Most of us are more than a little obsessed with K-beauty brands, but can you blame us? It’s a well-known fact that South Korean women take pride in their skincare and beauty regimes; some say they spend twice as much of their income on skincare and makeup compared to their American counterparts. Even their American counterparts are catching up on the hallyu (k-wave) trend, with a big rise in sale of Korean beauty brands. Well, you know what they say – if you can’t beat them, join em’.
Plus, what’s not to love? Most Korean skincare uses unique natural ingredients that no others have thought of (read: snail mucin and bee venom). The brands also tend to stay quick on their feet, constantly conjuring up new and gentle formulas focusing on prevention and improving the skin from the inside out. It’s no wonder that Korean women seem to radiate from within.
So we couldn’t be happier to see more cult Korean beauty brands making their way to Singapore, with some even setting up brick-and-mortar stores (squeals!). To give you a headstart, here are five new k-beauty brands that have graced our shores this year that you should definitely check out. Oh, and to save you time and effort, we’ve sussed out the star products from each brand that are the must-haves to zero in on.