In East Asia, South Korea's K-beauty industry currently reigns as the region's dominant make-up and skincare trendsetter. The focus on looking youthful and baby-like was not a trend in South Korea until about 10 years ago. Now, women and girls are even encouraged to behave in cute and childlike ways through K-pop, K-dramas and variety shows where actors and K-pop stars are asked to show their best "aegyo" faces
Paradoxically, Asia's baby-faced make-up trend has now come full circle to influence beauty and grooming trends among children. You can now find YouTube videos of young toddlers getting their eyelashes curled and hair permed and coloured, of nine-month-olds getting DIY facial massages, and young children dressed up with BB cream and moussed hair at Seoul Fashion Week. Without doubt, children and teens' skincare, make-up and grooming practices are on the rise.
In South Korea, brands like The Face Shop saw cosmetics sales among teenagers aged 13 to 19 double in 2014, while a Korean consumer rights group reported in 2016 that 42.7 per cent of primary-school-aged girls surveyed had used cosmetics before.
But how young is too young to wear make-up?
In South Korea, brands like The Face Shop saw cosmetics sales among teenagers aged 13 to 19 double in 2014, while a Korean consumer rights group reported in 2016 that 42.7 per cent of primary-school-aged girls surveyed had used cosmetics before.
But how young is too young to wear make-up?
Reflecting the country's position as one of the world's top beauty and plastic-surgery hubs, South Korean society sees women face immense cultural pressure to be physically attractive. It is also a country where beauty is explicitly approached as an aspect of one's social capital, and part of the formula for achieving success...even from a very young age!
Similar trends also exist in China, where half of the cosmetic surgery market is made up of the age group from junior high school pupils to university students, according to a 2017 report published by Global Times.
IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE: