Bo-eun leads the digital content team. She has covered foreign affairs, North Korea, tech, economy and gender issues at The Korea Times. She did a short stint at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where she obtained a new perspective on news production and life. Small sources of joy for her are lounging in the sun, having a good latte and swimming.
Korean men use 13 cosmetic products on average
A man applines concealer on his face. / Yonhap
By Kim Bo-eun
Korean men are known for their vanity ― they are among the most appearance-conscious males around the world.
It comes as no surprise, therefore, that they use more than a dozen cosmetics items a month.
Survey results from the Ministry of Food and Drug safety show Korean men use 13.3 kinds of cosmetic products on average a month. Men in their 20s use 15 different products.
The ministry conducted an online survey on 1,800 men and women aged 15 to 59 last April.
Cosmetics include not only makeup but also items that cleanse and enhance the aroma of the body.
The survey shows the three most widely used products are shampoo (98.7 percent), lotion (87.2 percent) and body cleanser (76.3 percent).
Items that more than half of men use also include hand cream (67.1 percent), hair conditioner and treatment products (65.9 percent), body lotion (58.6 percent), skin toner (57.9 percent), hand wash (56.9 percent), sunscreen (56.4 percent) and shaving foam/cream/gel (53.4 percent).
Close to half also used cologne (46.3 percent), foam cleanser (45.4 percent) face masks (36.7 percent) and BB cream (19.4 percent).
The most frequently used items were hand wash (56.2 percent), followed by hand cream (50.4 percent), lip gloss/balm (49.4 percent) and lotion (39.5 percent).
Men in their 20s used the largest number of products, followed by those in their 30s with 14.5, and 40s with 12.7.
“The high number of cosmetics men use reflects their great interest in beauty,” a ministry spokesperson said.