On today’s episode, Lauren discusses the top 5 trends that will be making waves in the Korean beauty industry in 2022. From the once maligned retinol to fragrance, some of them might surprise you! 

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1 Retinol & Bakuchiol 

K-Beauty has traditionally shied away from retinol due to all the perceived and real pitfalls of it. However, I am seeing more and more releases featuring retinol and bakuchiol, which is touted as a natural retinol alternative. 

We have already seen releases from 23 Years Old, Chosungah 22, Innisfree, Charmzone amd APLB and I suspect we will see even more.  

1. Multi Use Products

K-Beauty is definitely moving further away from intricate routines in favour of paired down products that do more with less. People are using their toner to double as a mask, with cotton pads instead of mask sheets. And many multi-use products are hitting the market as well. 

Jelly Ko Bubble Tea Steam Cream is really a 3-in-1 of a serum, oil and moisturizer

Subi Brightening Powder Cleanser - light exfoliator and cleanser

Subi Holo Dream - pore blurring makeup primer and exfoliating clay mask 

1. Sustainability

Korea’s new recycling label regulations have already come into effect. Brands are now required to indicate how easy or difficult a product is to recycle. More brands are opting for things like label-less products, some are offering recycling stations and there are increasingly more sustainable packaging options being produced as well. 

1. Vegan

This is not a new trend in K-Beauty but what is new is how many mainstream brands are picking up on the vegan trend. Tony Moly, d’Alba and quite a few brands that have traditionally not focused specifically on vegan formulas or products are now offering vegan lines. I can’t seem to jump on a subway in Seoul at the moment without seeing an ad for a new vegan skincare or makeup line. 

5 Fragrance

The market for fragrance products has seen an unprecedented expansion both in size and type of products, with more consumers, especially those in their 20s and 30s, keen to experience new fragrances. 

According to Euromonitor, Korea’s fragrance market grew 36.4 percent from 2018 to 2019, and is projected to reach 650 billion won ($547.5 million) by 2023.

Especially during the pandemic, people are buying things like incense, perfumes, scented candles and even skincare products with distinct scents. More K-Beauty brands are running with signature fragrances for their products - like Huxley, Tamburins. 

CJ Olive Young has reported a surge of nearly 90 percent in sales in the category over the past year.