If you're not super into the beauty scene, you may have missed the fact that Korean beauty products are the inspiration for many of your current faves. Whether it's your basic BB cream or the new sheet mask craze, Korean-inspired products are everywhere. Now, Korean beauty product exports has provided the country with some it's most profitable trad . While the business hasn't quite reached the status of the largest export, The Cut explains that it's well on its way.
Korean beauty has been a trend for quite some time now with online retailers dedicated to selling just beauty items from the country. The question has to be asked though of why these products have taken over the import market stateside. Well, for one, Korean women have some of the most incredible skin in the world, thanks in part to these products. If you've never heard of the 4-2-4 cleansing method, it's a multi-step process from K-Pop star Suzy of group Miss A that takes way more time than most of us would spend throwing out hair into a top knot. Another reason is that Korean beauty standards emphasize minimalism when it comes to their makeup, and we all know that the "No Makeup" makeup trend is huge at the moment. Both of these factors make Korean beauty a hot commodity and have bolstered their sales leading to an increased desire for the country to export the goods stateside.
According to The Cut's more in-depth and totally worth-a-read piece on the development— which you should definitely check out here— the Korean government is dramatically responsible for the boom of the beauty product export business. The Cut explains, "In Korea, the government gives tax breaks to export-only companies, like Wishtrend, a four-year-old Korean beauty company that sells only to the U.S. — it doesn’t have to pay taxes in the country at all." The Cut spoke with Wishtrend's CEO Eddie Aram Baek who explained that the break comes in the form of a reimbursement of paid out taxes. Making the exportation process a less expensive endeavor has definitely helped.
Korean skincare is definitely here to stay, and with their incredible properties and amazing results, there's no wonder why. Korea's growing beauty export market is exciting for those of us who love a good sheet mask. Personally, I can't wait for more of these miracle items to hit shelves.
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