Recently, as COVID-19 regulations have been eased a lot in Japan, demand for cosmetics and other products is increasing again, and demand for classes where makeup is received is also increasing. The beauty market has suffered a lot in the past three years. However, although it has recovered, the same things are not popular as before, but they are showing a different appearance than before.

In particular, the part where such a change appears to be significant is the men’s cosmetics line, whose sales have increased more than five times compared to before COVID-19.

In the past, more and more men are wearing makeup in terms of self-management, such as men who are not interested in makeup or are passive. There is an increasing interest and demand for cosmetics that can easily organize skin texture, not just color makeup.

Men also saw a surge in demand for basic cosmetics and base cosmetics, which often caused skin problems as the time to wear masks increased for a long time.

As COVID-19 causes various problems such as skin problems due to wearing masks indoors for a long time, men’s demand for various basic cosmetics has also increased. Previously, basic cosmetics containing only a simple moisturizing function were used, but recently, men have also begun to look for basic cosmetics containing additional functions such as calming effects and skin texture correction.

In the case of men in business, it is important to give a clean image to others because of the nature of their job, so the demand for simple skin makeup has increased, and in the case of office workers, more people want to see their faces on the screen through cameras. This is because men preparing for employment also want to increase the success rate of employment by making their skin look cleaner when interviewing.

In addition, various media outlets have recently recognized that men’s makeup is not feminine, but managing themselves, and broadcasts and videos share makeup tips that men can easily follow, making it easier to access. In order to meet these trend changes and demands, genderless cosmetics brands, cosmetics lines, and men-only cosmetics brands have been launched, including ” COPERNICA,” a skincare cosmetics that can be used by both men and women, and ” Prieclat U,” a skincare cosmetics for both men and women.

Large cosmetics stores have announced that they are hiring male employees for male customers who find it difficult to ask women about cosmetics in line with such trends, and they are currently about 10 people, but they will increase it further. In the case of women, the important part of makeup has changed significantly.

Previously, lip products were dominant, but now the demand for cosmetics related to skin base makeup that does not collapse more than lip products and cosmetics that apply makeup around the eyes such as various eye shadows has increased. No matter how good the coverage and adhesion of the mask is due to the wearing of the mask, Thai cosmetics are gaining popularity in Japan recently as they are often removed or makeup collapses due to the mask. Since Thailand is a humid area, its cosmetics are characterized by being resistant to water and moisture. Women are very interested in removing or smudging their makeup in this situation because it was a big stress as it is now, and for a while, people have not applied lip products or used them because they are inside the mask for the same reason as base cosmetics, so they are the most erased or buried inside the mask, which is not hygienic. However, Thai cosmetics are solving this problem a little.Like base cosmetics, lip products have very good coloration, but they do not smudge or stain easily, so many people are currently looking for them.

Also, more and more women are wanting beauty lessons recently.

Especially, the age of women who want is female college students who are about to graduate. The reason why female college students came to these beauty lessons was because they had few opportunities to wear makeup because they had to study makeup while preparing to graduate from college and preparing for the interview. It is not just beauty for beauty, but also makeup in a way that can further highlight its original strengths and cover up its shortcomings and increase confidence.

SOPHIA KIM

ASIA JOURNAL

Currently, among Asian countries except Korea, the term Korean style (cultural trend) is very popular in China and Japan. In particular, the most popular age group was women in their teens and 20s.

At first, as Korean celebrities, especially idols, became popular simply on Instagram, hair styles and clothing styles became popular. However, as social media such as dramas and Instagram have developed greatly, the boundaries between countries are breaking down. In the past, news from abroad was impossible at a time when overseas travel was not as free as it is now, but now it can be delivered through Mentabus or social media.

Since there are many export ot companies such as dramas and entertainment, there are many restaurants, bars, and cashes that allow people who cannot go to Korea to feel vicarious satisfaction as exports become very fast.

Asked why Korean cafes are good, a 21-year-old Chinese girl from Laoning Province said this. She said that you can make memories there, not just buy coffee or tea. When asked what kind of memories they had as a question, the answer was that the cafeteria in Korea was not just a place to eat food, but rather a beautiful interior like an art space, raising satisfaction.

A 22-year-old hairdresser living in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, answered the question, saying that most cafes in Japan have a strong image of smoking or older people going except Starbucks.  Starbucks is said to have no difference in most places. However, the cafes according to the Korean style have different interiors and make places where you can take pictures to make you very happy as a woman, and they answered that the design is very cute, not just drinks or desserts.

In addition, recently, in China, if everyone speaks Korean and the menu, food, beverage, and alcohol are all in Korean, they sell products imported from Korea, and the designs are all written in Korean.

When I asked why I was visiting such a place, I answered similar to the cafeteria, but a slightly different answer came back.

Recently, the Korean-Chinese law has not yet been lifted in China, but it is said that Korean dramas are imported from platforms such as Yufu or Aichi such as Netflix in China, which is said to have fantasies about Hong Kong when the Hong Kong Rwar genre was popular.

He said that if you eat Hadriquo, Beer & Wine, and beverage food they drink at the Hadriquo restaurant where the main characters go in the drama, you feel like you are the main character in the same drama.

And this is not only for the general public, but also for Chinese dramas, there are characters who often pretend to be Koreans. And there are many stories about Korea, and one of China’s 20s actresses named Zorosa (Zhaolus), who belongs to the top actor level, is representative. In her drama, she often spoke Korean, spoke as if she were Korean, and in her drama, she sang Gangnam Style and said Oppa (Brother and Sister) in Korean, and in her work, she talked about wisdom teeth, showing how Korean women in their teens and 20s feel about Korea.

In addition, Taiwanese dramas used to use Japanese a lot in the past because they were influenced by Japan and showed pro-Japanese tendencies, but now they show that Korean culture is affecting them in many ways, such as using the latest Korean buzzwords.

In Japan, people in their teens and 20s want to live in Korea. I want to be friends with Koreans. There are a lot of hashtags on the Internet saying that they want to be Korean. Korea is currently showing that it is culturally attracting attention from Asian countries.

In the past, there were many Koreans who wanted to travel to Japan and admired it, but these can be said to be evidence that there is an opposite situation inside Japan now.

Sophia Kim

Asia Journal