Foreign tourists visiting South Korea are sweeping up K-beauty cosmetics. As a result, sales to foreigners at Olive Young, one of the largest beauty shops in S. Korea, increased by 263% in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.
The rise in purchases by tourists from English-speaking countries was particularly notable, with sales increasing by 940%, followed by Southeast Asia at 539%, Japan at 248%, and China at 173%.
So, what cosmetics are foreign tourists buying the most in Korea? The Chosunilbo requested Olive Young to extract the top 5 cosmetic products purchased by foreigners from Jan. 1 of last year to the first quarter of this year.
The best-selling product was Torriden’s ‘Hyaluronic Acid Mask.’ This is due to as more foreigners want to achieve the dewy skin look characteristic of Korean makeup, the popularity of moisturizing masks has risen.
The second most popular product was Vussen’s teeth whitening product, followed by UNOVE’s ‘Deep Damage Treatment’ for damaged hair. Fourth was BioHeal BOH’s ‘Probioderm 3D Lifting Cream,’ which enhances skin elasticity, and fifth was Round Lab’s ‘Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen.’
An official from Olive Young stated, “Skincare and sun care products are especially popular among tourists from English-speaking countries, while toothpaste and hair care products are more popular among Japanese tourists.”
The popularity of K-beauty is spreading through YouTube and TikTok content. Hundreds of videos with keywords like ‘K-beauty must buy’ and ‘Olive Young haul’ are uploaded on YouTube and TikTok.
Additionally, videos emulating the makeup styles of Korean celebrities are also popular. These videos invariably feature the Korean cosmetics used in the filming. This leads to the perception that one needs to buy Korean cosmetics to achieve the look of Korean celebrities.
