Daiso's Chanel blush 'dupe' by Son&Park sells out after going viral

Son&Park's "Color Balm," selling for 60,000 won cheaper than Chanel's equivalent, has become the new hot cosmetic online.

All 11 of Son&Park's cosmetic products are sold out on Daiso's online store. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A cheaper duplicate of a Chanel blush sold at Daiso has proven to be a hit at home and abroad. Over 1,000 overseas retailers have made inquiries about Son&Park's "Arti Spread Color Balm" lip and cheek product.

The cosmetics have been selling out after becoming popularized on social media as a more affordable “dupe” up to 20 times cheaper than their high-end counterparts.

Son&Park’s lip and cheek color balms, which come in three shades, have sold out both at shops and online since their release in March, according to retailer Daiso on Wednesday.

On Daiso’s online store, all 11 cosmetic products from Son&Park were sold out as of Thursday.

The products gained traction on social media for their affordability, mostly relative to drugstore or luxury products, and were further hyped up for constantly being out of stock. Reviews of Son&Park’s 3,000 won ($2.22) lip and cheek color balms were especially common, with comparison in particular to Chanel’s product that costs 63,000 won.

"You can get Olive Young for 3,000 won at Daiso," the post reads. Son&Park's lip and cheek balms went viral on X, formerly Twitter, for its affordability and being a "unicorn" in reference to its limited stock. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

“If you manage to find Son&Park’s lip and cheek [balm], buy it immediately as there doesn’t seem to be a lot of stock. You can’t find better quality at the price of 3,000 won,” a user said in a review on X, formerly Twitter.

“If you can’t buy famous lip and cheek [products], just buy Son&Park at Daiso,” said a different X user, saying she preferred the product over Chanel’s for being “less sticky and more translucent.”

The manufacturer plans to increase its stock to meet the increasing demand, with CEO Kim Han-sang saying that all production lines are operating to meet current demand.

The company has also been in contact with Asian and Eastern European buyers on the back of its domestic success. The cosmetics will be sold at a minimum of 1,000 stores in Japan through retailers including the discount store chain Don Quijote and Village Vanguard book stores. The company says it is also in discussions with Chinese and Vietnamese retailers.

Kim attributed the products’ affordable price and success to its retailer, Daiso, saying it was able to cut down on marketing costs and faced less competition than on major beauty platform channels.

“Selling through Daiso meant we could enter 1,500 stores over the country with a minimalized product lineup,” the CEO said.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]