As the new symbol of global cool, K-beauty (or Korean cosmetics) has ultimately made its mark on global markets not just through its skincare products, but through its cultural uniqueness. Its strength lies as much in rapid innovation as in affordable prices and natural ingredients that are as powerful as they are healthy. Here is its dynamic 300-year history.
BB cream, sheet masks, fermented rice ingredients, layering…
Since the 2010s, Korean beauty, or K-Beauty, has made its way everywhere in the West—from the bathroom to the screen, via the front rows of fashion shows and social media. One might have thought the phenomenon would run out of steam. On the contrary, it continues to gain ground to the point of taking market share away from Western beauty players.
While the massive spread of the Korean beauty standard relies on all the imagery and cultural products driven by a government determined to make people forget the 1997 Asian economic crisis, its roots actually trace back to the mythical Joseon Dynasty, which continues to inspire pride in the Korean people, if only for its exceptional longevity, spanning from 1392 to 1897—more than 500 years.
It is the story of this prescriptive holistic beauty that transcends oceans that we present here. Never far from idols, dramas, and wellness, this K-beauty is the subject of a special exhibition currently on view in Paris at the Guimet Museum through July 6.
The Mythical Joseon Era
Joseon is not just the name of one of the leading brands in contemporary South Korean cosmetics (Beauty of Joseon). This name, a symbol of prosperity, refers first and foremost to a dynasty that ruled the Land of the Morning Calm for 500 years, until the 18th century. It was during this period, in fact, that Korean beauty as we know it today began to blossom.
At that time, women of high society were largely hidden from view. It must be said that they lived in quarters separate from men, and their rare outings into the city required them to cover their faces. This scarcity in public spaces sparked the curiosity of artists to the point of making women the favorite subject of 18th-century novels and a pictorial genre known as Miindo, or “beauty portraits.”
Rejecting the dominant moral and didactic style of painting, Shin Yun-bok, a renowned painter, captured on canvas what, 300 years later, would still be perceived as the uniqueness of Korean beauty and the ideal of beauty in Asia. In his works, he was the first to depict women as desiring and individualized subjects. This sensitive observation of daily life led him to popularize the archetype of the courtesan (or gisaeng), who was freer than her counterparts in the social elite, whether in her movements within the home or in her grooming.
Refined and sophisticated, these Joseon beauties, much like those in the webtoon (digital comic) The Red Sleeve, launched in 2020, pay particular attention to their style. This innovation is already evident in their makeup, which features a more heavily made-up complexion than that of their contemporaries, who are reputed to be more virtuous.
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Featured Photo: Figure of a courtesan or gisaeng in The Red Sleeve webtoon © Dopamine, CreativeSUMM, Mikang Kang/Haksan Publishing Co. Ltd. © Editions Albins Michel for the French edition, comics department
