Here’s the understatement of the century: over the last decade, the world has become fascinated with Korean beauty trends.
Whether it’s due to K-Pop girl groups like BlackPink or NewJeans becoming global beauty icons or the allure of the ten-step skincare routine popularized by YouTube in the mid-2010s, K-Beauty’s ocean-hopping impact has reverberated throughout the Western skincare, cosmetic, and aesthetic enhancement markets. If you’re even remotely a fan of sheet masks, cushion foundations, subtle glitter eyeshadows, 3D nail charms or frizz-free hair treatments, you’ll have Korean beauty moguls to thank.
Earlier this month, I spent a week in South Korea with the Seoul Metropolitan Government attending Seoul Fashion Week— or, as my beauty editor friends liked to see it, 7 days of experimenting (read: spending way too much money) with heaps of life-changing products and high-tech treatments one of the most cosmetically advanced-countries in the world has to offer. It’s safe to say my life was changed.
After speaking with K-Beauty experts both in New York and abroad, as well as getting a back-stage, in-depth look at the Korean beauty industry during Seoul Fashion Week, I’m picking up these makeup, hair, and nail trends straight from the shows and streets of South Korea.
