According to data regarding Korean imports and exports, Korean cosmetics have shown an annual growth of 22.1% and its volume of exports has grown six times over the past 10 years. The importing countries of Korean cosmetics have diversified from the t...
According to data regarding Korean imports and exports, Korean cosmetics have shown an annual growth of 22.1% and its volume of exports has grown six times over the past 10 years. The importing countries of Korean cosmetics have diversified from the traditional East Asian countries such as China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to other countries such as United States, Japan, Singapore, Russia, Australia, and 160 other countries. (Zhao Xue, 2016). As shown in the data, the Korean Beauty industry has been globalized over the years and new words such as K-Beauty (Korean- Beauty) derived from such trend demonstrate the increasing influence of Korean Beauty Industry in the global market. (IBK Economic Research Institute, 2017).
Despite the concentration of K-Beauty industry in the Asian markets, K-Beauty industry has been increasing its exports to western countries, specifically the United States. The volume of exports to United States has increased from 57.2 million dollars to 188 million dollars in 2015, showing a 230% growth over a five-year span, thus making United States the third largest buyer of Korean Beauty Products. Therefore, by researching and analyzing the increasing trends of K-Beauty’s influence and recognition within the United States market, the recognition of the K-Beauty industry will increase and new marketing methods of industry export will be presented. Related articles, newspapers, reports, data, and published materials were used to analyze the current K-Beauty market penetration, and empirical research was conducted by surveying 210 college students who reside in the eastern region of United States. The analyses derived from the research are the following:
First, according to the K-Beauty market penetration research, the Korean cosmetics industry have been showing strong growth as its imports increased from 57.2 million dollars in 2011 to 188 million dollars in volume of products imported, showing 230% growth over a five-year span. As a result, in 2016, South Korea became the 5th largest contributor in American cosmetics industry and experienced a 45.7% growth in total sales. Moreover, within the United States market, well known distributors of cosmetic products now offer K-Beauty products both on and off line, which demonstrates the increased accessibility of K-Beauty products in the market.
Second, the participants of the survey were 85 % female, and the demographics of the participants were 44% Caucasian, 44% Asian, and 10.7% other. 51.3% of the participants responded that they spend less than $30 a month on beauty care.
Third, 55.6% of participants responded that they were familiar with the K=Beauty Brand, suggesting that K-Beauty has made significant strides in reaching everyday Americans. Also, 52.3 % of the participants who were familiar with K-Beauty responded that K-Beauty were synonymous to Korean Cosmetics. 63.6% of the participants responded that the most common method of their exposure to K-Beauty was through an online medium such as the internet. 30.5% of the participants have tried Korean celebrities style and the proportion of K-Beauty M/up participants were the highest at 31.8%. Beauty tours can be expected to further enhance K-Beauty’s presence within the United States.
Fourth, 85% of the participants of the survey used basic cosmetics with a focus on moisturizing their skin and 75.4% of the participants used make up cosmetics with a focus on skin expression. Moreover, 44.9 % of the participants had previous experience of purchasing K-Beauty cosmetics, and 87.9% of such individuals used professional beauty warehouses or online stores to purchase the products. Asian Americans had more experience purchasing K-Beauty cosmetics compared to Caucasians, a phenomenon that proved to be statistically significant (p<.001). Also, the proportion of individuals who have tried Korean celebrities style was higher for Asian Americans compared to Caucasians and such trend was statistically significant as well. (p<.001).
Fifth, 50% of the K-Beauty purchases were made by recommendations from family and friends, and the most common location to shop K-Beauty products were professional stores at 50% followed by online stores at 37.9%. 83.8% of the participants believed that the pricing of the K-Beauty products was adequate, suggesting that pricing is an appealing factor for the K-beauty products. Satisfaction among K-beauty product users were researched to be high and satisfactory. Based on possible improvements for K-Beauty products different age groups, the most common suggestion among all age groups were the need for more aggressive and comprehensive marketing campaign. Age groups under 25 identified the need for more diversified product lines as well. It can be inferred that the younger age group is more sensitive towards the fast-changing trends thus calling for diversified product lines that could meet their needs.
Based on the research, in the United States, alarming proportion of individuals identified and limited K-Beauty to Korean cosmetics. Moreover, despite the continued increase in K-Beauty product exports, the brand recognition was relatively low. However, more than 90% of the individuals wishing to visit Korea if given the chance coupled with the continued attention towards Korean celebrities’ styles pose an optimistic future for K-Beauty. One of the growing concerns in the industry is the relative difficulty in exporting the necessary labor force in order to successfully implement the comprehensive beauty service industry due to the VISA restrictions and other factors. Once such factors can be resolved, it will further catapult the K-Beauty brand in the United States market. Therefore, in order to stabilize the exporting of K-Beauty industry, the brand recognition of K-Beauty and exporting of necessary labor force are crucial and needed. Due to United States’ geographic limitations, the research was mainly conducted in the eastern part of the country. Moving forward, with more comprehensive research in different regions of United States, K-Beauty industry will become more diversified and spread in the United States beauty industry.