Skip to main content
BoF Logo

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

K-Beauty’s Golden Age Is Ending. What Comes Next?

Their 10-step routines, snail serums and sheet masks took the world by storm 10 years ago. Now, Korean beauty brands are facing a fiercely competitive market and need to think outside the box.
A store employee applying foundation in a Laneige boutique, which is an Amorepacific brand.
A store employee applying foundation in a Laneige boutique, which is an Amorepacific brand. (Getty Images)

Before Alicia Yoon launched Peach and Lily, the e-tailer known for bringing South Korean beauty to the American masses by curating products for the likes of CVS, Walmart and Ulta, she hosted a focus group to gauge what people knew about K-beauty. The year was 2012 and the result, she learned, was not much at all.

Please sign in to ensure you can read our agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice. Or get in touch at support@businessoffashion.com if you experience difficulties.

© 2026 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions

More from Beauty
Analysis and advice on the fast-evolving beauty business.

Can Mikayla Nogueira Sell Fragrance, Too?

The beauty influencer is hoping her 20 million-strong following can cut through the category’s oversaturation with Only Sunshine, a tropical scent launched with indie brand Snif.


Ulta Beauty Joins TikTok Shop

Ulta Beauty becomes the first US specialty beauty retailer to launch on TikTok Shop, making the case for partnership rather than competition with the platform’s beauty e-commerce business.


view more
Latest News & Analysis
Unrivalled, world class journalism across fashion, luxury and beauty industries.
VIEW MORE
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
CONNECT WITH US ON