#Kim Yeo-hoon
2016.04.19
Ch 2. The outbreak of the 2nd World Cushion War
KOREAN
COLUMN
COLUMN
Global Beauty Inside
Chapter 2. The outbreak of the 2nd World Cushion War
- WRITER
- Kim Yeo-hoon (AP Premium Makeup Team)
'World Cushion War (WCW) II' has broken out. Originally launched as a unique asset of AMOREPACIFIC, the cushion compact has grown into a key item for K-beauty and is now being taken up by global beauty brands.
In this column, I'll describe how the cushion war developed, which brand jumped into war and their weapons.
In this column, I'll describe how the cushion war developed, which brand jumped into war and their weapons.
# WCW I : 2015, the age of low-price cushion products
Cushion foundation is considered one of the key items of K-beauty, along with a mask sheet pack. It's a groundbreaking item that changed the whole makeup culture, in the sense that it's not only simple to use, but also easy to carry around and create perfect skin.
2015 was the year beauty brands waged war against each other. The cushion, one of AMOREPACIFIC's innovative products, became so popular that every Korean cosmetic brand wanted its own version, which triggered the cushion war. The most striking point was that most mass brands released surprisingly low-price cushion compacts at the same time.
They even offered a 50% discount and extra refills as part of an aggressive marketing campaign targeting price and quantity to raise their profile. They were able to make themselves known to the customers, build brand loyalty and increase customer satisfaction with price and product quality. Low-price cushion compacts were introduced via social media and magazines as a must-have beauty item for under KRW 10,000 to create an image of being a good-quality product available at a very reasonable price.
2015 was the year beauty brands waged war against each other. The cushion, one of AMOREPACIFIC's innovative products, became so popular that every Korean cosmetic brand wanted its own version, which triggered the cushion war. The most striking point was that most mass brands released surprisingly low-price cushion compacts at the same time.
They even offered a 50% discount and extra refills as part of an aggressive marketing campaign targeting price and quantity to raise their profile. They were able to make themselves known to the customers, build brand loyalty and increase customer satisfaction with price and product quality. Low-price cushion compacts were introduced via social media and magazines as a must-have beauty item for under KRW 10,000 to create an image of being a good-quality product available at a very reasonable price.
Source : Missha M Magic Cushion Moisture and A'PIEU Air Fit Cushion in Beauty Net website
The cushion trend has swept the global market. Popular brands like Maybelline and L'Oréal presented their cushion compacts whose low price has proved popular with Chinese customers.
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Maybelline Super BB Cushion
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L'Oréal Lucent Magique Cushion Lumiere
But, while most brands fought it out in the low-price cushion compact category, one brand has taken a different direction. That was primera with its own Baby Sun Cushion. Instead of slugging it out in an overcrowded area of the market, it targeted a niche market. primera Baby Sun Cushion is a product that satisfies children's desire to look as beautiful as their mom and yet uses mild inorganic sunscreen agent for their skin.
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A Korean celebrity and his daughter using primera Baby Sun Cushion in a Korean TV show
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Choo Sa-rang, model for primera Baby Sun Cushion
As industry analysts predicted, global beauty brands have launched various cushion compacts as of 2016. Some of them are currently available in the Korean market, while some have not yet released. Now, let's take a look at some noteworthy cushion compacts and their features.
# WCW II : 2016, the age of more luxurious and special cushion compacts
All the cushion foundations launched in 2016 have one thing in common – a luxury image. This is noticeably different from the overarching cushion market trend of 2015. That is, in 2016, all cushion compacts are highlighting their image of being a luxury product provided by a high-end makeup brand.
Yves Saint Laurent and Givenchy have really excited Korean beauty bloggers with their black colored, luxury case design and brand logo at the center. YSL cushion foundation is a portable version of its famous Fusion Ink Foundation – with the same formula in the compact, whereas Givenchy uses a metal plaque to dispense the foundation in the shape of its G logo when pressed down.
Yves Saint Laurent and Givenchy have really excited Korean beauty bloggers with their black colored, luxury case design and brand logo at the center. YSL cushion foundation is a portable version of its famous Fusion Ink Foundation – with the same formula in the compact, whereas Givenchy uses a metal plaque to dispense the foundation in the shape of its G logo when pressed down.
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YSL Le Cushion Encre de Peau (left), Givenchy Teint Couture Cushion (center) and its metal plaque (right)
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MAC released its own cushion foundation, Lightful C Quick Finish Compact, also known as a selfie cover cushion. Unlike the traditional cushion compact which comes with a puff, it comes with a brush and offers a different package design targeting the Korean market, as part of the brand's localization strategy.
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MAC Lightful C Quick Finish Compact released in Korea
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specially designed 197SH brush
Two powerhouses of the foundation, Bobbi Brown and Estee Lauder, also released new cushion compacts. In addition to their much loved liquid foundation products, their new cushion foundations are expected to have high quality, great portability and good ease of use. Another traditional beauty house, Dior, has put considerable effort into the development of a cushion compact through technical cooperation with AMOREPACIFIC and, in turn, launched the new Bloom Perfect Brightening Perfect Moist Cushion (yet to be released in Korea).
# WCW II : upgraded products of first movers
Lancôme moved faster than the abovementioned brands. It released a cushion blusher last February, and so did L'Oréal. While Lancôme blusher came in a range of more mature, deeper and richer colors, L'Oréal chose three popular colors – orange, pink and coral targeting a wider customer base.
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Lancôme Cushion Blush Subtil (color released in Japan)
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L'Oréal Lucent Magique Cushion Blush
# WCW II : skincare brands took a step forward
Global cosmetic brands strong in skincare products have also made a foray into cushion foundations, but took a different approach. They put key skincare ingredients into cushion compact and also promoted it as part of skincare product line to help acquaint customers with the new range of products. For instance, Biotherm introduced Aquasource Evermoist CC Cushion with a whole bottle of Aquasource Cream in it, whereas Philosophy released a cushion with a mesh filter, similar to the cushion of the Korean brand, Dr. Jart, as well as a cushion blusher with three different colors.
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Biotherm Aquasource Evermoist CC Cushion (left), Philosophy Take A Deep Breath Cushion Foundation (center) and Take A Deep Breath Cushion Color for Cheeks (right)
Shu Uemura Blanc Chroma Brightening UV Cushion Foundation is a new addition to the Blanc Chroma line for customers who want to have bright, clean and flawless skin. As part of the brightening line, it emphasizes higher SPF 50 and PA+++ with more of a matt finish compared to other cushion foundations. To enhance its powdery and matt finish, it comes with a special puff made of powder puff material rather than an air cell puff.
Source : Naver café Powder Room
# WCW II : our challenge!
Although we are the inventor of the cushion foundation and possess original, unique technology, we still need to work hard to bring customers more advanced and more various cushion compacts.
HERA has launched its newest collection, a collaboration with British shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood. The whole collection, including the cushion compact, is decorated with a striking, bold and yet feminine pattern has gone viral through social media.
HERA has launched its newest collection, a collaboration with British shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood. The whole collection, including the cushion compact, is decorated with a striking, bold and yet feminine pattern has gone viral through social media.
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Unique design of HERA x NICHOLAS KIRKWOOD collection
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Designer Nicholas Kirkwood
# To conclude
In this column, I've introduced various new cushion foundations of other brands. It's interesting to see how they will appeal to customers in the Korean market. Plus, I hope that our brands remain strong in the cushion compact market as the inventor of the cushion category. Go AMOREPACIFIC!
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