The South Korean beauty market is, according to Mintel GNPD, one of the most innovative, with a truly global influence.  Many local cosmetics brands have spurred innovations that have gone on to become benchmarks in their categories.

According to Mintel GNPD in 2014, lip color cosmetics was the most active category in South Korea - accounting for 30% of total launches. This was followed by nail color cosmetics (almost 23% of total launches) and eye color cosmetics (around 13% of total launches), with the whole category representing an interesting mix of both foreign and local brands. Packaging diversity ranges from visually stunning packs with elements of local culture to technically advanced packages that focus on product application and use.
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The active and growing local lipstick market is pushing brands towards innovative textures, shapes and packaging formats. For example, LG Household & Health Care brand VDL (Violet Dream Luminous) have introduced a new cube-shaped lipstick (shown at left, below) where the cubic shape of the pack is replicated in the lipstick itself.

Its stylish sleek black design promotes ease of application and is distinctly different from the traditional round bullet-shaped lipsticks. VDL’s new lipstick cubic edges help define the lines and shape of the lips while its flat sides that help cover the lips.

Another innovative pack comes from Peripera (shown above) where we see the cushion format moving into new color cosmetics categories. Following the booming popularity of cushion compact foundations in South Korea, sponge applicators are finding use in lip color cosmetics.

In the Peripera example, the new sponge edge of the lipstick gives a soft color with a watercolor painting effect.

These cushion applicators offer many functional benefits and enable a wide variation in lipstick application methods. Ease of re-application for on-the-go touch-ups is another big strength of the cushion format.
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Finally, we have seen a number of examples of launches that focus heavily on aesthetically beautiful pack design. 

For example Etude (shown above, right) provides a stunning silhouette and strong brand recognition through the use of soft curves and strong metallic embellishments to create beautiful objects of desire.

South Korean face cosmetics have recently seen the launch of several highly engineered applicators.  These help to improve the use of the product but also increasingly claim to provide extra healing functions to the skin where the product is applied. For example we have seen more packaging innovation with the goal to keep the contents fresh and cool for a better efficacy.

Frostine’s (shown, below, right) is the “icemetic” (i.e. Ice Cosmetics) brand which was first launched in 2012 in South Korea. Frostine Prangenidin Wrinkle Solution by LG Household & Health Care is an anti-aging solution formulated with refrigeration technology and claimed to increase elasticity and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

The products’ manufacture, packaging and delivery are all undertaken in refrigerated conditions that confirm that brand does not use any preservatives or harmful ingredients and focuses on active ingredients. The product should be stored at 0-10 Celsius temperature to achieve the desired effect. Specially designed packaging provides safe storage of product in the refrigerator and also prevents contamination.

Eye-care cosmetics in the South Korean market is currently mostly focused on applicators that claim to help the consumers’ need to achieve a perfect beauty result.

Mintel has seen an increase in on-pack claims such as ‘massage’, ‘acupressure’, ‘therapy’ and ‘cooling’. For example, eSpoir Pro Intense eye & lash serum comes with a non-allergenic platinum alloy applicator to massage and cool skin.

Tony Moly intense care caviar volume eye filler cream (shown above, left) is packaged in a tube that comes with smart ion massaging applicator. In addition to the product formula enriched with black caviar extract that comes from the Russian Caspian Sea, the applicator offers skin massage with ion, vibration and LED technologies.