clinic JK Plastic Surgery told Business Insider. He also added that Koreans often believe people with better appearance have greater opportunities.
With such distinctive aesthetic benchmarks, beauty products are developed to act as solutions. However, before such products existed, consumers head to clinics and medical centres to achieve the ever-popular aegyo look.
High Standards, High Results
The famed aegyo-sal procedure involves injecting fat beneath the eyes to create puffy under-eye bags, replicating features typically associated with youth. For a wide-eyed, doll-like appearance – blepharoplasty or double eyelid surgery is commonly performed, even becoming the most popular cosmetic surgery in the world in 2014, according to The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Fillers, on the other hand, are used to enhance the facial fullness for a younger look – with usage increased by 70% in 2015.
“Going to the plastic surgery centre carries as much weight as getting a haircut — it’s an everyday thing,” Choi further explained to Business Insider.
The Beauty Revolution: A Shortcut To Surgery
Diehard beauty and skincare connoisseurs across Asia look to South Korea for the latest trends and innovations, in search of cosmetic products that can replicate the reputable results of plastic surgery.
As a result, several makeup lines have been established to help consumers achieve the looks they desire. Specifically, in South Korea, where the visuals are the pinnacle of Asian beauty standards, several products are designed to recreate many aegyo elements.
For instance, aegyo-sal, or under-eye bags can be done in under two minutes with a dolly-eye stick, which is essentially a highlighter with extra pigment. Korean beauty brand Colorgram, launched their ‘aegyo-sal maker’, a pen that has all the tools needed to create the distinct under-eye puffiness. No scalpels or needles are required – one single pen can do the job.
As for the poreless, dewy skin every beauty enthusiast craves, VT Cosmetics’ Reedle Shot was developed to mimic microneedling procedures, in which fine needles pierce small punctures in the skin to boost collagen reproduction by triggering the body’s natural fast-acting healing response. Reedle Shot is said to replicate not only the results, but also a small fraction of the realistic discomfort that comes with the procedure. Where an average microneedling procedure can take 30 minutes to an hour, a one-time serum application takes as little as 10 seconds.
Substitutes for Ultraformers or jawline-lifting botox are facemasks that lifts the face with tightening material that wraps around the jawline to boost the skin upwards. Similar to the effects of Gua Sha, the mask delivers sharp, instant results while simultaneously pushing collagen serums for rejuvenation – forming an immediate plumpness without a single injection.
Alternatives like these aren’t available just in Asia. In the West, sharp contour sticks and brushes are made to create better precision when contouring. Features are accentuated with more definition and users can shadow their jawlines, noses, or lips without having to undergo surgery or filler.
K-Pop and K-Beauty Go Hand in Hand
These products illustrate that modern makeup users can now achieve results that were once possible only through medical procedures. As social media accelerates the exchange of information, exclusive techniques once reserved for professionals turn into an average person’s normal, day-to-day routine.
The concrete solutions implemented in South Korean beauty products not only signal the country’s capacity to produce pioneering cosmetics but also establishes its position as Asia’s ultimate trendsetter. With Korean pop culture deeply cemented in global entertainment, the trust in K-beauty innovations is firmly intertwined and will grow in tandem.
BurdaLuxury’s Lens
By giving makeup users better access to comfortably experiment with different looks, multipurpose cosmetic products serve an additional step to cosmetic procedures. Prior to these creations, consumers relied heavily on professional consultations to evaluate the long-term results of plastic surgery. Now, with products that deliver short-term effects at home, consumers are given the freedom to personally evaluate these procedures through a more personal approach, which could assist with decision-making. This sets a great stepping stone for those considering cosmetic surgery who look to strictly envision their results beforehand. Having this access can not only mean an improved sense of confidence in pursuing procedures, but also higher satisfaction with precise results – a win-win for both brands and consumers.
