With men in their 20's reported to use an average of 13 cosmetics products a month, local and international companies alike are gearing up to get a piece of the action.
Brands dominating the region's cosmetics markets like AmorePacific have already developed and launched skin care lines for Korea's men (Laneige) while IOPE and Innisfree have also followed with 'For Men' ranges.
The Laneige range consists of a skin toner and essence lotion for middle-aged men, IOPE's set features the ever-popular cushion compact promising blemish coverage and UV protection, while Innisfree's for men contains a BB cream.
According to 'newsasisaone.com'; Innisfree has even gone one step further with 'a zone' in open areas at baseball stadiums and has also held large-scale product sampling events at university festivals.
Meanwhile, LG Household & Health Care also plans to overhaul its men's product designs and packaging in the latter half of this year.
"There is a rising demand for antiageing and nutritive cosmetics products among men in the higher age bracket," said an LG spokesperson. "We plan to launch product lines that depart from the (typical formula of the) basic skin toner and lotion products."
What Korean men want
As Western males start to experiment with a grooming regime, Asian men are looking for more complex solutions that go beyond maintaining hygiene and appearance.
However, with no two markets on the region alike, it can be tricky to know which product will suit which demographic.
According to regional expert Florence Bernardin, South Korea is the largest market for male grooming, where BB creams and ‘all in one’ products are king.
The 'cushion' effect is extremely popular with men as it provides sun protection, blemish coverage and moisture in the humid climate. In a nutshell, it is a liquid foundation soaked in a sponge in the form of a compact case that can be patted onto the face.
The 'IOPE Men Air Cushion SPF50+/PA+++' from AmorePacific is catering to this demand with a compact that provides sunblock with natural skin correction and contains lots of menthol originated powder to cool down the skin.