Imagine a snail walking on your face. The thought of it sends a chill down your spine, does it not? Well, to your surprise, there are millions of women and men who indulge in skincare or cosmetic practices like this. If not practically, they do use products that are derived from animals, flowers and so many other natures’ gifts. This is what K-Beauty is all about.
Korean Beauty, also known as K-Beauty, is a stream of skincare and cosmetics that has its origin in Korea. Starting from products that make your skin supple and bright, it has tints that can make your lips look unrealistically pink. More than how effective it is on the skin, it encashes the fact that it caters to all age groups. The product lines are so diverse that even the people who previously did not bother about how the texture of their skin looked are now keen on making it better. As much as it is a blessing for beauty gurus, it does create a subtle cult that works towards making the skin looking luminous and younger. For example, glass skin. Yes, people can now actually aim to have shiny and clear skin like glass by using beauty products.
The hype over these products was not created overnight. It initially started as a scheme to make Koreans achieve the beauty standards set by Korean Popstars. Korean Pop, also known as K-Pop, have an insane fan base in their native country and with days passing by, they have become a worldwide phenomenon. From teenagers to mid-aged working women, all idolize them and their external personalities. The point of admiration has driven them to try their routines and by banking on this, K-Beauty brands got mass reach along with a lot of consumer acceptance. However, due to extreme competition and replication, Korean beauty brands have to come up with innovative ideas every now and then. With the aid of advanced technology, the level of utility their products have is by default higher than a lot of other renowned brands. These products are a brilliant mixture of mother nature and mechanization.
Mayisha Mumtaj Alo, a member of Omada Bangladesh (A K-pop dance group), is an occasional user of K-beauty. When we asked her about the brands she uses, we got popular names like Innisfree, Missha, Dr.Jart +, Mi, COSRX and Klairs. Her most used products by these brands were toners, sheet masks, lip tints and eye shadows. She had the following to say when she was asked about how she got to know about these K-beauty brands: “Due to my passion, I am a K-Pop dancer and it is crucial that I am up to date with what they do, how they look etc. I mainly got to know about these from my K-idols and beauty bloggers.” Adding further, when we asked her about her favourite beauty blogger and whether she used these products to look like her or not, she said: “My favourite beauty blogger is Pony and her social media name is Pony Syndrome. It would be amazing if I could look like her cause she is surreal although that is not why I use the products she endorses. I use these promoted products because of the way she presents the products, the benefits, the methods of usage, the suitability of it with skin types. I have seen other beauty bloggers talk about identical products but she is unbeatable.”
On the other hand, we had the opportunity to talk to Humayra Afia Mim, Product Manager at 10 Minute School Limited about her avid interest in K-Beauty. When we asked her about the frequency at which she buys these products and the level of affordability or effectiveness it has, she said that she buys these products pretty regularly as she mostly uses Korean brands. Her frequency of buying them would be every 3 months. “About affordability and effectiveness, I would not say they are not reasonable but definitely effective,” added Humayra when asked about its worth.
Korean culture is highly based on stereotypical beauty bars and due to that, they have to always think out of the box. This in turn increases the chances of it being potent. Also, as these brands have the tendency of evolving with the fast-changing beauty atmosphere, it is indeed great. Furthermore, when asked about her recommending these K-Beauty products over regular products, she said: “I wouldn't recommend them over other US/UK brands because there are some other brands that work better than some of the K-Brands. Nevertheless, to people who love pampering their skin, I would recommend them as these brands are very gentle to your skin”.
In conclusion, it is evident that the K-beauty hype exists. About its worth, it’s honestly a variable that is qualitative. To some, it is an elixir that makes a great difference in the way they look. To some, it is an expensive range of products that still have competitors who can beat them at a lower unit price. Keeping certain monetary and opinion-driven aspects aside, it is worth it. So the next time someone offers a Korean slime-like substance for facial use, you better take it because that is a golden concoction for your skin!
