Karine Dussimon, senior analyst, Euromonitor International03.31.16
South Korea stands out in the global beauty and personal care packaging sphere. Despite it being a highly developed beauty market, South Korea is projected to see a healthy 5% CAGR to 2019 in packaging retail sales in this industry. New packaging
The author, Karine Dussimon
developments strike a delicate balance between greater ease of product application and value for money; benefiting single-serve flexible packs, PET bottles and plastic tubes. Beyond the entrenched culture of beauty consumerism among South Koreans, an in-depth understanding of evolving consumer demand and a strong focus on innovation are key recipes for success.
Beauty packaging increasingly needs to offer Koreans a greater consumer experience.
South Korea should in theory be among those countries with a rather sluggish outlook for beauty packaging. In 2015 it impressively has one of the highest consumer expenditures on personal care globally at $19.2 billion and still shows growth. There is among Koreans, a continued interest in beauty and personal care products, which is nurtured by the immense popularity of K-pop and K-dramas inside and beyond South Korea.
Sustained growth in demand constitutes good grounds for packaging players and brand owners. But in order to cater to it, and in view of intensifying competition, brand owners need to be at the forefront of innovation. The population of Korea is time-deprived and aging, rendering packaging functionality very attractive. At the same time, the wider consumer experience becomes paramount: Koreans are moving away from luxury beauty products sold in department stores towards premium products which are deemed better value for the money and increasingly made available at beauty specialists.
Oral care: Largest packaging gains, but portability and visual differentiation needed.
Just like at world level, the rise in oral care consumption promises the highest rewards for packaging volumes in South Korea with
139 million extra units to be sold over 2015-2019. Yet while toothpaste is the most important oral care product for packaging, folding cartons in South Korea, will also noticeably expand in mouthwashes. This is largely contributed by innovation in this category aiming to boost consumption and purchase frequency among Koreans, by making the product easy to use when on-the-go. In 2014, breaking from the standard but still popular PET bottles, brand Garglin introduced single-serve versions of its product in 10ml flexible packs sold together in a folding carton, and which can be carried around easily for use after a meal.
Facial Products: Ease of application for a multifunctional product offering.
South Korea contrasts even more with trends at world level when it comes to skin care and color cosmetics. These categories rank respectively second and third for packaging volume growth to 2019 in the country; in contrast, hair care and bath and shower are stronger packaging growth providers at world level. Other facial makeup offers important growth potential for squeezable plastic tubes. All-in-one products such as BB and CC creams, which combine the properties of a foundation, facial moisturizer and sun protection, will continue to offer an attractive solution in the fast-paced Korean lifestyle which still attaches great importance to skin health and beauty products. The more recent phenomenon, the air cushion technology as advocated by AmorePacific’s Iope brand, shows however that even plastic tubes are being challenged in facial makeup, in this case by speciality cosmetics containers. The combination product is now presented in a compact-style container, to be applied using a sponge and considered lighter on the skin than a cream.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author, Karine Dussimon
Beauty packaging increasingly needs to offer Koreans a greater consumer experience.
South Korea should in theory be among those countries with a rather sluggish outlook for beauty packaging. In 2015 it impressively has one of the highest consumer expenditures on personal care globally at $19.2 billion and still shows growth. There is among Koreans, a continued interest in beauty and personal care products, which is nurtured by the immense popularity of K-pop and K-dramas inside and beyond South Korea.
Sustained growth in demand constitutes good grounds for packaging players and brand owners. But in order to cater to it, and in view of intensifying competition, brand owners need to be at the forefront of innovation. The population of Korea is time-deprived and aging, rendering packaging functionality very attractive. At the same time, the wider consumer experience becomes paramount: Koreans are moving away from luxury beauty products sold in department stores towards premium products which are deemed better value for the money and increasingly made available at beauty specialists.
Oral care: Largest packaging gains, but portability and visual differentiation needed.
Just like at world level, the rise in oral care consumption promises the highest rewards for packaging volumes in South Korea with
Facial Products: Ease of application for a multifunctional product offering.
South Korea contrasts even more with trends at world level when it comes to skin care and color cosmetics. These categories rank respectively second and third for packaging volume growth to 2019 in the country; in contrast, hair care and bath and shower are stronger packaging growth providers at world level. Other facial makeup offers important growth potential for squeezable plastic tubes. All-in-one products such as BB and CC creams, which combine the properties of a foundation, facial moisturizer and sun protection, will continue to offer an attractive solution in the fast-paced Korean lifestyle which still attaches great importance to skin health and beauty products. The more recent phenomenon, the air cushion technology as advocated by AmorePacific’s Iope brand, shows however that even plastic tubes are being challenged in facial makeup, in this case by speciality cosmetics containers. The combination product is now presented in a compact-style container, to be applied using a sponge and considered lighter on the skin than a cream.
