Who are Korea’s “self-beauticians” and why are they rising?
Self-beauty jog, or “self-beautician”, is a new word that has recently come about in South Korea. It describes a new breed of beauty product consumer who closely sizes up cost-effectiveness and keeps tabs on changing costs. We took a closer look at this new trend that is taking place in the beauty-superpower of South Korea.
In South Korea, the term “self-beautician” is increasingly appearing in the media. It refers to people who are devoted to performing their beauty treatment at home rather than going to a salon or dermatology clinic. Why pay for a professional service when you own electronic beauty appliances that can be used in the comfort of your own home?
So what behind the increase in this do-it-yourself beauty trend in South Korea? One factor is the country’s rapid increase in one-person households. Over the past 30 years, one-person households have multiplied tenfold, and they currently make up one in four households. However, as the country’s economy begins to stagnate, most singles are currently finding that living in an urban area like Seoul is no longer economical nor comfortable. Despite South Koreans being known for spending relatively copious amounts on beauty products, many are starting to become more thrifty and are choosing “DIY beauty” for its cost-effectiveness.
Naturally this increase in self-beauticians provides a great incentive for the creation of more and more home beauty devices that allow easy but highly-advanced skincare at home.
According to studies by the LG Economic Research Institute, the size of the global market for home beauty devices was around 500 billion yen (4.39 billion US dollars) by 2017. It’s predicted from now that it will grow by roughly 10% annually. The market in South Korea is also deemed to expand. Its scale was 45 billion yen (400 million US dollars) in 2017, and it’s strongly predicted to exceed 50 billion yen (440 million US dollars) in 2018. Even major electronic appliance manufacturers are beginning to enter the market for a piece of the action.
A steady stream of new beauty devices for the home
Currently one of the most popular home beauty devices in South Korea is LG’s LED mask Pra.L. Before its release, most products only concentrated on the surface of skin, however Pra.L is able to stimulate the skin interior with its LED technology. They advertise that through this it can enhance the elasticity of skin up to eight times more. Apparently this feature has garnered praise from users and made the product a huge hit.
Amore Pacific’s beauty appliance brand makeON has also started selling their home beauty device called “GEM SONO THERAPY” which helps skincare products like serum to penetrate into skin via supersonic waves. The device enhances the effectiveness of skincare by massaging you with supersonic waves — specifically with over 3 million vibrations a second.
Also this year in September, Korea Tech, maker of beauty and healthcare-related devices, began selling their cleansing device ReFA in a set with nine different skincare products. Korea Tech is famous as the developer of the facial roller ReFa CARAT, of which has sold over 10 million units in total.
Along with these products, a variety of different home beauty devices have appeared recently in South Korea, all competing for a share of the growing market. These devices not only feature high performance functions on par with those used in professional services, but they’re also reasonably priced and are designed to be easy and quick to use at home.
Self-beauticians in China
The trend of self-beauticians has also hit neighboring China. According to Euromonitor, there was a 270% growth rate between 2009 and 2014 of home beauty device sales in China, and this is predicted to keep increasing.
The Beijing office of KOTRA (the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency) also acknowledged that home beauty has become a trend in China, particularly with younger women who have high spending power. They say that apparently women in China pay more attention to a device’s performance rather than its price, and prefer products that can be easily used at home and that provide high-quality care.
To meet the needs of this growing market, home beauty devices available in both South Korea and China are quick to pander to consumer needs and trends, while also sporting functions with medical benefits. Looking into the future, by harnessing the power of AI and utilizing methods of getting data on a person’s skin condition, these products have the potential to evolve into ever-more sophisticated devices, and further blur the lines between beauty appliances and medical equipment.
Translation: Ching Li Tor
Original text (Japanese): Jonggi HA
