Do K-beauty products let customers down with limited shades?

Conversations about amounts of light and dark shades for a foundation or concealer aren't new. After an American cosmetic brand released a foundation in 50 different shades in 2019, discourse about inclusivity in the makeup industry has been ...

Foreigners look at Korean cosmetic products at an Olive Young store in Seoul. [YONHAP]

Conversations about amounts of light and dark shades for a foundation or concealer aren't new.

After an American cosmetic brand released a foundation in 50 different shades in 2019, discourse about inclusivity in the makeup industry has been circulating on social media, with consumers pointing out that most brands launch foundation products in only 10 or fewer shades.

According to the International Trade Administration last year, Korea is one of the top 10 beauty markets in the world. Due to the high demand for beauty products in the country and its brands' popularity overseas, Korean makeup brands have also been included in the conversation.

As foreigners continue to move in and out of Korea, many have noted the prominence of lighter shades in Korean makeup product lines, which can bring about difficulties when purchasing base makeup products. Such may result in the need to divert one's purchase to international brands that offer more options and wider shade ranges.

A foundation display of various brands in an Olive Young store [SOFIA DEL FONSO]

The Korea JoongAng Daily looked into the inclusivity discourse in the Korean beauty scene, focusing primarily on the experiences and opinions of foreign consumers when they purchase base products like foundations.

For Camille Landu, a 23-year-old student from France, it isn't easy to find makeup products to suit her deeper skin tones in Korea.

"Since my skin is black, I don't have that many options for products except at Sephora, where they have Fenty Beauty, for example," she said.

Fenty Beauty’s foundation and skin tint display at a Sephora store in Gangnam District, southern Seoul [SOFIA DEL FONSO]

On the other hand, Luna Sugianto, a 19-year-old student from Indonesia, said she had no difficulty finding a cushion to suit her skin tone in Korea.

"Though I am a bit on the tanner side, and my natural complexion is quite unique, I have not had any major problem in searching for my foundation shade," she said.

Similarly, Zarinakhon Kasimkhodjaeva, a 19-year-old student from Uzbekistan, said she also had no challenge when shopping for base products in Korea and that it was actually harder for her to find the right products in her home country.

"As a white-looking girl, I've never encountered any difficulties finding my shade in Korea as all brands here have light shades," Kasimkhodjaeva said.

Swatches of all the available shades for a Korean-brand concealer [SOFIA DEL FONSO]

As for Jayda Lim, a 21-year-old student from the Philippines, she once had a hard time finding a matching shade for her skin tone with a Korean cushion foundation, but only because of store lighting.

"I guess the lighting of the store made my skin look a different shade, and so the staff chose a darker shade for me. I ended up knowing I needed a lighter shade when my face didn't match my neck's skin color," she said.

Sugianto, Lim and Kasimkhodjaeva all shop for their makeup at Olive Young, a popular Korean beauty store chain. Since almost every Korean cosmetic brand in existence can be found at any Olive Young store, it's the first store any foreigner would visit when looking for Korean beauty products.

However, most Korean brands' shade selection for foundations is on the lighter side, which is what you would mostly find when you walk into a Korean beauty store.

"It would be great if [Korean beauty shops] sold darker shades too," Kasimkhodjaeva said. "A lack of darker shades can be a huge issue for people of color."

Landu said, "It's difficult for black people to find our shades, especially because sometimes they only have one shade of black while black skins are all different."

Sugianto suggested shopping at more internationally-oriented retail chains. Since the brands they carry are more internationally-targeted, they carry a wider range of shades for makeup.

A do-it-yourself foundation work station at the Amore Pacific Headquarters in Yongsan District, central Seoul [SOFIA DEL FONSO]

Lim said she believes the prominence of lighter shades of base makeup in Korea is not a matter of intentionally excluding those of deeper skin tones.

"I think these brands did not intentionally exclude deeper shades with their main target market as Koreans, who in general have lighter skin tones," she said.

Lim also said the target market may be a reason for whether Korean brands would carry deeper shades of makeup.

"I think that if there are local brands that have deeper shades, perhaps it's because they want their market to reach a global scale in comparison to the other local brands."

Sugianto agreed and added that the demand for deeper shades may just not be enough for Korean brands to expand their current shade ranges.

"The increasing number of foreigners is still quite minor, so it could be disadvantageous for a brand to produce more shades that turn out to have a lack in consumer demand," Sugianto said.

While brand perspective is a notable factor in the conversation, customer perspective is also important. Kasimkhodjaeva said the expansion of shade ranges is a way Korean brands can prepare for the future of Korea as a more globalized country.

"The foreign population of the country keeps growing each year as Korean culture becomes more and more popular worldwide, so I don't think limited shade ranges are O.K.," she said.

It's important to note that not all Korean brands lack deep shades for their makeup products. Some brands have made efforts to release a wider variety of shades for their products, so foreigners are not completely out of options.

An Olive Young store near Ewha Women’s University in Seodaemun District, western Seoul [SOFIA DEL FONSO]

Dr. GIO Cosmetics, the first Korean brand owned by a black CEO, has six shades for only deeper skin tones. Heimish, on the other hand, is a Korean beauty brand with six shades for their Moringa Ceramide BB Cream that widely range from light to deep.

Sugianto said that, ultimately, it would be ideal for all brands to fulfill the needs of every consumer possible. However, she also noted that obliging Korean brands to do so might not be too practical.

"Korean brands [primarily target Koreans], so they are not obligated to cater to everyone's needs. However, it would be good for them to try to expand their shade range more than the usual three to four shades, but not necessarily [to] 20," she said.

Landu said, "I do think they [Korean brands] should multiply their product shades because even Koreans can have tan skin, but there are less foreigners so I do understand that some companies might not make enough profit if they sell darker shades."

Lim said one particular TikTok video she watched was helpful, which introduced brands available in Korea that carry shades for people with deeper skin tones.

"It didn't give a hint of negativity on Korea having more light shades, but instead gave good information on where to find base makeup with darker shades," Lim said.

Spreading awareness about the existence of such brands that can cater to deeper skin tones is another way to continue to promote inclusivity among the beauty community.

Whether Korean brands should or should not strive to bring out shades that are representative of every skin tone in the spectrum remains an important question people continue to debate about today.

Though not all Korean brands can cater to all skin tones with their product releases, what's important is their active and progressive efforts to continue improving their products to allow every consumer to experience the joy of beauty.

BY STUDENT REPORTER SOFIA DEL FONSO [kjd.kcampus@joongang.co.kr]