INTERVIEW Tim Probert – Editor, Personal Care Global
Ahead of this month’s in-cosmetics Korea trade show, editor Tim Probert talks to Jayanne Jin - global editor/ business developer of Seoul-based The K Beauty Science and board member of Hansae Fashion Worldwide, a listed company with $1.5 billion sales – about the latest Korean cosmetic trends
Tim Probert (TP): Tell me about your background. Jayanne Jin (JJ): My background is in strategic consulting in branding and retail, and I have led several consulting services for cosmetic companies. I have also been managing director in charge of P&L for fashion and cosmetic businesses for various Korean corporations such as LF and CJ Group. Right now, I sit on the board
of fashion OEM company Hansae Fashion World and am the global editor of The K Beauty Science.
TP: What is The K Beauty Science? JJ: The K Beauty Science is a media platform with a focus on cosmetics R&D that began publishing five years ago. Our readership consists of a lot of researchers, scientists from academia as well as commercial executives. My role as global editor is to
break out K-Beauty science beyond its borders because, thus far, despite the popularity of Korean beauty around the world, much of it has been written in Korean and discussed in Korea. So, I was brought into the
company to start operating an English website, manage our social media, and give talks at trade shows like in-cosmetics Korea to address what’s happening in Korea with regards to the beauty industry.
TP: Do you think the Western view interpretation of K-Beauty is accurate? Or is it perhaps overhyped? JJ: Well, if you look at the export statistics produced by the Korean government, it was $8.5 billion in 2023.
That’s a pretty big number,
so the hype about K-Beauty isn’t pure hype. That’s slightly down on the $9.2 billion record in 2021 but we are still at historical highs right now. I think it has a lot to do with
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the popularity of Korean dramas, Korean movies, and Korean singers.
TP: K-Pop. What are some of the more unusual trends in K-Beauty right now? JJ: I was thinking what would interest you as a British journalist writing something about Korea, and what stands out about K-Beauty. I can think of two in particular, one of which is we have the world’s highest consumption of skin care and beauty by men. An average Korean man spends about $10 a month, while the second highest is a man from UK, who spends about $4. I used for work for CJ Group,
which owns Olive Young, which is a major beauty store with around 10 million active customers, about $4 billion annual sales and around 60% market share. They were having a hard time
trying to get any male consumers. This was back in 2015. But now male customers and men’s cosmetics are increasing every year. The growth is staggering.
TP: Why do you think this is? JJ: Korean men are pretty! But it’s not just that. The 80s or 90s tough guy, macho look with muscles is seen as old fashioned. Young men are fine with using
beauty products. It could be a BB cream with a beige toner to hide acne, or it could be an anti-hair loss shampoo, or it could be lip balm with colour.
TP: Do Korean girls find that attractive? JJ: It’s not dislikeable. If you look at the members of [K-Pop band] BTS, they have nice hairstyles, their skin is perfect and so on. Male grooming is a global phenomenon, it’s not just happening in Korea. But in Korea it’s higher in terms of growth.
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INTERVIEW
Moving the needle
TP: If you were to ask consumers about K-Beauty, the first thing that might come to mind to most is the routine. Ten-step routines, 12-step routines, and so on. How common is that, really? JJ: In a recent survey I saw, the average number of skin care products people use is 5.99. So, six. For people who are less keen on using skin care, it’s usually three products. Men, for example, will use three. The average is six because
on different occasions you use different products. On a daily basis, I think six would be a bit high.
TP: So the popular perception of K-Beauty where somebody is
applying product after product and spending presumably hours doing it is not really accurate? JJ: Not hours, no. Increasingly, people are using multifunctional, two-in-one products like a foundation with UV protection. That said, Koreans are very
much into healthy looking skin and they take cleansing very seriously. I have noticed in the US,
for example, the most popular products bought by people with acne have ingredients that will take care of the pimples. In Korea, it’s more to do with cleansing. People are aware that if you
don’t take care of the basics, then you’re not going to get anywhere.
July 2024 PERSONAL CARE
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