Why are South Korean cosmetics so popular? | The Global Story Podcast

How exactly did Korean beauty become such a global money-making phenomenon? There is this super popular cosmetic store that's near the BBC offices here in DC that I have unfortunately spent a little too much time and money in over the years. And one thing I've noticed is that there are so many Korean skincare products. I'm not talking about just a little dedicated section. I'm talking about shelves and shelves of sheet masks, moisturizers, serums, all promising to give you that iconic porefree, glassy skin look that is so synonymous with K beauty. This whole K beauty scene has been trendy for a while. I'm sure you know that. But what we're seeing now is a supercharged K beauty boom. It's part of a soft power push from the Korean government. more cosmetics from South Korea than any other country. From the BBC, I'm Asma Khaled in Washington, DC. And today on the Global Story, what idea of beauty are we buying? Alisa, I'm so grateful that we have you on the show today because you have spent years reporting from South Korea. Uh you're also an expert on Korean beauty. You've written a book about this all. A and you know Korean beauty products have been popular globally for some time now. But what I think really caught our attention is that this year for the first time, South Korea is now the the biggest cosmetics exporter to the United States. How did you get so interested in reporting on this trend? Yeah, I was I was sent to Seoul to open NPR's first Northeast Asia bureau which covered both Koreas, North Korea, South Korea and and Japan in the beginning of 2015. So now 10 years ago and that was at the sort of height or the peak . This is when K beauty was becoming really understood and of interest abroad