The global recognition of K-beauty is steadily rising. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, South Korea's cosmetics export performance in 2024 is projected to reach USD 10.2 billion, ranking third globally after France and the United States. The export performance has grown by 20% compared to the previous year, expanding K-beauty's influence in the global market. However, there remains a gap with the leading country, France, and the growth of competitor countries such as Germany and Spain continues. There are calls for new strategies to bridge the gap with leading countries and defend against the pursuit of latecomers, enabling K-beauty to leap to the top globally.

● Evolution of the Global Beauty Space

Key cities in beauty-leading countries like Paris, France, and New York, USA, are maximizing consumer dwell time and brand immersion through complex cultural space strategies integrating beauty, fashion, and lifestyle. For example, the famous Galeries Lafayette Haussmann in Paris has adopted a complex space strategy combining various experiences and product brand lines in the beauty sector. Galeries Lafayette has created a 3,000㎡ wellness space called 'La Wellness Galerie,' offering visitors services such as massage, skincare, makeup, and fitness. It is evolving into an experiential comprehensive beauty platform where visitors can choose and customize the services they want, rather than just a store to purchase beauty products.

Another example of a complex cultural space strategy is 'The Shed' in New York, USA. Although The Shed is a comprehensive art center, it has recently expanded its scope with pop-up stores, brand lounges, and art collaborations of beauty brands, gaining attention as a beauty-culture fusion space. There are cases of K-brands operating brand lounges in this space, emphasizing cultural identity and sensibility through collaborations linked to art exhibitions. In May, LG Household & Health Care's 'THE WHOO' participated in the Frieze Art Fair at The Shed, showcasing an exhibition that fused royal heritage with art. THE WHOO exhibited three pieces of the 'THE WHOO Hwanyu Art & Heritage Set,' created in collaboration with mother-of-pearl artist Ryu Ji-an, as the main artwork of the Frieze event. 'Hwanyu' is a high-end anti-aging product line of THE WHOO, made through skin longevity research technology based on the long life force of 30-year-old wild ginseng. By exhibiting art pieces made with mother-of-pearl alongside THE WHOO products inheriting Korean royal heritage, a foothold was established for entry into the North American premium beauty market.

Thus, the global beauty market is broadening its base with strategies providing consumption experiences combining experience and culture. Rather than merely emphasizing products, it appeals to consumers with branding strategies that combine experience and cultural narratives.

● Leap with Immersive Experience, K-beauty

David Dubois, an associate professor at INSEAD in France, cites 'immersive experience' as the secret to the success of K-brands. Professor Dubois mentions Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster, which has created various eye-catching art installations in its stores, and Amorepacific, which opened an art museum to enhance the brand's visual identity, as examples, explaining that "K-brands strategically create sensory value through immersion to stimulate customer desires."

In the K-beauty market, attempts to accelerate growth by inducing consumer interest through immersive experiences are increasing. Especially following the consumption trend of preferring beauty brands that provide experiences integrating culture, content, and lifestyle, cases are emerging where K-beauty is organically connected with K-fashion, K-tech, etc., promoting industry convergence. A representative example is 'B the B,' a fusion beauty complex cultural space under the Seoul Metropolitan Government. B the B was established in September 2022 as a test bed for convergence between Seoul's beauty, fashion, content, and tech industries, in collaboration with the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP).

● Public-led Experiential Fusion Beauty Platform

B the B aims to be an 'experiential fusion beauty platform' beyond a simple beauty product exhibition hall. Recently, the Seoul Business Agency designed an immersive experience for visitors by creating an ancient tree, called the 'Tree of Beauty,' in the B the B space. Emphasizing nature, balance, and recovery, the essence of K-beauty, based on the meaning of the ancient tree symbolizing the accumulation of time and the cycle of life. Visitors feel an immersive sensation as if entering a vast forest upon entering this space, experiencing the philosophy of 'skin regeneration and nature's recovery' through a multi-sensory experience combining light, scent, and sound. Although publicly operated, B the B offers sophisticated space composition comparable to brand spaces created by private companies and provides unique experiences such as AI-based skin diagnostics and AR-based personal color diagnostics. Since its opening, it has attracted 2 million domestic and international visitors.

Song Young-hwa, a professor of technology management at Konkuk University, stated, "J-pop and J-beauty, which once gained global popularity, missed the global market trend due to a domestic-centered structure and closed content strategy, leading to the decline of related industries." He added, "Sustainable growth of K-beauty will be possible with public-private collaboration efforts promoting convergence among various industries such as K-beauty, K-pop, K-fashion, and K-tech."

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