At a personal color diagnosis specialty store in Donggyo-dong, Seoul, on April 26, three to four foreign customers were seen waiting at the entrance. The store assesses the best clothing and cosmetics colors for individuals based on their hair, eye color, and skin tone, typically charging between 60,000 to 70,000 won per hour. The service has become popular among foreigners, especially after K-pop acts like Blackpink shared their experiences on social media. A store staffer said, “Since last year, we have received reservations from customers from the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, sometimes totaling up to 300 bookings a month.”
On the same day, the Olive Young Hongdae Town store in Donggyo-dong featured a unique section not found in other stores. Considering the popularity of the Hongdae area near Hongik University among foreign tourists, a “K-Beauty Now Zone” has been created where visitors can use an artificial intelligence interpreter when buying cosmetics. Brodin, a 28-year-old from New Zealand, said, “I came here because it’s more convenient to buy Korean cosmetics than other places.”
The Hongdae area has recently emerged as a new sanctuary for K-Beauty, particularly among foreign tourists in their 20s and 30s. Ten years ago, the Garosugil area of Gangnam was the K-beauty hotspot, but now it has shifted to Hongdae. The district is filled with hair salons offering foreign language interpretation services, makeup shops, and personal color diagnosis specialty stores. Dozens of health and beauty stores, such as Olive Young and Chicor, line the area from Hongik University Station to KT&G Sangsang Madang, marking it as a new beauty shopping district. With the increasing influx of young foreign tourists, a “K-Beauty Shopping Pass” specifically designed for them has also been introduced, gaining popularity.
According to the Seoul Tourism Organization, foreign tourists spent 36.4 billion won on beauty services last year, a 231% increase from 2019. Beyond cosmetics, there was a significant rise in specialized clinic services and diagnostic and consultation services.
As the demand from foreign tourists has increased in Hongdae, more hair salons offering foreign language interpretation services have emerged. For instance, over 70% of customers at Juno Hair’s Hongik University branch are foreigners from various countries, including the U.S., Singapore, and the UAE, primarily attracted by social media. All staff are proficient in English and offer Korean snacks as a complimentary service. Specialized clinics like “Hair & Eyebrow Bar” and “Blow Dry Bar” have also become popular, catering to foreigners who prefer light styling services such as blow drying or eyebrow grooming over more intensive treatments like haircuts or perms.
The number of dermatology and dental clinics has also increased with the rise in foreign tourists. Dentistry, in particular, has seen a rise in demand for quick treatments like “petite orthodontics” and whitening, which can be completed in half a day. According to Cushman & Wakefield Korea, a real estate consulting firm, there have been over 20 discussions this year about establishing new dermatology and dental clinics in the Hongdae area. “We have established five dermatology clinics in the H Cube building in Hongdae and are currently discussing the introduction of two new dental clinics,” said a representative from Cushman & Wakefield, noting that the demand from foreign tourists largely drives these developments.
