Men's cosmetics boom in socially-conservative South Korea

An increasing number of young South Korean men are using make-up, an accepted trend in the usually conservative society as cosmetic brands bid to bring their men's products mainstream.

Twenty-three-year-old postgraduate student, Kim Min-gi, who has been uploading make-up tutorial videos on YouTube, is one of them. Kim said make-up helps him gain some level of confidence, adding that he was influenced by K-pop celebrities' flawless skin.

In the eight months leading to August, South Korea's biggest online shopping site Gmarket recorded a 130 percent jump from a year earlier in the sale of cosmetics to male customers, including mascara and lip tint.

Chanel, known for the No. 5 perfume and its fashion range, brought out a men's make-up line called "Boy" in September, which includes matt lip balms and eyebrow pencils in shades of grey. They launched the "Boy" products in South Korea where the company said demand was the strongest, and where competitors see interest too.

A local Chanel shop has already attracted some interest but during a recent visit male customers were difficult to find.

Comedian-turned-makeup artist Kim Ki-soo poses at a cafe in Seogyo-dong in western Seoul, Jan. 16. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

It can be a great gift for men," said 29-year-old Oh Min-Ji, who said she shares some of her make-up with her younger brother but had found the idea of giving him women's products "awkward".

In local cosmetics shops in Seoul, male customers were seen browsing in a separate corner displaying men's cosmetic products only.

28-year-old South Korean shopper Lee Ho-June said that he was embarrassed to visit cosmetics shops as a guy in past, but since cosmetic products for men are available, "now I enter a shop without hesitation," he said.

Asia's male grooming market is still a relative minnow, accounting for under a fifth of the $49.5 billion industry globally in 2017, according to data from Euromonitor.

Yet while business in the United States and Europe revolves around shaving products and deodorants, Asia already punches above its weight in men's skincare treatments, accounting for over 60 percent of worldwide sales in this segment. (Reuters)