South Korean men spend more money on skin products than any other male population in the world, while flawless skin is considered a mark of social success in this Asian nation. Each year, the sales of beauty products for men in South Korea have been estimated up to the value of hundreds of millions dollars according to the reports compiled by market research firm Euromonitor.
“Most Korean men over twenty years old tend to use Korean national cosmetics brand such as ‘Skin Food,’ ‘Innisfree’ and ‘The faceshop,’ while I know that some of the teenagers tend to use ‘Etude house’ and ‘too cool for school’ in Korea,” said Jeremy Kim, a hotel concierge who usually uses cosmetics for work.
Not only does Jeremy have this kind of thought but also most of Korean men in Seoul all have the similar idea. Beauty and cosmetic products are no longer solely the preserve of women, for the male skin care market is booming and theAsian men are spending the most.
“Having a clean and neat face in South Korea makes men look sophisticated and creates an image that they can handle themselves well,” the 26-year-old hotel concierge said. “It is not only cheap but also a must for man at work, especially in the service industries.”
Walk into most of the cosmetics stores in Seoul, you’re bound to find a men’s section selling everything that is cheaper than the duty-free taxed products from the airports cosmetics shops. In addition, while the products we see at the tax free stores in airports are more expensive than those in the local stores in Seoul, the price of the cosmetics is 15% more expensive than those in the stores in Taiwan! This is mainly because of the tariffs and duties added to the products from different nations That is whytourists from Taiwan buy lots of cosmetics whenever they visit Korea.
The lucrative cosmetics market prompted Korean brand Skinfood, Innisfree, Etude House and The face shop to differ the prices of most classic bottle of facial treatment essence from $13 to $25 per lotion. Male clients regularly shell out anywhere from $225 to $450 for facial and body treatment. Not only popstars but even flight attendants featured makeup and skin care lessons for male staff. It seems like it's not just the famous Korean pop star singer Psy who wants to look well-groomed after all.
