Welcome April, welcome lighter clothes, and above all, welcome being mask-free (finally!). We’ve forgotten how delightful it was to be able to chat with our colleagues while seeing their mask-less facial expressions. Another delightful finding is that the sales of makeup products for three Amorepacific brands, namely HERA, eSpoir, and ETUDE, have been showing substantial growth. For this report, News Square covers the comeback of color makeup, prompted by the lifting of mask mandates.

According to ‘Beauty Trend Report 2023^*’ published by Open Survey, a consumer data platform, 68% of respondents picked ‘wearing makeup more often’ as one of the changes they expect to come out of the lifting of mask requirements. The category of makeup that is expected to benefit the most from this changing trend was ‘lip makeup,’ with 71.6% of respondents saying that they will be putting a greater emphasis on their lips now that they don’t have to wear masks. This could be attributed to the fact that lip makeup is one of the easiest, quickest ways to add a touch of liveliness in the mask-free era. It doesn’t come as a surprise that the growth of the lip makeup sector in all three above-mentioned brands, HERA, eSpoir, and ETUDE, is particularly notable.

Specifically, the sales of ‘Sensual Powder Matte Lipstick’ by HERA, ‘No-Wear Shine Lipstick’ by eSpoir, and ‘Fixing Tint’ by ETUDE showed more than a twofold year-on-year growth. The popularity of these three particular products goes to show that consumers tend to prefer natural-color makeup products, regardless of texture or brand. Plus, with the increase in in-office work as well as outdoor activities in light of the spring season, more consumers are considering long-lastingness as one of the important factors when making lip product purchases.
The three products mentioned above are also perfect for putting on a ‘layered over-the-lip makeup^**’ look, one of the latest trends in lip makeup, which involves combining multiple lip products with different colors and textures. For the best results, use a matte lip product that is similar to your natural lip color to smudge the lip line, then put on a glossy lipstick, tint, or gloss to add volume for fuller, plumper, overlined lips.

A Naver trend graph corroborates the increased consumer interest in lip makeup. In December 2022, when there were talks about a potential lifting of mask mandates, the number of trend queries related to lip makeup reached a peak and continued to maintain the uprising streak, despite having dipped slightly in March.

^* Conducted between January 20-30, 2023; Target: 3,000 women between 25-59 in Korea, US, and Japan
^** https://www.harpersbazaar.co.kr/article/76102

The only color makeup product to be consistently ranked among the 10 most popular product categories on Naver Shopping between January and March this year was the foundation. According to Open Survey research, base makeup came in second (65%) only to lip makeup in ‘the makeup category consumers will be putting a greater emphasis on’ after mask mandates are lifted. This trend is very much visible in the sales growth of HERA and eSpoir foundation products.

In particular, consumers tend to prefer foundation products with a glowing texture, with ‘Skin Radiant Glow Cushion’ by HERA and ‘Protailor Foundation Be-Glow’ by eSpoir leading the trend. They no longer have to go out of their way to purchase transfer-resistant matte foundations that won’t leave a stain on their masks and, let’s face it, who can say no to skin that has a healthy, subtly glowing radiance? It’s no wonder ‘second skin base^*’ makeup that intensifies the natural beauty of the skin has been one of the biggest makeup trends during the first half of the year. Of particular interest among there, one that has been more well-received by makeup enthusiasts is the cushion foundation for its easy-to-use versatility as more consumers continue to look for lighter, natural alternatives.

As for base makeup, we’re seeing a higher demand for products that complement the natural skin tone. Tickets to customization makeup programs, such as ‘LANEIGE Bespoke Neo’ and ‘HERA Silky Stay Custom Match,’ designed to help consumers find the best foundation for their skin tone by comparing more than 100 different colors, are being sold out as we speak.

^* https://www.vogue.co.kr/2023/03/06/%ED%98%84%EC%8B%A4%EC%97%90%EC%84%A0-%EC%9D%B4%EB%A0%87%EA%B2%8C-2023-s-s-%EB%A6%AC%EC%96%BC%EC%9B%A8%EC%9D%B4-%EB%A9%94%EC%9D%B4%ED%81%AC%EC%97%85-%ED%8A%B8%EB%A0%8C%EB%93%9C/

According to Amorepacific BeautyPoint Membership usage data, the best category for eSpoir and ETUDE’s in terms of sales is eye makeup. HERA’s eye makeup sales also grew 25% year-on-year, a small but still significant growth that illustrates that eye makeup is the classic color makeup heroine. The increased consumer interest in makeup has given rise to the retro Y2K eye makeup, characterized by arched brows and shimmering eyes featuring glitter and parts. Think of the look and style prominent in high-teen movies of the 2000s.

Of the Y2K-reminiscent styles, the so-called ‘seagull brows’ seems to have captivated the minds of trend-conscious consumers. Typically, products that allow you to draw delicate lines are ideal for creating meticulously arched brows, and ‘Brow Designer Auto Pencil’ by HERA and ‘The Brow Balance Pencil’ by eSpoir do the job impeccably, as their hard formula texture and innovatively slim triangular shape make brow makeup easy even for beginners.

Fancy those glamorously sparkly eyes of your favorite K-Pop girl group? Look no further than the long-lasting, delicate ‘Shine Fix Eyes Glitter,’ which features water-based ultra-adhesive hologram pearls, released by ETUDE at the beginning of the year. The product is excellent for creating that captivating allure not only on your eyelids, but also at the front of the eyes, on your skin, lips, nose, and even forehead. #glittereye #alluringeye makeup has never been easier!

That wraps up our recap of makeup trends that stood out in the 1st quarter of the year. Makeup is an easy yet unique way to express yourself. With ‘embellished’ makeup back in trend thanks to the arrival of the mask-free era, the demand for color makeup products is expected to dominate the market, at least for a while. Here’s to a bright, color-full April!