If you pay attention enough, you’ll notice something about K-beauty marketing.
Every brand is somehow:
“Korea’s No.1 Brand”
“No.1 Best-Seller in Korea”
But if you actually live in Korea or work in the industry, you’ll know that most of the time, that’s not true at all.
What People Think vs What’s Actually Happening
A lot of brands that seem “popular in Korea” are actually only popular outside of Korea.
They look big because:
- They run a lot of ads globally
- They go viral on TikTok
- They’re everywhere on Amazon
But in Korea, those same brands:
- Are not widely knowns or used by the locals
- Don’t have strong offline or online presence in Korea
- Don’t even show up much in local consumer conversations
Some of these brands originally launched in Korea, couldn’t compete, and then shifted their focus overseas. And some only targets overseas market since the beginning.
Which is honestly.. quite normal.
Because Korean beauty market is extremely saturated; and competing locally is much harder than people think.
Korean Consumers Are Different
One of the bigget differences is the consumer behaviour. Korean consumers are very picky.
They don’t just buy something because it’s viral or aesthetically pleasing. Before trying a product, they will:
- Check the ingredient list
- Read multiple reviews
- Compare it with 10 or more similar products
Basically, they take time to decide and not easily persuaded.
Meanwhile, global consumers are more open to:
- Trying viral products
- Buying based on packaging or hype
- Following trends quickly
So a product that does well globally does not automatically work in Korea, and vice versa.
Claims Actually Matter in Korea
Another thing people don’t realize is how strict Korea is when it comes to product claims.
If a brand wants to say things like: brightening, anti-aging, acne care, etc., they actually need proper data to back it up and it has to be submitted to Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (KMFDS).
This means you need to have all the proper documentation to back up the claims (including clinical testing) and this will take a chunck of time and cost.
In many other countries, brands can use similar claims without going through this level of validation.
So when I develop a product, the first question shouldn’t just be “what do we want to make?”
It should be: “Where are we going to sell this?”
Because that determines what you can say on your product packaging.
Entering Korea Is Not An Easy Task
A lot of people assume that if you make products in Korea, you can easily sell in Korea.
Well, that’s not how it works.
If you want real visibility, you have to go through Olive Young.
Olive Young is the dominant beauty retailer in Korea and they control the majority of offline market share in Korea. Even big global players like Sephora couldn’t compete and eventually exited Korean market.
But getting into Olive Young are expensive, competitive and ongoing.
It’s not just listing your products and waiting for sales. Like every retailer, you’d need:
- Budget for marketing & promotions
- Strong seel-through
- Continuous support
So realistically, for many smaller brands, it’s not even an option. They either:
- Stay online locally
- Go to smaller retailers
- Or skip Korea entirely and focus on global markets
Why Global Is Oftern the Better Option
From a business perspective, targeting global markets is usually easier.
- Lower barriers for claims
- Faster traction through social media
- Better margins
- Less restrictive wording to use for running ads
Even platforms like Amazon are much cheaper option to enter compared to offline retail in Korea.
So a lot of brands make a very intentional decision:
They don’t start in Korea.
They start in other market instead.
Final Thought
The irony is:
A lot of brands use “No.1 in Korea” to entice consumer and sell internationally, but the real competition is still happening within Korea itself.
Leave a Reply