Here Are the Top Trending Makeup Brands in Korea
You probably have never heard of them.
While K-beauty is now a booming market overseas with the introduction of big name brands like Amore Pacific, Innisfree, Tony Moly, and Dr. Jart, it still paints a very narrow picture of the Korean beauty market in its entirety. Here are some of Korea’s most-loved drugstore beauty brands that have yet to gain traction internationally, but I definitely think should be receiving the hype.
Clio
I can confidently say that Clio is one of my favorite K-beauty brands that consistently puts out some of the highest-quality products in the complexion, eyes, and lip department. I’ve been using their products for at least 8 years now and to this day I’m a firm believer that they have the best concealer and liquid pen liner. Their Kill Cover Liquid Concealer hides all my blemishes and dark circles, no matter how dark, leaving me with a soft-matte finish and even canvas. When I first discovered their Kill Black Waterproof Brush Liner, I bought at least 5 to hoard so I would have one whenever I ran out. This liquid liner beats out any other liquid liner that I’ve tried in terms of lasting power, opaqueness, and ease of use.
lilybyred
A fairly newer indie brand, lilybyred has taken Korean drugstores by storm. Famous for their long-lasting line of lip tints, eyeliners, and mascaras, I had to try it out for myself when I was in Korea. I bought a matte lip tint, gel pencil liner, liquid pen brush liner, and mascara. After regular use, I can definitely say that these products do not budge. They are meant to last you through the day and into the night, staying flawless put on your face with zero transfer and smudging. It does make it a little tough to take off at night, but I like my products waterproof and smudge-proof so it’s well worth the (tiny) struggle at the end of the day.
Peripera
Peripera is a sister brand to Clio, so you shouldn’t expect any less quality. Don’t be fooled by the cute, almost toy-like packaging–these products pack a powerful punch. Their signature products are all part of their Ink line, which span from lip tints, mascaras, foundations, concealers, eyeshadows, and more. Their most popular Ink Velvet, Ink Cloud Velvet, and Ink Airy Velvet lip tints are a staple in almost every Korean woman’s beauty pouch.