#CNILux Day Two Redefining Beauty

THE SECOND OF today's sessions on the K-beauty scene fell to Christine Chang, co-Founder and co-CEO of Glow Recipe, to explain why the category is so popular and how, with the right direction, it can truly go global. 

"We found that a lot of Korean companies - despite their economic success - were having trouble accessing new markets and we wanted to help that," said Chang, whose own business brings the latest beauty exports from Seoul around the world, helping to redefine the traditional conceptions of what beauty is globally today. "Korea has quickly become the next big thing for everything hot in beauty, but what is its appeal? In Asia, K-beauty goes hand-in-hand with the K-pop wave, whereas in European and US markets, it is still emerging and has some way to go."
 

Face sheets, cushion compacts, rubber masks, splash masks, capsule beauty, aqua-filling products, watery gels, honey creams, glass nails, snail lotions and artichoke cleanser are just some of the cult products that are ripe for export and form some of the famous seven-stage beauty regimen of Korean women every morning (according to Condé Nast's beauty director for Asia Pacific, Kathy Phillips, this is a conservative estimate). It's this regime that Chang says is partly responsible for K-beauty's popularity. 

"K-beauty is beyond product, it's a lifestyle," she explained. "For a Korean woman, skincare is a religion taught from a young age. It's a holistic approach to skincare, not just about anti-ageing, but enjoying the skin-care moment of your day and taking time for yourself. This holistic approach to health and beauty is how westerners may approach their morning session in the gym, but it's more than just fitting it in here - it's a pampering experience." 
 

It's this indulging experience that led Chang and her partner Sarah Lee to coin the term "skin-tertainment", because of it being "that time of day where you enjoy yourself and it's not a chore". 

For international brands to grab a slice of the K-beauty pie there are things that are crucial to understand, according to Chang. "It's about positive experiences - the surprise and delight. Results matter of course, but the engagement and sharing afterwards is also important as that is what millennials do," said Chang. 

"For us, we think the future of K-beauty is not only to continue these evolutions, together with correct translation, but also to be seamless. No-one thinks, 'I'm going to use my French cream today', and for Korean beauty products it needs to be the same."

By Scarlett Conlon, reporting live from the Condé Nast International Luxury Conference in Seoul