KOREAN NET

The pop-up store Beauty Play has a second branch around Hongik University in Seoul's Mapo-gu District displaying products made by the country's small and medium cosmetics companies. The second floor shows items such as basic cosmetics, cleanser, shampoo and perfume.

By Cao Thi Ha and Lee Kyoung Mi

Photos = Cao Thi Ha

Fueled by the rising popularity of domestic content, the country's cultural sectors like food, travel and especially beauty are growing in global prominence.

Beauty and cosmetics are growingly a standout industry. The Korea Customs Service and Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recently said cosmetics exports grew 21.7% in the first quarter year on year to USD 2.3 billion and those for all of last year rose 6.4% to USD 8.5 billion. These numbers attest to the boom in the field.

With the nation's brands and products gaining global popularity, demand to experience the beauty sector firsthand has surged. For fans of K-pop and K-dramas, getting a makeover while visiting Korea probably ranks high on their wish lists.

The pop-up store Beauty Play is a prime spot to experience the domestic beauty. This open interactive space allows visitors to try cosmetics and get a makeover in trendy Korean styles.

Run by the Korea Cosmetics Industry Institute with support from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Beauty Play showcases outstanding products from small and medium makers of cosmetics, offering a wider selection than just those from established brands.

Its first branch the capital's shopping area of Myeong-dong was opened in October 2021, and the second was launched in February this year around Hongik University in Seoul's Mapo-gu District.

Students from Matsuyama Higashi High School in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, line up to get a makeover after attending a personal color seminar.

Korea.net on May 9 visited the second branch to see what it offers. Located in a building across from the arts center KT&G Sangsangmadang, Beauty Play has exhibition space on the second and third floors, places for seminars, beauty classes and meetings with buyers on the fourth, and office space on the fifth.

The second floor has a range of beauty products including basic makeup, cleanser, shampoo and perfume. At Personal Color Zone in one corner, visitors can use a testing machine to find the colors that best suit them.

Going up to the third floor, visitors enter an area to test displayed products and try beauty equipment and makeup. Professional skin diagnosis and makeup application are available, and foreign visitors can receive a full makeover free with appointment.

The fourth floor offers free makeup seminars for groups on topics like skincare, makeup and custom colors. The length of a lecture is adjustable depending on how long visitors stay, allowing foreign tourists to go deeper into understanding the nation's beauty culture.

Turkish visitor Dylan Yaffes (right) finishes putting on makeup with a friend at the self-makeup zone on Beauty Play's third floor after getting her eyes done.

Coincidentally on this day, 30 students from Matsuyama Higashi High School in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, attended a personal color seminar. Their excitement was palpable as they waited in a long line to get made up after the seminar.

Mihane Shiraishi and Saki Miyamoto posed for snaps at the photo zone after each getting a makeover.

"I was surprised because it was completely different from how I apply (makeup), and I didn't think it could change like this." Shiraishi said. "Compared to Japan, makeup methods that suit the person exist, and they seem a perfect match for the person to make them beautiful."

Dylan Yaffes, a Turkish aficionado of K-dramas, looked full of hope when saying she was excited to try glittery makeup.

She said she felt like a Korean after praising the eye makeover she got, adding, "I don't usually wear makeup like this, but it's so pretty that I'll wear something like it in the future."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Visit Korea Committee and Korea Tourism Organization from June 1-30 will jointly host this year's Korea Beauty Festival. Over the event period, foreign visitors can get discounts on customized beauty products and services.

shinn11@korea.kr