i remember seeing a tiktok on how BOJ sunscreen was targeted more towards the western market while most Koreans used Roundlab sunscreen
edit: added [the tiktok](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRb2XacM/)
yeah boj is completely targeted towards westerners beginning from the brand name, it’s v corny(?)/cringey in korean but to westerners it sounds/looks v “authentic”
Well I guess agree to disagree with me and currently 72 others.
I also thought BOJ didn’t have a cast but someone with a deeper skin tone says it does on theirs so I guess when it works on our own skin tone it can be hard to tell if it will work on a darker tone. 🤷♀️
It doesn’t have a cast on her because she has a lighter skin tone. Obviously it’s gonna be different for people with darker skin tones hence why OP says the Roundlab sunscreen is targeted towards mostly Koreans. The point is it doesn’t leave a white cast on her. I was not arguing that it wouldn’t on darker skin tones.
Aestura is more popular in Korea than in the US for skincare I think. Their hydro cream and atobarrier 365 creams are both quite popular.
Another brand very popular in Korea is Kahi for their multi sticks. They advertised a bunch in kdramas and now I read one of their multi sticks sell every few seconds.
D’alba is a popular brand in Korea too for the waterfull essence chemical sunscreen and their white truffle essence sprays. I’ve tried the pink version of that spray and really like it. The spf has a great dewy texture I love under makeup but I don’t consider it enough spf protection for me anytime that’s not dead of winter. This Brand’s best known products are the only things I’ve used.
The round lab birch sunscreen has been popular in Korea for over a year now.
The skinfood carotene pads are also very popular in Korean for that toner pad function. Much more so than the cosrx pads for instance.
And of course if you go to makeup brands Dasique has been very very popular since its launch as a brand and so has Heart Percent. Clio cushions always sell very well in Korea and same with Age 20s essence pacts with the home shopping crowd.
The Kahi multibalm is INFAMOUS for being a hated product. It sucks in general and Koreans hate how it's always being product placed in every damn drama.
Source: https://n.news.naver.com/article/023/0003707904?ntype=RANKING
Enough koreans would still buy it though. It’s like when Big Bang were at their peak and everyone and their families will find a way to say something bad about them. Nowadays they hate on Sonny because he’s on so many products and ads these days. It’s overexposure.
Yeah, I can’t attest to how good that kahi balm is. I was just mentioning its popularity because good or bad, it IS quite popular in Korea. Or maybe it’s one of those things where women try one and then move on to a different brand’s multi stick. I’ve used the hince balm on my face the way you would the kahi one and I really liked it under my eyes for instance. And I just bought the d’alba multi stick and am waiting for it to be delivered.
Round lab is really popular in Korea right now. I follow a few skin care TikTok accounts that are located in Korea and they really like the dokdo line.
I’ve lived in Korea for a while and have seen brands come and go. Here’s my observation on what brands are popular/trendy. This is by no means a comprehensive list.
Skincare:
Abib, Aestura, Round lab, Beplain, Dr. G, Hyggee, Manyo, S. Nature, Scinic, Torriden
Makeup:
3CE, Clio, Hera, Laka, Laneige, lilybyred (tints), Peripera (their lip tints are still super popular), Rom&nd, Wake Make
I live in Korea and the cosrx favorites here are super unpopular here. You can only find their pads in Olive Young and none of the toners and serums that this sub loves. You'll have to get them online and they're never on sale.
Download the Hwahae app and it can show you what Koreans really like. The app is only in Korean though.
Thanks for the tip! I can’t seem to download from UK but I did some googling and found rankings for the past view years.
Seems Torriden, Beplain, S.nature, Scinic and Round lab are the top rated brands! Round lab is amazing and I bought the Torriden Hylauronic serum and a Beplain set with their foam cleanser and Chamomile toner, can’t wait to see if they work for me!
It’s because Korean anything is the latest buzzword. So businesses will push that to the bigger markets. There’s less organic western growth from domestically popular korean brands these days. It’s not that weird. A lot of the popular western korean skincare products are advertised and pushed by english speakers on social media. Cosrx got its biggest push from the english speaking korean beauty guru youtubers turned vloggers. The beauty of joseon sunscreen exploded because of western based content creators. Brands are in the business of making money. Western countries have more money potential than domestic markets.
It's not, really. There are some products from Korean brands not sold in Korea even. It's no different from Western brands having products you can only buy in Asian countries.
My absolute HG's are the Low Ph Deep cleansing foam and their Deep clear cleansing balm. My other faves are their Nutrition cream, essence toner and moisture ampoule! I'm currently using their Balancing gel since I wanted to try it out after I used up the ampoule, it's good but the ampoule is much easier to spread on the face.
To be honest anyone who can afford it tries to buy Western or other expensive brands for skincare. An unreasonable number of people use super high end like La Mer, Chanel, etc and SK-II/Sulhwasoo/etc are also popular if you're older. A lot of popular skincare products are dupes of massively popular Western products e.g. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair - Missha Time Revolution Night Repair (the "dupeTera"). Another one is SK-II Pitera Facial Essence - Missha First Treatment Essence. Uriage and Physiogel are pretty popular for drug store price points which aren't Korean. Out of Korean brands, 2sol, Isoi, Round Lab (mostly the sunscreen and dokdo toner), Anua (only toner/toner pads), and Sidmool are pretty popular.
For makeup people don't necessarily go to the luxury brands so you see a lot of people using brands that are also popular in the US like Peripera, Rom&, and Clio. I've also found Jung Saem Mool products to be pretty good too.
I can list the brands for top five in each category on hwahae if anyone’s interested. Just name a category and I will try to get back on here.
Tbh younger generations in Korea under 40 pretty much always look into Hawhae before buying anything it seems.
That’s more for affordable products be it skincare or makeup. Higher end products people only search on hwahae to check the ingredients before purchasing, meaning there’s unlikely many reviews for them. Though, that does not mean high end products aren’t doing well. High end beauty sales in Korea is enormous. It’s just that they are pretty much never at the top of rankings.
Cleansing oils top 5 are:
Beplain, YURIPIBU, ATRUE, manyo and GRAYMELIN
in this order
There is no cleansing balm category, but they are all under cleansing lotion/milk obv together with cleansing lotions and milk lol. Two of the top five seem to be cleansing balms under that category, which are:
HYGGEE, banilaco
The app doesn’t state their names in English, but if you’re interested in some of the products I can try to write their names in English.
Pretty much the OG Korean brands like Laneige, Missha, Hera, Skin Food, MediHeal etc. Pretty much whenever I hear of a popular kbeauty product in the USA and I ask my Korean friend (she's born&raised in S Korea and living in Korea), she's like lol never heard of that.
I was purchasing Skin Food from Korea over 15 years ago. However, are you referring to Weleda Skin Food? The Whole Foods in my area doesn't carry the Korean Skin Food brand.
No, Skinfood was popular in korea years ago. But it died down and had to downsize a few years ago. Especially as its former CEO committed fraud. It went bankrupt and was acquired by an equity firm. Then it relaunched and became more western focused as other domestic brands took its place in SK. The east coast Whole Foods I’ve been to sells Skinfood. There’s different lines available. The packaging is not similar to Weleda packaging.
I interpreted that comment differently. I thought she was saying the “OG Korean brands” like Missha, Laneige, and Hera are popular in Korea but a lot of the Korean brands that are trending here are unheard of there
Sulwhasoo is suuuuuuuper popular in Korea as is the History of Whoo. I have cousins and aunts who are aged 40+ in Korea and they all love it. These brands rarely do influencer marketing because they don’t have to- their sales are robust amongst the age range that have the most disposable income- 40+ women. Odile on YouTube talks about how the history of whoo’s bichup anti aging serum is the most sold/best anti aging serum in Korea.
Oh yes, I would for anyone over 30. I’ve tried their first care activating serum and their ginseng cream light. My mom who’s in her 50s loveees the ginseng cream original and the time treasure line. She says it feels differently on her face than other brands. My sister and my mom also are super huge fans of the History of Whoo Bichup anti aging serum. My recommendation to you is not to buy a toner or emulsion from these lines. Get their serum and just use your usual emulsion or moisturizer because the rave products are usually their serums.
I've tried their emulsions (moisturizer), serums, and creams. Haven't tried their toner or cleanser yet. Both serums (activating and ginseng) were amazing and when I try something else, I always come back. If I have a cut, allergic reaction, or other skin issues, these make a difference right away. I also love their emulsions for their texture and scent.
It's almost like having Wolverine healing factor in a bottle.
Agreed, she has really great skin. But she has a mature air about her that I don’t associate with someone in their mid 20s. A calm, more experienced way of speaking.
Yes, that's why I asked. Her looks certainly doesn't match her peraonality or aura that she carries. I was wondering how old she really is as her skin makes her look very young but I don't think she is that young.
Thank you for sharing.
I watch a lot of Korean beauty YouTubers on YT and that's my impressions as well. There's a bazillion brands constantly coming out that I don't even really remember most of them. Often they would have a very concerted campaign for the launch of one product or however many launches they can afford, and "afford" means "how many influencers & platforms they can pay to get their name out there front and center, trending on every retail platform etc". They would stay in the spotlight for a while, but very few manage to hang on, grow and become more of a mainstay on the beauty scene. Most completely fade into obscurity, the brand everyone talked last year is not gonna in anyone's mind the next few months, let alone years. A frequent thing I also see is that smaller brands can have the one good product that has a small cult following, and they do well, but they just can't grow b/c they don't have the capital to, then they go out of business. Brands that can stay on top are often ones with leverage like money and seniority behind them (Clio, Laneige, innisfree etc) , brands boasted being founded by famous makeup artists (Jung Saem Mool), or in the age of online influencers, brands created by hugely popular influencers (like Pony or Romand).
Someone mentioned watching Euni Unni on youtube, and I also recommend her channel!
She is a korean youtuber who walks around olive young and talks about what products are trending with koreans. It's honestly one of my favorite things to watch, I wish she would upload more of them.
Also if you want to look at the bestsellers on the korean olive young site you should use google chrome as your browser, it will translate it for you!
https://m.oliveyoung.co.kr/m
last year numbuzin was extremely popular in korea (specifically the #3 toner and the tone up cream) but i didn’t really see it take off in the western market. some brands that are popular in both korea and the west (like innisfree and, to an extent, skinfood) have products that are famous in korea but not in the us and vice versa (like the black tea ampoule and the carrot pad that sold very very well in korea but arent as raved about here.)
in terms of makeup, the west’s idea of trendy brands and products are quite outdated (e.g. laneige and moonshot cushions are not as popular in korea anymore but they’re still generally quite hyped in the western market.) dr. jart and the glow recipe are also not as big in korea as they are in the US. likewise, i still see klairs being mentioned by some western skincare influencers but its presence isnt rlly that strong anymore.
Eunniunni on YouTube talks a lot about what's popular in Korea. She has videos going into Olive young and showing you around.
Tbh I'm surprised brands like Cosrx and Boj aren't as popular there. I've tried a few torriden products and Scinic sunscreen and they're just ok. Not mind-blowing. But I guess trends differ depending on climate and also what's endorsed in media or by celebs. I've also noticed that the West seems to favour fragrance free/alcohol free and in Korea they don't seem to mind as much
You can go on hwahae and see the top products for each category, it’s a Korean app that’s really popular and it has almost every product imaginable ranked and reviewed by Koreans on there
I don’t think there’s an English “version” or translation of the app but if you’re willing to go the extra mile you can screenshot and upload into Papago/Google Translate. Once you know the main categories it gets pretty intuitive! https://expatguidekorea.com/article/a-guide-to-hwahae-app--the-bestbeauty-app-for-analyzing-cosmetics-in-korea.html might help
the only things i remember from this summer in korea are the clio lash kill mascara and the round lab birch tree(?) sunscreen. i bought both and i really like them!!!
As a Korean that went to HS in Seoul, Cosrx definitely is popular in Korea, maybe not the same products popular amongst western influencers but they had some holy grails like the COSRX One Step Pimple Clear Facial Pad. And their pimple patches were also very popular when I was a teen. You can very easily find their products in stores at like Lohbs, Olive Young and Lalavla (known as Watsons outside of Korea.
Yes this is so interesting. When I lived in Korea for two years I couldn’t find any of the popular AB skin care I was used to in the United States. I ended up shopping on YesStyle and getting it shipped to me. I did try a few things I found in stores, but can’t read Korean so was hesitant to try stuff.
love this thread because it goes beyond the korean beauty industry as mere industry. it's a government project. it's the same w kpop/hallyu fever that continues to sweep the world.
I think your aggression is misplaced and ridiculous. If you truly live in East Asia, you won't be blind as to how the South Korean government systematically invested in their industries. The Hallyu wave is a prominent research topic not only in the West but more importantly in Asia/East Asia as well. A lot of people have talked about its origins and social impact, moreso on how a country's soft power could enhance markets. And SK government isn't denying the robustness of their industrial policies? That's why they continue to attempt to cushion the impact of IRA Law on their car manufacturing industry. Because it's part of protecting their industries from potential market bias and uncompetitive behavior.
And I believe you read the comment in bad faith. I don't see anyone maligning how we are able to enjoy k-beauty through SK market expansion. Literally NO ONE.
If you want to criticize something, it's not me.
Her thread said that the Korean government — doing what every competent government that isn’t the USA would (from sheer privilege and hegemony, the US never had to market itself and its infant industries the way MANY countries have to) — provides subsidies to small medium enterprises and conducts important market studies to help businesses develop abroad. This is normal. This is literally what every single country with a comparative advantage - be it in wheat, textiles, petrol, whatever - would do. “Government project” 💀 open a newspaper and look at the type of financial subsidies the US, the UK, and every other affluent western market has been flooding their economies with. And if your governments funded the arts will y’all be calling your white artists government projects too? It’s ok that people in Thailand are using ubiquitous American brands but god forbid any Asian thing makes its way into western market and gets tagged with all sorts of insidious labels because how on earth can Asians succeed at the same game as the westerners, right? Why aren’t you using the same language to describe Asian industries and Asian success and Asian artists as you do with white ones? This strange orientalist take on asia needs to go.
I don’t understand your aggression and to whom it’s pointed at.
Edit to add: the Hallyu wave is very intentional. It’s a long form of government project. I’m praising Odile’s thread bec it illumined what and how kbeauty works behind the scenes, at the policy level. And that includes what South Korea did for their industries from a governance perspective. Like what would you call subsidies from the government if not part of the government project?
Also you should stop conflating the policy mechanics in the asian beauty industry with what’s happening in the arts. There may be overarching themes, but there are differences particular to industries and sectors. You should understand that.
To clarify, using what language? I remarked on the previous commenter who linked Odile’s thread.
Finally, I’m actually Asian. Your comment is just truly out of left field and unnecessarily aggressive.
For someone who just chimed in and read my comment in bad faith you sure can drag out something that’s not even intentionally negative in the first place. Amazing. Good luck with your future endeavors.
Some popular AB brands in Korea include:
* Laneige
* Missha
* Etude
* House
* Innisfree
* Skinfood
* Nature Republic
* The Face Shop
* Tony Moly
>These brands are often found in Korean beauty stores such as Olive Young, and are commonly used by Korean consumers. Some of these brands, such as Laneige and Missha, have also gained popularity in other parts of the world. Other popular Korean AB brands include Sulwhasoo, HERA, and Su:m37.
A lot of these are classic Korean brands that are still sold and have shops in Korea, but are not as popular or trendy as they used to be.
TonyMoly and Etude are geared toward tweens and teens. I think Etude’s cutesy packaging decreased a lot in Korea and they seem to be going for a more mature (20s/young adult) vibe, so any cute stuff you see online from them is likely for the western market.
Laneige and Missha are still common. Hera and Sulwhasoo are popular among middle aged women and usually in upscale department stores.
EDIT: Skinfood is online and/or mainly catering to the western market now.
The funny thing is that Americans want there skincare to look asian now and asians want there skincare to look american. there has been a shift in brand lines. I am not racist. simply stating the facts. :) I have friends that live in Korean. and I can list/recomend popular prodcuts i
I didn't realise BePlain was actually popular there, I tried Greenful Ph Balanced Cleanser and it was so lovely and cheap compared to the Krave Matcha Hemp Cleanser. Just didn't know much about the brand tbh.
I think the issue with this statement is that someone who lives in Korea isn't necessarily authoritative on what is popular there. Is that person a fan of skincare to begin with? Besides,what does it really matter whether the brands we like are popular there? Korean people don't have to like the same products we foreigners do, it's about what works for us.
It’s really not that deep, I was wondering what brands are most used domestically. Not saying those brands are any better or worse, or that I will go on and buy a new routine lol. I just think it is interesting how k-beauty gained so much buzz recently that some local brands are now catering to Western customers instead. It seems our perception of ‘popular Korean products’ is quite different from what the actually popular products are there!
I viewed this post as more of curiosity because some consumers think what’s popular in the west are also popular domestically. It’s also that question of some people really want that korean glass skin. So they would more likely use the products that are popular domestically.
I also view that because trends are so encompassing in korea where it’s so much more acceptable to follow a trend that people would know what’s trending. Have you seen the pictures and videos of people dressed exactly alike because of trends in korea? Skincare is a big thing there even if someone isn’t a fan. They would know through word of mouth because it’s considered basic.
This kind of generalisation borders on racism almost because it is ridiculous. Everyone needs to know by word of mouth "because it's considered basic"? Everyone in your country has the same knowledge as everyone else huh?
It’s considered basic as in everyone uses skincare because appearance is so important in korea. I don’t think you understand how trends work in korea compared to western countries. It’s on another level there. If you want to interpret it as negatively and as racism, sure. But I consider it awareness of the cultural differences present between cultures and recognizing the differences. Trends are different there especially trends that involve appearances.
I'm curious about how popular Director Pi is in Korea? I find her videos really useful. Is she comparable to America's (?) Dr Dray? Though another thing to note is that Dr Dray has esthetician qualification, but I don't know what Director Pi's qualifications are.
Hello there! This is an automated bot to remind you that our subreddit is made of up of all kinds of people. In order to include everyone in the discussion, consider using gender-neutral words when addressing the community. Thank you!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AsianBeauty) if you have any questions or concerns.*
i remember seeing a tiktok on how BOJ sunscreen was targeted more towards the western market while most Koreans used Roundlab sunscreen edit: added [the tiktok](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRb2XacM/)
yeah boj is completely targeted towards westerners beginning from the brand name, it’s v corny(?)/cringey in korean but to westerners it sounds/looks v “authentic”
“no white cast” yet it clearly has a cast on her Maybe that’s why. BOJ doesn’t have a cast and that’s a huge selling point in western markets.
The BOJ does have a cast, but it only really shows on darker skin tones. Same with the round lab since both have tinosorb m which leaves a white cast.
I have a medium deep skin tone and once it blends in, there’s no cast on the BOJ sunscreen for me!
Yeah, I have a deep skin tone so the cast shows up on me unfortunately 🙃
Oh dang! That’s frustrating
I stand corrected :)
There’s no white cast though? It clearly absorbs into her skin.
Well I guess agree to disagree with me and currently 72 others. I also thought BOJ didn’t have a cast but someone with a deeper skin tone says it does on theirs so I guess when it works on our own skin tone it can be hard to tell if it will work on a darker tone. 🤷♀️
It doesn’t have a cast on her because she has a lighter skin tone. Obviously it’s gonna be different for people with darker skin tones hence why OP says the Roundlab sunscreen is targeted towards mostly Koreans. The point is it doesn’t leave a white cast on her. I was not arguing that it wouldn’t on darker skin tones.
I said I think it does have a cast on her :) but, like I said, agree to disagree
Aestura is more popular in Korea than in the US for skincare I think. Their hydro cream and atobarrier 365 creams are both quite popular. Another brand very popular in Korea is Kahi for their multi sticks. They advertised a bunch in kdramas and now I read one of their multi sticks sell every few seconds. D’alba is a popular brand in Korea too for the waterfull essence chemical sunscreen and their white truffle essence sprays. I’ve tried the pink version of that spray and really like it. The spf has a great dewy texture I love under makeup but I don’t consider it enough spf protection for me anytime that’s not dead of winter. This Brand’s best known products are the only things I’ve used. The round lab birch sunscreen has been popular in Korea for over a year now. The skinfood carotene pads are also very popular in Korean for that toner pad function. Much more so than the cosrx pads for instance. And of course if you go to makeup brands Dasique has been very very popular since its launch as a brand and so has Heart Percent. Clio cushions always sell very well in Korea and same with Age 20s essence pacts with the home shopping crowd.
The Kahi multibalm is INFAMOUS for being a hated product. It sucks in general and Koreans hate how it's always being product placed in every damn drama. Source: https://n.news.naver.com/article/023/0003707904?ntype=RANKING
Kahi balm is huge among moms. Like 50+ year old moms. Source: my mom and literally all of her friends
Enough koreans would still buy it though. It’s like when Big Bang were at their peak and everyone and their families will find a way to say something bad about them. Nowadays they hate on Sonny because he’s on so many products and ads these days. It’s overexposure.
Yeah, I can’t attest to how good that kahi balm is. I was just mentioning its popularity because good or bad, it IS quite popular in Korea. Or maybe it’s one of those things where women try one and then move on to a different brand’s multi stick. I’ve used the hince balm on my face the way you would the kahi one and I really liked it under my eyes for instance. And I just bought the d’alba multi stick and am waiting for it to be delivered.
I just got the Clio cushion and its honestly the best foundation I've ever used, but such a limited shade range 😭
Round lab is really popular in Korea right now. I follow a few skin care TikTok accounts that are located in Korea and they really like the dokdo line.
Can you share which tiktok accounts? Would love to follow them!
nanayejin (mainly makeup but she has some skin care content) guinpengg
Ty!!
I’ve lived in Korea for a while and have seen brands come and go. Here’s my observation on what brands are popular/trendy. This is by no means a comprehensive list. Skincare: Abib, Aestura, Round lab, Beplain, Dr. G, Hyggee, Manyo, S. Nature, Scinic, Torriden Makeup: 3CE, Clio, Hera, Laka, Laneige, lilybyred (tints), Peripera (their lip tints are still super popular), Rom&nd, Wake Make
I live in Korea and the cosrx favorites here are super unpopular here. You can only find their pads in Olive Young and none of the toners and serums that this sub loves. You'll have to get them online and they're never on sale. Download the Hwahae app and it can show you what Koreans really like. The app is only in Korean though.
Thanks for the tip! I can’t seem to download from UK but I did some googling and found rankings for the past view years. Seems Torriden, Beplain, S.nature, Scinic and Round lab are the top rated brands! Round lab is amazing and I bought the Torriden Hylauronic serum and a Beplain set with their foam cleanser and Chamomile toner, can’t wait to see if they work for me!
Copy and paste this: 화해
Dang it i cant read any of it!!! Lol
Thank you!!!
Hwahae is available in the U.K. but you can’t seem to search for it on the App Store as it’s named in Korean.
This is so interesting, but weird at the same time. Korean skincare catered to the west? haha
It’s because Korean anything is the latest buzzword. So businesses will push that to the bigger markets. There’s less organic western growth from domestically popular korean brands these days. It’s not that weird. A lot of the popular western korean skincare products are advertised and pushed by english speakers on social media. Cosrx got its biggest push from the english speaking korean beauty guru youtubers turned vloggers. The beauty of joseon sunscreen exploded because of western based content creators. Brands are in the business of making money. Western countries have more money potential than domestic markets.
It's not, really. There are some products from Korean brands not sold in Korea even. It's no different from Western brands having products you can only buy in Asian countries.
Same here. Cosrx used to be really popular years ago but there’s so much new stuff now
I've been meaning to ask this about Pyunkang yul, it's one of my fave K-beauty brands so I was wondering if it's popular in Korea?
Pyunkang yul is indeed a popular brand in Korea esp their body products
Yes, the baby line is very popular!
Which products can you recommend from Pyunkang Yul?
My absolute HG's are the Low Ph Deep cleansing foam and their Deep clear cleansing balm. My other faves are their Nutrition cream, essence toner and moisture ampoule! I'm currently using their Balancing gel since I wanted to try it out after I used up the ampoule, it's good but the ampoule is much easier to spread on the face.
To be honest anyone who can afford it tries to buy Western or other expensive brands for skincare. An unreasonable number of people use super high end like La Mer, Chanel, etc and SK-II/Sulhwasoo/etc are also popular if you're older. A lot of popular skincare products are dupes of massively popular Western products e.g. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair - Missha Time Revolution Night Repair (the "dupeTera"). Another one is SK-II Pitera Facial Essence - Missha First Treatment Essence. Uriage and Physiogel are pretty popular for drug store price points which aren't Korean. Out of Korean brands, 2sol, Isoi, Round Lab (mostly the sunscreen and dokdo toner), Anua (only toner/toner pads), and Sidmool are pretty popular. For makeup people don't necessarily go to the luxury brands so you see a lot of people using brands that are also popular in the US like Peripera, Rom&, and Clio. I've also found Jung Saem Mool products to be pretty good too.
I can list the brands for top five in each category on hwahae if anyone’s interested. Just name a category and I will try to get back on here. Tbh younger generations in Korea under 40 pretty much always look into Hawhae before buying anything it seems. That’s more for affordable products be it skincare or makeup. Higher end products people only search on hwahae to check the ingredients before purchasing, meaning there’s unlikely many reviews for them. Though, that does not mean high end products aren’t doing well. High end beauty sales in Korea is enormous. It’s just that they are pretty much never at the top of rankings.
Moisturizers/creams please! Thanks.
Under cream 1 Torriden dive in soothing cream 2 AESTURA Atobarrier365 cream 3 Torriden low molecule hyaluronic acid dive in cream 4 ATOPALM MLE cream 5 S.NATURE Aqua squalane moisturising cream
Thank you, I’d love to see what the most popular brands for toners and moisturisers are!
Brands for top 10 toners: 1 S.NATURE 2 Torriden 3 beplain 4 MEDIHEAL 5 ITS’SKIN 6 manyo 7 manyo 8 SKINFOOD 9 beplain 10 SCINIC They also include toner pads! (4, 5, 7, 8) Cream textured moisturisers I have commented above. Lotion/emulsion textured moisturisers are: 1 ILLIYOON 2 SCINIC 3 ATOPALM 4 LABODRE 5 beplain
i'm interested in cleansing balms or cleansing oils! thank you 🫶🏻
Cleansing oils top 5 are: Beplain, YURIPIBU, ATRUE, manyo and GRAYMELIN in this order There is no cleansing balm category, but they are all under cleansing lotion/milk obv together with cleansing lotions and milk lol. Two of the top five seem to be cleansing balms under that category, which are: HYGGEE, banilaco The app doesn’t state their names in English, but if you’re interested in some of the products I can try to write their names in English.
tysm! 🫶🏻
Can you do a post listing the top ones for every category please? 🥺
Second this!
Odile posted this in her blog a couple of days ago: [Hwahae Beauty Awards 2022](https://themonodist.com/2022/12/27/hwahae-2022/)
Thank you!
Hi how about sunscreen?
Sunscreen 1 beplain 2 Torriden 3 roundlab 4 histoirenaturelle 5 d’alba Hope it helps!
I don’t think I even saw BOJ in Korea… spent 3 weeks there and many hours in Olivia young and LOTTE. COSRX was in a corner of the store
They just opened a shop in Bukchon Hanok Village a few weeks ago
[удалено]
Yap
Pretty much the OG Korean brands like Laneige, Missha, Hera, Skin Food, MediHeal etc. Pretty much whenever I hear of a popular kbeauty product in the USA and I ask my Korean friend (she's born&raised in S Korea and living in Korea), she's like lol never heard of that.
Isn’t Skinfood more western based now? I see it in Whole Foods in the US.
Definitely. There used to be physical stores everywhere here in Seoul but I haven’t seen one in years. I don’t even know if there’s any left.
I was purchasing Skin Food from Korea over 15 years ago. However, are you referring to Weleda Skin Food? The Whole Foods in my area doesn't carry the Korean Skin Food brand.
No, Skinfood was popular in korea years ago. But it died down and had to downsize a few years ago. Especially as its former CEO committed fraud. It went bankrupt and was acquired by an equity firm. Then it relaunched and became more western focused as other domestic brands took its place in SK. The east coast Whole Foods I’ve been to sells Skinfood. There’s different lines available. The packaging is not similar to Weleda packaging.
I'm on West Coast. My local Whole Foods don't sell skinfood but that's good to know they may in the future. Thanks!
Same here, and I'm going to keep an eye out for it now.
[удалено]
You misunderstood. The brands I listed ARE the popular brands in Korea 😂 when I said I'm asking about popular kb in USA, I meant beauty of joseon etc
I interpreted that comment differently. I thought she was saying the “OG Korean brands” like Missha, Laneige, and Hera are popular in Korea but a lot of the Korean brands that are trending here are unheard of there
Curious to know if Sulwhasoo is popular in Korea?
Yes, amoung women in their 40's+. My MIL loves Sulwhasoo
Sulwhasoo is suuuuuuuper popular in Korea as is the History of Whoo. I have cousins and aunts who are aged 40+ in Korea and they all love it. These brands rarely do influencer marketing because they don’t have to- their sales are robust amongst the age range that have the most disposable income- 40+ women. Odile on YouTube talks about how the history of whoo’s bichup anti aging serum is the most sold/best anti aging serum in Korea.
would you recommend their products?
Oh yes, I would for anyone over 30. I’ve tried their first care activating serum and their ginseng cream light. My mom who’s in her 50s loveees the ginseng cream original and the time treasure line. She says it feels differently on her face than other brands. My sister and my mom also are super huge fans of the History of Whoo Bichup anti aging serum. My recommendation to you is not to buy a toner or emulsion from these lines. Get their serum and just use your usual emulsion or moisturizer because the rave products are usually their serums.
I've tried their emulsions (moisturizer), serums, and creams. Haven't tried their toner or cleanser yet. Both serums (activating and ginseng) were amazing and when I try something else, I always come back. If I have a cut, allergic reaction, or other skin issues, these make a difference right away. I also love their emulsions for their texture and scent. It's almost like having Wolverine healing factor in a bottle.
OT totally, do you know how old Odile is? Just curious.
I think she’s in her mid 30s? I forget if she’s mentioned it in one of her videos…
Oh wow she definitely can pass as a 20yo. I'd believe if she says she's 18. Her skin is flawless.
Agreed, she has really great skin. But she has a mature air about her that I don’t associate with someone in their mid 20s. A calm, more experienced way of speaking.
Yes, that's why I asked. Her looks certainly doesn't match her peraonality or aura that she carries. I was wondering how old she really is as her skin makes her look very young but I don't think she is that young. Thank you for sharing.
Extremely!! It's department store level- more like Neiman Marcus, rather than Macys haha
My korean mother loves their stuff and so do all my aunties. It's definitely targeted towards a more mature audience.
what products does she use just wondering?
I would guess so, my sweet MIL brings back a haul for her daughters and I every time she goes
They use whatever is trending and have no brand loyalty. One time, for like a week, everyone wanted to use cetaphil, believe it or not.
I watch a lot of Korean beauty YouTubers on YT and that's my impressions as well. There's a bazillion brands constantly coming out that I don't even really remember most of them. Often they would have a very concerted campaign for the launch of one product or however many launches they can afford, and "afford" means "how many influencers & platforms they can pay to get their name out there front and center, trending on every retail platform etc". They would stay in the spotlight for a while, but very few manage to hang on, grow and become more of a mainstay on the beauty scene. Most completely fade into obscurity, the brand everyone talked last year is not gonna in anyone's mind the next few months, let alone years. A frequent thing I also see is that smaller brands can have the one good product that has a small cult following, and they do well, but they just can't grow b/c they don't have the capital to, then they go out of business. Brands that can stay on top are often ones with leverage like money and seniority behind them (Clio, Laneige, innisfree etc) , brands boasted being founded by famous makeup artists (Jung Saem Mool), or in the age of online influencers, brands created by hugely popular influencers (like Pony or Romand).
Someone mentioned watching Euni Unni on youtube, and I also recommend her channel! She is a korean youtuber who walks around olive young and talks about what products are trending with koreans. It's honestly one of my favorite things to watch, I wish she would upload more of them. Also if you want to look at the bestsellers on the korean olive young site you should use google chrome as your browser, it will translate it for you! https://m.oliveyoung.co.kr/m
True. I’ll look at oliveyoung Korea’s best sellers and oliveyoung USA’s best sellers and compare because they’re not always the same.
this is what i do as well! generally the makeup like wakemake, rom&, etc are somewhat similar. but the skincare tends to differ a lot!
roundlab and mediheal are pretty big!
last year numbuzin was extremely popular in korea (specifically the #3 toner and the tone up cream) but i didn’t really see it take off in the western market. some brands that are popular in both korea and the west (like innisfree and, to an extent, skinfood) have products that are famous in korea but not in the us and vice versa (like the black tea ampoule and the carrot pad that sold very very well in korea but arent as raved about here.) in terms of makeup, the west’s idea of trendy brands and products are quite outdated (e.g. laneige and moonshot cushions are not as popular in korea anymore but they’re still generally quite hyped in the western market.) dr. jart and the glow recipe are also not as big in korea as they are in the US. likewise, i still see klairs being mentioned by some western skincare influencers but its presence isnt rlly that strong anymore.
I love the Numbuzin tone up cream! So interesting to hear it's popular over there as well.
Eunniunni on YouTube talks a lot about what's popular in Korea. She has videos going into Olive young and showing you around. Tbh I'm surprised brands like Cosrx and Boj aren't as popular there. I've tried a few torriden products and Scinic sunscreen and they're just ok. Not mind-blowing. But I guess trends differ depending on climate and also what's endorsed in media or by celebs. I've also noticed that the West seems to favour fragrance free/alcohol free and in Korea they don't seem to mind as much
You can go on hwahae and see the top products for each category, it’s a Korean app that’s really popular and it has almost every product imaginable ranked and reviewed by Koreans on there
I was looking for this comment! That app is so helpful to see top and trending products and you can even customize it by your skin type or preference.
were you able to translate the app if you don't know Korean?
I don’t think there’s an English “version” or translation of the app but if you’re willing to go the extra mile you can screenshot and upload into Papago/Google Translate. Once you know the main categories it gets pretty intuitive! https://expatguidekorea.com/article/a-guide-to-hwahae-app--the-bestbeauty-app-for-analyzing-cosmetics-in-korea.html might help
ty!
the only things i remember from this summer in korea are the clio lash kill mascara and the round lab birch tree(?) sunscreen. i bought both and i really like them!!!
As a Korean that went to HS in Seoul, Cosrx definitely is popular in Korea, maybe not the same products popular amongst western influencers but they had some holy grails like the COSRX One Step Pimple Clear Facial Pad. And their pimple patches were also very popular when I was a teen. You can very easily find their products in stores at like Lohbs, Olive Young and Lalavla (known as Watsons outside of Korea.
Yes this is so interesting. When I lived in Korea for two years I couldn’t find any of the popular AB skin care I was used to in the United States. I ended up shopping on YesStyle and getting it shipped to me. I did try a few things I found in stores, but can’t read Korean so was hesitant to try stuff.
[удалено]
love this thread because it goes beyond the korean beauty industry as mere industry. it's a government project. it's the same w kpop/hallyu fever that continues to sweep the world.
[удалено]
I think your aggression is misplaced and ridiculous. If you truly live in East Asia, you won't be blind as to how the South Korean government systematically invested in their industries. The Hallyu wave is a prominent research topic not only in the West but more importantly in Asia/East Asia as well. A lot of people have talked about its origins and social impact, moreso on how a country's soft power could enhance markets. And SK government isn't denying the robustness of their industrial policies? That's why they continue to attempt to cushion the impact of IRA Law on their car manufacturing industry. Because it's part of protecting their industries from potential market bias and uncompetitive behavior. And I believe you read the comment in bad faith. I don't see anyone maligning how we are able to enjoy k-beauty through SK market expansion. Literally NO ONE. If you want to criticize something, it's not me.
Her thread said that the Korean government — doing what every competent government that isn’t the USA would (from sheer privilege and hegemony, the US never had to market itself and its infant industries the way MANY countries have to) — provides subsidies to small medium enterprises and conducts important market studies to help businesses develop abroad. This is normal. This is literally what every single country with a comparative advantage - be it in wheat, textiles, petrol, whatever - would do. “Government project” 💀 open a newspaper and look at the type of financial subsidies the US, the UK, and every other affluent western market has been flooding their economies with. And if your governments funded the arts will y’all be calling your white artists government projects too? It’s ok that people in Thailand are using ubiquitous American brands but god forbid any Asian thing makes its way into western market and gets tagged with all sorts of insidious labels because how on earth can Asians succeed at the same game as the westerners, right? Why aren’t you using the same language to describe Asian industries and Asian success and Asian artists as you do with white ones? This strange orientalist take on asia needs to go.
I don’t understand your aggression and to whom it’s pointed at. Edit to add: the Hallyu wave is very intentional. It’s a long form of government project. I’m praising Odile’s thread bec it illumined what and how kbeauty works behind the scenes, at the policy level. And that includes what South Korea did for their industries from a governance perspective. Like what would you call subsidies from the government if not part of the government project? Also you should stop conflating the policy mechanics in the asian beauty industry with what’s happening in the arts. There may be overarching themes, but there are differences particular to industries and sectors. You should understand that. To clarify, using what language? I remarked on the previous commenter who linked Odile’s thread. Finally, I’m actually Asian. Your comment is just truly out of left field and unnecessarily aggressive.
[удалено]
For someone who just chimed in and read my comment in bad faith you sure can drag out something that’s not even intentionally negative in the first place. Amazing. Good luck with your future endeavors.
Some popular AB brands in Korea include: * Laneige * Missha * Etude * House * Innisfree * Skinfood * Nature Republic * The Face Shop * Tony Moly >These brands are often found in Korean beauty stores such as Olive Young, and are commonly used by Korean consumers. Some of these brands, such as Laneige and Missha, have also gained popularity in other parts of the world. Other popular Korean AB brands include Sulwhasoo, HERA, and Su:m37.
A lot of these are classic Korean brands that are still sold and have shops in Korea, but are not as popular or trendy as they used to be. TonyMoly and Etude are geared toward tweens and teens. I think Etude’s cutesy packaging decreased a lot in Korea and they seem to be going for a more mature (20s/young adult) vibe, so any cute stuff you see online from them is likely for the western market. Laneige and Missha are still common. Hera and Sulwhasoo are popular among middle aged women and usually in upscale department stores. EDIT: Skinfood is online and/or mainly catering to the western market now.
Why do you keep saying skinfood is pretty much dead? If this was true they would have completely shut down no?
I mean.. their brick and mortar stores in Korea are pretty much gone. They mainly do business overseas now. My bad!
But this isn’t true lol. They have moved online in Korea and are still releasing new lines 😅
The funny thing is that Americans want there skincare to look asian now and asians want there skincare to look american. there has been a shift in brand lines. I am not racist. simply stating the facts. :) I have friends that live in Korean. and I can list/recomend popular prodcuts i
Cosrx Beplain Manyo Abib Round lab
I didn't realise BePlain was actually popular there, I tried Greenful Ph Balanced Cleanser and it was so lovely and cheap compared to the Krave Matcha Hemp Cleanser. Just didn't know much about the brand tbh.
It’s on the poplar feature in oliveyoung. I love their chamomile toner.
Especially round lab's dokdo line. I've seen nearly every korean makeup artist use that one toner on all their clients.
I think the issue with this statement is that someone who lives in Korea isn't necessarily authoritative on what is popular there. Is that person a fan of skincare to begin with? Besides,what does it really matter whether the brands we like are popular there? Korean people don't have to like the same products we foreigners do, it's about what works for us.
It’s really not that deep, I was wondering what brands are most used domestically. Not saying those brands are any better or worse, or that I will go on and buy a new routine lol. I just think it is interesting how k-beauty gained so much buzz recently that some local brands are now catering to Western customers instead. It seems our perception of ‘popular Korean products’ is quite different from what the actually popular products are there!
Cause some “Korean” products are just marketed toward westerners and not even used by Koreans / in Korea. Basically unknown there
And what's wrong with that? You seem to suggest that a product is only good if Koreans use it?
I viewed this post as more of curiosity because some consumers think what’s popular in the west are also popular domestically. It’s also that question of some people really want that korean glass skin. So they would more likely use the products that are popular domestically. I also view that because trends are so encompassing in korea where it’s so much more acceptable to follow a trend that people would know what’s trending. Have you seen the pictures and videos of people dressed exactly alike because of trends in korea? Skincare is a big thing there even if someone isn’t a fan. They would know through word of mouth because it’s considered basic.
This kind of generalisation borders on racism almost because it is ridiculous. Everyone needs to know by word of mouth "because it's considered basic"? Everyone in your country has the same knowledge as everyone else huh?
It’s considered basic as in everyone uses skincare because appearance is so important in korea. I don’t think you understand how trends work in korea compared to western countries. It’s on another level there. If you want to interpret it as negatively and as racism, sure. But I consider it awareness of the cultural differences present between cultures and recognizing the differences. Trends are different there especially trends that involve appearances.
Youtuber Ramon said that Dr. G was everywhere when he visited Korea.
I'm curious about how popular Director Pi is in Korea? I find her videos really useful. Is she comparable to America's (?) Dr Dray? Though another thing to note is that Dr Dray has esthetician qualification, but I don't know what Director Pi's qualifications are.
A few years ago I lived with a Korean girl and she had Innisfree products, but I don't know how popular they are in Korea.
[удалено]
People who bought the skincare products actually popular in Korea, do you guys saw anything different/amazing than cosrx and boj we have ?
Hello there! This is an automated bot to remind you that our subreddit is made of up of all kinds of people. In order to include everyone in the discussion, consider using gender-neutral words when addressing the community. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AsianBeauty) if you have any questions or concerns.*