This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s senior fall editorial intern Dalal Daher. Find her on Instagram at @dalalllldaher. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
It’s no secret that Korean beauty products and trends are taking over the world. You may have heard of viral beauty fads in the past few years from the 10-step Korean skincare routine that inspired us all to step up our skin product game, to makeup styles such as puppy liner, a style of applying eyeliner to give the illusion of more open eyes. However, as k-beauty increases in popularity globally, it has not been spared from the ongoing social media call for diversity in the beauty industry.
To understand k-beauty’s role in our ongoing social media discussion around diversity and inclusivity in spaces such as makeup and fashion, it’s critical to understand just how central it is to our globalized beauty industry. Even if you haven’t personally dived into the wonderful array of Korean beauty and skincare products in the industry, or tried any of the trends inspired by Korean beauty ideals, you might know about more than you think. Cult favorite products from Sephora such as the LANEIGE lip mask, which went viral for its versatility as a lip gloss or mask and its hydrating properties, and Glow Recipe’s brightly colored skin care products that have captivated Sephora tweens and beauty enthusiasts alike, are prime examples of Korean brands that have taken over the industry.
Beyond the staggering growth of Korean beauty products in the American and global beauty space, largely due to their comparative innovation and skincare focus, Korean beauty ideals have also inspired many social media trends. One example is applying foundation with a makeup spatula as opposed to a brush or beauty sponge- a mainstay among makeup artists working with K-pop idols, but only recently reaching the US.
Another is the co-opting of ‘glass skin,’ which has been popular among Korean beauty ideals as as standard of skin hydration, into other micro-trends such as recreations of makeup artist Pat McGrath’s doll-like porcelain skin look. McGrath’s makeup, which served as a hyperbolic representation of glass skin, involved transforming models at the Maison Margiela runway show earlier this year into dolls with exaggerated blush and reflective skin, yet interestingly is almost an editorial take on the everyday Korean beauty ideal of glass skin. McGrath’s fun editorial look ended up being replicated by numerous makeup influencers, showing the indirect effect of Korean beauty in unrelated mainstream beauty trends.
However, K-beauty’s increasing popularity within a global market has led it to receive the same criticisms that other beauty lines are facing: whether their products are suitable for a diverse and inclusive range of buyers. This issue becomes particularly important as Korean beauty was previously largely based around the East Asian market, and tended to market products such as lip tints, eyeshadow, and foundation to an overall light-skinned population, and not vary much in terms of foundation or concealer shades.
The power of social media creators in the beauty space means that when beauty creators of color vocally express disappointment in certain brands’ lack of shade ranges or pigment, it has a drastic impact on the brand’s image and consumer base, just as a positive review by a famous creator is a marketing boon. One of the most recent and striking examples of this is when creator Golloria, known for her direct reviews of brands’ products as a dark-skinned South Sudanese woman, posted a viral video to her 2 million Tik Tok followers commenting on how all of Rhode’s new blushes appeared ashy and unflattering on her skin tone.
With the beauty industry now being largely influenced by social media creators’ reviews, Golloria’s complaint actually led to founder Hailey Bieber updating Rhode’s shade range to be more inclusive and creating new blushes. While Rhode rolled out new products before facing too much backlash, it’s notable that when one viral influencer criticism reaches virality it has massive impact, showing the power of social media in spurning ‘non inclusive’ products and companies.
Interestingly, the issue of adapting Korean beauty products and trends to a globalized market seems to have followed suit. While most Korean skincare products are suitable for all skin tones, and a lot of K-beauty has been ‘approved’ by the POC sector of BeautyTok, K-beauty’s years-long integration into the global beauty space hasn’t been seamless. The biggest example of this was the backlash against Korean cushion foundation brand TirTir on social media. Tirtir’s buildable foundation became a bestseller on Amazon while only having three available shades- not an uncommon shade range for the K-beauty industry. Yet when darker-skinned beauty creator Darcei reviewed the viral foundation in March 2024, which then was at 9 available shades, the drastic difference between TirTir’s darkest available shade and her skintone sparked discussion.
While TirTir states that they were already planning on expanding their range before Darcei’s review- they’re now at 40 shades- they used her widely heard review as an opportunity to collaborate with her. When TirTir rolled out their new ranges incrementally, Darcei was among the TikTokers promoting them, and was given their more inclusive range to try out by May. It almost seems like K-beauty, well aware of their power in an international market, is riding the social media wave around their products to prove that K-beauty has a place in anybody’s makeup bag. And with such a versatile array of K-beauty products and skincare, anyone can find a holy grail product they love.
In an industry where many American consumers feel slighted by the lack of diversity in their own Sephora’s, it’s notable that K-beauty has the power to fill the gap. The willingness of brands like TirTir to accommodate a more diverse buyer range shows that the expansion of K-beauty is not going to stop anytime soon and prove that Korean beauty is suitable for any skin tone. Knowing the innovative, high-quality nature of Korean beauty and skincare has already been guiding beauty ideals, its commitment to inclusivity even as local brands face constant criticism makes us want to stock up on some TirTir cushion foundation.
How have you seen Korean beauty ideals reflected in K Beauty brands? What do you think about the DEI problem for brands? Let us know in the comments below!
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