Premium brands drive K-beauty revival in China

[Courtesy of Shinsegae International]

K-beauty, which had seen a lull in popularity in China, is making a resurgence, particularly through premium brands.

The renewed interest is driven by foreign tourists who are increasingly interested not only in shopping but also in beauty experiences.

According to Shinsegae International on Thursday, the premium beauty brand Yunjac has seen a surge in sales of its moisturizing base product, Skin Perfecting Protective Base Prep. Its sales in China surged 187 percent in the first seven months of this year compared to a year ago. China accounted for 25 percent of total Yunjac sales during the same period.

Yunjac, which means Nature’s Masterpiece, is a premium skincare brand that emphasizes plant-based ingredients. Despite being a high-end product priced in the 40,000 won ($30) range, the Base Prep product is particularly popular among Chinese consumers.

The product recently gained attention after Chinese influencer Chao Lu featured it in a video where she received hair and makeup services at a beauty shop in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul.

Yunjac’s luxury line, Alphanax, is priced in the 300,000 won range. As beauty shops have become must-visit destinations for foreign tourists coming to Korea, interest in the actual products used by makeup artists in these shops is growing, according to the company.

According to tourism platform Creatrip, beauty shops experienced the largest surge in foreign tourist activity during the first half of this year in Korea.

The number of transactions jumped by about 514 percent, while transaction value soared by about 2,000 percent, making beauty shops the second highest category, just behind hair salons

In addition, Handsome’s beauty brand Oera also reported a roughly 230 percent year-on-year increase in duty-free sales targeting Chinese tourists in the first half of the year.

Oera, developed in collaboration with a Swiss cosmetics lab, offers products priced as high as 1.2 million won. The brand operates premium line experience services at duty-free stores, often leading to direct product purchases.