5 of Korea's Hottest Beauty Trends and How to Try Them

This is the first in a three-part series where we aredeep-diving into Korean beauty products and trends.  

Ever since the great BB cream takeover of 2012, all eyeshave been on Korea’s beauty scene. BB cream, that multi-tasking skin care wonder offered by pretty muchevery cosmetic company in the U.S. now, is one of Korea’s most successful exports.(Well, besides Psy.) The hype for the country’sofferings has appeared to eclipse even Japan, which has long been known as the beauty innovator in Asia.

Korean beauty companies are prolific because Korean women are voracious beauty consumers.  At Marie Claire’s recent Global Beauty Forumin NYC, which included Marie Claire Korea’s beauty editor, much was made of thelegendary Korean 17-step skin care ritual. (This number may be inflated.  Regardless, it’s definitely not awash-and-go culture.) 

“We’reseeing so much innovation come out of Korea and with globalization it’s cominga lot faster,” Erin Flaherty, Marie Claire’s health and beauty director, saidat the Global Forum event. The bottom line is that Korean women aresavvy about skin care and American women want in. So how do we get it?

Up until now, one Korean cosmetics company, Amore Pacific,has been the major player in the U.S. market.  Amore Pacific is like the Estee Lauder of Asia—it ownsmultiple beauty brands including its eponymous brand, the luxury Sulwhasooline, and the lower-priced Laneige range,which just launched exclusively in the U.S. at Target as part of that retailer’sbeauty department overhaul. 

But thanks to a handful ofentrepreneurs who saw the potential demand in America, it’s now much easier to get your hands on a number of Korean brands, which you previouslyhad to buy through eBay, Amazon or international sites -- if you could get them at all.  Several new e-commerce sites have emerged, and each has a unique aesthetic. 

Alicia Yoonand Cindy Kim, two friends who met in Korea, started Peach and Lily, ane-commerce site devoted to Korean and Japanese beauty products, last year. Theytravel to Korea multiple times per year to scope new products. “Our curation isvery stringent. Our criteria is that, not only does it need to be extremelywell-loved in Korea, but we make sure the quality and everything theirphilosophy is about is in line with ours,” Yoon says. “We also like to see reallypotent, differentiated ingredients or a unique formulation that is verynatural, organic or gentle to use.” 

Yoon and Kim are currently helping the Koreangovernment with a marketing initiative to introduce more brands to U.S. consumers. In September, the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI)opened the awesomely-named pop-up shop, Korea Cosmetic Bliss, in New York City, which will run through the end of May. (It is definitelyworth a trip. I’ve been there three times and have spent approximately azillion dollars on products. For research, of course! Yes.) The KHIDI hasopened up pop-ups in the past, but this is the longest-running one to date. A rep for the KHIDI told me that the store is hoping to launch e-commerce prior to the pop-up's closure.  While Peach and Lily is decidedly more high-end, KoreaCosmetic Bliss carries a range of brands, from mass to luxury, and presumablythe eventual website will do the same.

Soko Glam,  which launched in December 2012, is a great site for entry-level Koreanproducts -- it carries popular mass brands like Missha and Etude House (anotherAmore Pacific brand). “There’s a big disconnect between what Asian and Americanwomen use,” Soko Glam co-founder Charlotte Cho says. “We wanted to bridge thatgap. Korean skin care is a big part of Korean culture. I aim to demystify it.” Thesite includes a regularly updated blog and clear descriptions of products.

If you’re looking for more clinical products,a site dedicated specifically to dermatologist-developed, “pharmaceutical” skincare called MD Skin Mall   launched last week. MD Skin Mall offers brands like Atopinkfor extremely dry skin, A.C. Care for acne, and Dermafirm for anti-aging. Its co-founderrepeats a now-recurring message. “Korea is the new France when it comes tobeauty and skin care,” says Megan Lee, who used to work at Missha inKorea.  “We had been getting a lotof questions about Korean cosmetics and I felt this was the right time for Koreanbrands to expand into the U.S. A lot of people are paying attention now.”

Now that I have your attention, what should you be buying from these sites? See below to check out five of Korea's biggest and emerging trends. (Note: click on the images to see the captions in full):

In part 2 of our Korean beauty extravaganza, we test and report back on many fantastic (and occasionally fantastical) products and brands, including where to buy them.  

(To purchase products shown in slideshow: Amore Pacific Cushion Compact, $60; Laneige Water Sleeping Mask, $23; Mizon All-in-One Snail Repair Cream, $38; The Face Shop Rice Water Cleansing Oil, $13; SU:M37 Miracle Finisher, $65.95)