How moisturizer became machismo
Lee Woo-jung, like an increasing number of South Korean men in their 20s, is a devoted user of men’s cosmetics.
When it comes to taking care of his skin, Lee Woojung just does the basics: toner, essence, moisturizer and “BB cream,” the tinted sun cream that covers up flaws without being too makeuppy.
This kind of beauty routine is standard among image-conscious South Korean men in their 20s — which is to say, most South Korean men in their 20s.
“People look at me differently when I take care of my skin,” said Lee, 27, a gym owner who was walking through the trendy Seoul district of Hongdae with his girlfriend recently. “It helps me when I’m working because I have a good image. When I approach other people, they are more open to me.”
Tall, with perfect hair and chiseled cheekbones, Lee turned heads as he indulged an impertinent reporter’s questions. His looks may have been exceptional, but his skin-care routine was not.
South Korea has become famous in recent years for skin-care products for women, which incorporate everything from regenerating snail mucus to animal placenta. Now young — and some not so young — men are also buying into the beauty obsession that has swept this land, boosting the nation’s already booming cheap cosmetics business.
“In South Korea, being young and active are considered very attractive qualities. Youth equals ability,” said Eric Min, deputy editor in chief at Luel, a glossy men’s magazine with a whole section devoted to grooming. “So you get plus points here if you look younger.”
The South Korean beauty-product industry boasts about $10 billion in sales annually through stores such as Nature Republic, Etude House, Missha and Tony Moly. Exports to China and Southeast Asia have been growing at a rapid pace, and many tourists here head straight for these shops.
South Korean beauty routines for women involve a confounding array of steps, involving multiple cleansers, potions and creams. Does the essence go on after the serum but before the emulsion?
As the women’s market has become saturated, beauty companies have been stepping up their marketing to men.
It’s a huge prospect in South Korea — and increasingly in other parts of Asia, thanks to the phenomenal popularity of Korean dramas and music — where the masculine ideal of beauty might be described as “metrosexual” in the West.
More than10 per cent — or $1.5 billion — of domestic beauty-product sales are now coming from products for men. The men’s market has been growing at about 9 per cent each year for the past four years, said Kang Jae-joon, head of equity research in Korea at the investment manager Franklin Templeton.
There are numerous websites where men demonstrate how to apply makeup so it looks natural, and how to transform themselves from scruffy to smooth.