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AFP-Relaxnews
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Apr 14, 2015
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South Korea: the new El Dorado for the beauty industry?

By
AFP-Relaxnews
Published
Apr 14, 2015

When the Make-Up in Seoul show hits South Korea this week, the cosmetics world will descend on the Asian hub, which has become a byword for innovation in the beauty sector.

"Korea is the place to be for the makeup industry," says Show Manager Sandra Maguarian, referring to the growing Western obsession with the Asian destination. "It is the new El Dorado. As a cosmetics brand, if you can succeed in Korea you can succeed everywhere.

Press gallery photo - makeup-in-seoul.com


The main draw is Korea's reputation for innovative, high-tech beauty products that are changing the face of the industry. The hottest invention to date remains the concept of "cushion foundation", which has sold millions of units, revolutionized the way we apply liquid foundation and just been emulated by French company Lancome in the form of its "Miracle Cushion Foundation" for the European and North American markets.

Scientific techniques when it comes to makeup application are hot news in Korea right now. From natural fiber mascara brushes to lip gloss applicators that diffuse vitamin E with the product or contain anti-bacterial properties, the technology of makeup application is currently a big topic, Maguarian says. "The innovators in Korea are not that concerned by trends in colors -- it's really about the trends in innovation, application, and protection of the product itself to avoid contamination," she explains.

When it comes to beauty ideals the main emphasis is on skincare, with UV protection and facial creams ranking high on the Korean woman's list of priorities, according to Maguarian. "I think the women use around 20 or 21 products per day, minimum, in their daily routine," she says. "And a lot of that is skincare and foundation." Long lashes (real or false) are also one of the biggest trends.

But the country isn't just making a name for itself in the cosmetics industry. "Korea is a trend," says Maguarian. "It's a trendy name in music, movies and fashion. You can see the trends in the streets -- it's the same thing we saw 20 years ago in London, when the fashion directors would travel over to discover the new trends of the future." But that was in the past. She adds: "Now they are going to Korea."

Make-Up in Seoul runs April 15-16.

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