South Korean cosmetics brands are increasingly choosing K-pop boy bands over female artists to attract women, the primary consumers of beauty products, and accelerate their growth in the global market.
AmorePacific Corp., the country’s top cosmetics group, on Wednesday said it named Felix, a member of the South Korean boy band Stray Kids, as a global brand ambassador for its color cosmetics lineup Hera, replacing K-pop icon Jennie of Blackpink. She had been the ambassador for six years since 2019.
Felix, an Australian rapper and singer, marked the first male model to represent Hera.
“It is a reverse-marketing strategy to raise brand awareness by featuring male idols who are especially popular among female fans in Western markets,” said a beauty industry source in Seoul.
AmorePacific has already enjoyed a surge in sales after it tapped Jin, a member of K-pop sensation BTS, as a model for Laneige, the cosmetic giant’s skincare product brand.
Laneige’s sales jumped more than 30% in the fourth quarter of 2024 from a year earlier, thanks to the appointment.
“The appointment of Jin as our model raised sales through key distribution channels such as Sephora and Amazon,” said an AmorePacific official. “At Sephora, we ranked third among skincare brands last year, while the brand image improved.”
SMALLER BRANDS FOLLOW SUITS
Smaller K-beauty brands also appointed male K-pop stars for global expansions.
A’pieu, a color makeup brand under Able C&C Co., tapped Jeno, a member of the popular boy band NCT, as its brand ambassador in February.
Brand searches for A’pieu on social media soared 357% on-year following the release of Jeno’s pictorial in June, according to A’pieu.
“We selected Jeno as a model as he is popular among female Gen Z in overseas markets,” said an A’pieu official, referring to the Generation Z, which encompasses individuals born roughly between 1997 and 2012.
Parket Inc., a local cosmetics maker, named Enhypen, a seven-member boy band, as the global ambassador for its skincare brand mixsoon.
ISNTREE Inc., another skincare brand, also appointed NCT’s Jaemin as its model.
“Since women are the main cosmetics consumers, male singers rather than female artists can be more effective in quickly raising brand awareness overseas,” said Lee Young-Ae, a consumer science professor at Incheon National University.
K-POP MERCHANDISE
K-beauty brands are also maximizing marketing effectiveness through K-pop merchandise and events.
Dr. G, a brand of Gowoonsesang Cosmetics Co., is offering a ticket for a fan convention of its global ambassador BOYNEXTDOOR to a customer of its soothing cream by Aug. 10 at CJ Olive Young Corp., South Korea’s top beauty store chain.
“More cosmetics companies are appointing male models and offering photo cards or fan meeting tickets,” said a CJ Olive Young official.
South Korea’s cosmetic exports rose 17.1% to $935.2 million in July from a year earlier, led by strong sales to Europe and the Middle East, according to customs data provided by Hankyung Aicel, the alternative data platform of The Korea Economic Daily.
Cosmetics shipments to Belgium and Spain surged 100% and 97.6%, respectively, while sales of beauty products to Greece and France jumped 71.7% and 70.4%, respectively. Exports to the UK, one of South Korea’s 10 largest beauty markets, rose 22.8%.
By Solee Lee
claire@hankyung.com
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.
