The CEO of Ra Beauty Core Kim Hyun-tae, center, styles the hair of Bill Miner, Country Chairman of Chevron, at the residence of Kuwaiti Ambassador Jasem Albudaiwi in Yongin-gu, Seoul, Tuesday.

/ Korea Times photo by Kim Jae-heun

By Kim Jae-heun 

The CEO of Ra Beauty Core said the secret behind the Korean beauty industry’s recent success comes from well understanding people’s laziness and finding a niche market.

“Laziness has become a key factor in developing the Korean beauty industry,” said CEO Kim Hyun-tae during the Corea Quotient (CQ) program at the residence of Kuwaiti Ambassador Jasem Albudaiwi in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. “People are lazy but they want to look beautiful at the same time. Korean beauty products like blemish balm (BB) cream, color control (CC) cream and cushion foundation have been invented to shorten the process of applying makeup.”

“World popular cosmetic brands like Lancome, Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent have later started producing their own cushion products, which is why their factories are based in Gyeonggi Province in Korea,” Kim said.

Kim introduced himself as a hairstylist-turned-beauty promoter who has been in the field for over 26 years. He became a hairdresser at 19 and it took only five years for him to become a star designer who would travel the world demonstrating hairstyling.

Riding on the popularity of Korean drama series and K-pop, he realized the potential of hallyu, or the Korean wave, and decided to let the public know more about Korean fashion secrets by holding seminars on Korean beauty products. In 2014, he was the first Asian to hold a hair show at Beauty Master Class in the L’Oreal Business Forum.

“Hallyu started with TV drama series and that was the first level. Second level, we watched the success of K-pop in Asia and Korean food and language have gained popularity along with it. Fourth stage is Korean lifestyle and cosmetics and fashion items that are the biggest spending parts for foreigners,” he said. “Especially Hong Kong and Taiwanese markets turned black as Korean cosmetic products have become must-have items among young women there. It is also happening in Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.”

The CEO said that hallyu has made a number of people rich in the beauty market recently and disagrees with rumors that hallyu will disappear in five years, as he is witnessing plus growth in the international market.

“The reason why women love Korean cosmetics is because it makes them look young, sexy and intelligent. That is all you need for a woman,” Kim said.

Some 30 diplomats, CEOs and cultural leaders attended the CQ event, organized by the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) headed by Choi Jung-hwa, to attend Kim’s hour-long lecture on the growing popularity of Korean style across the world.

The CQ forum is designed to share cultural experiences and promote Korea’s image abroad. The “C” refers to culture, concentration, communication, creativity and cooperation.

The participants included Kuwaiti Ambassador to Korea Jasem Albudaiwi, Jordanian Ambassador to Korea Omar Al-Nahar, vice chairman of Renault China Francois Provost and vice chairman of Doosan Corporation James Bemowski.

jhkim@ktimes.com