korean cosmetics are unbelievable! i don’t usually like cosmetics all that much, but i must tell you: i couldn’t keep my cool in seoul!
welcome to a world of high quality, wonderfully packaged, affordable, experimental cosmetics. we may have dozens of different products, but they have hundreds. i’m pretty sure the western cosmetics industry is watching their korean counterpart and learning valuable lessons. 
korean cosmetics are one of the leading vectors of the korean wave. it’s a huge but still growing industry that caters to the people using the most plastic surgery in the world. you think you are doing your homework by cleaning/tonig/mosturizing your skin daily, right? well, you are way behind a nation of young women and men who use an incredible range of cosmetics just to keep up with the impossibly high standards of beauty imposed and kept by k-pop starlets and drama stars.
a few interesting facts: did you know that bb cream (blemish balm) was actually first developed in korea to treat blemishes and sensitive skin after facial treatments? did you know that korea has the biggest men’s cosmetics industry in the world? and these are just a couple of this industry’s surprising secrets.
i had a faint idea about the existence of korean cosmetics, so, once in seoul, i was ready to look into the matter. i must have entered a thousand stores. they look innocent at first, but then you start discovering the different and the downright shocking items. most of the products are sweet-smelling concoctions in unbelievably cute packaging. they are so cute you start considering buying them all just to see them every day on your bathroom shelf.
beside the regular nail polishes, lipsticks and moisturizers, there are the unheard of items: lips stamps, lip markers, lip tints and jellies. there are single pack sheet masks with all the possible ingredients, ranging from pearls to bee or snake venom. they have top coats that transform your nail varnish from glossy to matte. and little hats for brightening your nails. and have you ever heard of a sleep pack? i’m telling you: mind blown!
beside the alluring packaging and the promised benefits, many of the products have extra perks. they are parabens free, preservatives free, not tested on animals and they have 100% recyclable packaging, low carbon containers and natural ingredients. most probably, the manufacturers fought every negative thing you may fear in cosmetics.
and, the cherry on top, the highlight: snail cream. i tested it and it’s every bit as good as they say! about six hours after i put it on, my face still felt hydrated to the touch. if you have the opportunity, at least try it! it’s not at all slimy and it feels just like any regular cream. also, there is a whole family of related products, of course: washing foams, serums, eye creams, etc.
beside the cool selection, the stores are absolutely everywhere and and the services are great. one final plus: you get gifts for almost each and every purchase. seoul is cosmetics heaven, i’m telling you!
here you have a few crazy products i found while researching: black garlic cream , goat milk and lavender sun lotion, black egg pore serum, facial choco cacao scrub, black sugar cleansing oil or wine peeling jelly scrub. this list is just a sample: go online and find more jaw-dropping products!
these are a few of the brands i came across: nature republic, innisfree, tonymoly, skin food, but the list is long and growing constantly.
who do you think is the most recent korean star advertising for korean cosmetics? the omnipresent psy, of course. click here and here for the tv ads.
here you have a video giving insight into the beauty routine of korean men. informative!
photo credits: google search, little aesthete
video credits: abcnews
13 comments
child says:
Jul 9, 2013
looks like a colorful heaven to me! :D
little aesthete says:
Jul 9, 2013
how can one not like it, right? :)
Martine says:
Oct 19, 2013
A little too childish for my taste. I don’t know. In my experience stuff like that never works. ill stick with Murad, thanks. I just think the new trend is to not wear visible make up at all. It kind of makes a person look cheap. But good skin care is certainly a must.
little aesthete says:
Oct 19, 2013
i picked the most outrageous examples of packaging for the illustration of the post, of course.
you are free to use whatever you want, i’m just sharing what i discovered :)
Oana Avornicesei says:
Nov 12, 2013
Charming and immature, too cute to want to grow up into full womanhood… On a personal note I don’t see myself using ~18 cosmetics products a day. The amount of time and attention that goes into it is too unreasonable. And I can very well imagine that they are 12 years ahead of any country in the world in terms of cosmetics, and not only. That Samsung museum of contemporary art in Seoul for instance is simply out of this world! I would spend THERE all the time that I spare by using only ~3-4 of the 18 cosmetic products. :) And I would go for their finest and least baby-like ones…
little aesthete says:
Nov 12, 2013
they are the country w/ that uses most cosmetic surgery and probably cosmetics.
but you don’t need to :)
seoul was indeed fabulous: i’d love to go back sometime! :)
Oana Avornicesei says:
Nov 12, 2013
:) kamsahamnida! :)
Yes, I’d like to try some of their street food and go to a few concerts of Romantiqua, for example: https://www.facebook.com/Band.romantiqua?fref=ts…
There are so many places to see and things to do… There’s no getting away from Eleanor Farjeon’s poem today.
little aesthete says:
Nov 12, 2013
travel is necessary escape :)
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Alapure says:
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They simply look amazing and colorful as well.
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the look is only the introduction: their effects are awesome! :)
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