Cruelty-free cosmetics gain attention

LF's vegan cosmetic brand “Athe” Courtesy of LF

By Park Ji-won

Veganism has become a buzzword in the local cosmetics industry as the increased focus on animal rights has impacted the market. A 32-year-old office worker who asked to be identified only with her surname Kang recently made a change to her beauty routine ― she replaced her old cosmetics with products that had not been tested on animals.

She decided to make the change as she was looking for cosmetics products with fewer harsh chemical ingredients to treat her increasingly sensitive and acne-prone skin. But the sensitivity of her skin is not the sole reason she “revamped” her make-up collection. She said she is an ethical consumer who cares about animal rights.

As a dog owner, she said she is trying to purchase products based on her values, with a focus on cruelty-free items.

“I am not a vegetarian myself, but I am seeking a sustainable and eco-friendly way of life by reducing unnecessary purchases or trying to buy products that are better for the earth like recyclable tissues or cruelty-free items. I am not a full-time environment activist, but I try to do what I can in my daily life to protect the environment and my dog,” Kang said.

Vegan cosmetics are just the beginning in Korea.

There is no official market data yet, but there are an increasing number of consumers ― particularly young women in their 20s and 30s ― that are prone to buying cruelty-free cosmetics and eco-friendly products, market insiders say. Born between the 1980s and 1990s, this demographic has embraced a variety of ideologies including feminism and veganism. There is as much of a focus on the values the products represent as the products themselves.

As part of this phenomenon, veganism rapidly expanded in Korea from being a niche diet to being part of a lifestyle. An increasing number of Koreans are moving away from using, wearing or consuming animal products and even look for cruelty-free cosmetics skincare products.

Vegan cosmetic products in particular, focus on the use of organic, botanical ingredients and avoid testing on animals.

Also, a law which was introduced in 2017 on limiting animal testing largely transformed the manufacturing process of the Korean cosmetics industry. The law stipulates that cosmetics manufacturers should not make any products that include ingredients tested on animals, they should not test their products on animals and should not distribute products that have been tested on animals. There are a few exceptions.

Exceptions allow the manufacturers to use animal testing for products which will be exported to countries that require it.

Some large companies have already been moving towards a cruelty-free manufacturing system. AmorePacific, the largest cosmetics company here, banned animal testing on final products in 2008, while LG Household & Health Care stopped animal testing on products in all stages of production in 2012.

Backed by the trend, leading cosmetic brands are actively jumping into the vegan cosmetics market.

AmorePacific's Innisfree and Laneige started to release vegan cosmetic product lines. Hourglass, a U.S. cosmetic brand selling cruelty-free luxury beauty products, has been seeing a high growth in sales since it has been launched in 2018 here. Homegrown cosmetic brands like Melixir, Dear Dahlia, Bonajour and Aromatic have entered the market in recent years.

So far, the firms have only released skin care products as it is difficult to put colors in vegan cosmetics products that last for a long time on the skin. However, more firms are releasing color makeup products in the market.

LF, LG's fashion business, recently released a new vegan eye shadow product through its vegan cosmetics brand “Athe” in February. The fashion company launched the cosmetic brand in October last year aiming to sell “authentic beauty” products after finding the emerging market to have a large growth potential backed by the increasing number of customers who want buy products produced in line with their beliefs.

“Recent vegan products are made not only by using organic ingredients under an ethical manufacturing process but also guaranteeing better products for your skin in areas like anti-aging or whitening,” Kim In-sook, product chief at LF Cosmetic, said.

“It was hard for makeup products to get approved by an international organization as a vegan product because their color normally doesn't stay long enough to meet the international standard. But it is certainly changing as many vegan makeup lineups are starting to be approved,” an industry expert said.

Insiders say the trend is a reflection of a recent consumer tendency to buy more products made in an ethical manner or to express their morals through consumption. Over the last few decades, fair-trade products have also been gaining attention among customers.

“The market for vegan cosmetics is not that big compared to the existing cosmetics market. However, it is gradually growing (among young people). For example, when buying a gift for a woman in her 20s, a vegan cosmetics product can be a good product that gives her a way to express her philosophy about society,” Choi Hyun-jin, an official at LF, said.