There’s no doubt that a new K-Beauty product is always trending, especially when a K-Celeb is the face of said product. In recent news, we’ve seen big names like SEVENTEEN’s WonWoo named as the new model of Korean beauty brands like The Face Shop, ZEROBASEONE becoming the new faces of COLORGRAM, and RIIZE becoming the new models of ETUDE, and many more.

There is an abundance of K-Beauty brands with K-Celebs as the face/model/ambassador of the brand - and fans are dedicated to buying these products to support their favorite K-Pop idol or Korean actor. The Olive Young top product ranking (of Apr. 25, 2024) is a great example of this. Out of the 8 products shown, 4 of them have K-Celebs (namely MONSTA X's HyungWon, Go YounJung, 2AM's Jo Kwon, and ZEROBASEONE's Kim JiWoong) as the face of the product, which can increase the odds of consumers buying the product.

If you've ever wondered why brands opt to add celebrities to their marketing campaigns, a look at the following data from 2021 by LaunchMetrics proves the impact that Korean celebrities (namely BLACKPINK's Jennie and JiSoo, and BIGBANG's G-Dragon) have had on international luxury brands for fashion and cosmetics (which has only grown stronger since then).

If that is the impact that K-Celebs can have on international brands, then it goes without saying that they would have a similar impact on local K-Beauty brands, too.

However, recently fans have been raising the question wondering why K-Celebrities (especially veterans and big names) don't venture into creating their own cosmetics and beauty brands. If they did, surely they'd make a lucrative profit from their fans' support...

In the case of the Western world, artists like Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, and Rihanna have infiltrated the global beauty market with their respective brands. Beyoncé has recently gone viral for her content utilizing her hair care products Cécred, Selena Gomez has become a sensation on social media with her cosmetics brand Rare Beauty, and Rihanna has also created a cosmetics brand that is a staple on the dressing tables of many in the form of Fenty Beauty. So, why don't K-Celebrities leverage their fandoms and take the leap?

 

The K-Beauty Celebrity Cosmetics Landscape Is Not Non-Existent

If you're looking for K-Celebrity cosmetics, but feeling bleak because you can't find any, then don't despair. There is one brand that you can seek out!

That's not to say that K-Pop idols haven't ventured into creating their own cosmetics brands at all. Jeon SoMi is one of the first K-Pop idols to attempt her own cosmetics line.

 

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She launched the makeup brand GLYF which she had been working on since 2023.

Negative Reactions To A K-Celebrity Makeup Line

However, the product launch was met with some pushback from netizens as they questioned her intention/sincerity and the pricing of the product.

Some argued that Jeon SoMi's first product, the ILLUÉTTE Highlighter Palette (four colors) at 43,000 Korean won (about 31.39 USD), is too expensive.

Whilst this sentiment spread across communities, to be objective, similar celebrity brands in the West charge similarly or even more. The Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter (one or two colors) retails for 74,100 Korean won (about 54.02 USD) and the Rare Beauty Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter (one color) retails for 25 USD (about 34,274 Korean won).

On the other hand, if you compare a similar highlighter palette (with 4 colors) from the Korean brand IPKN called the IPKN Flap One Face Palette, it retails for 32,000 Korean won (about 23.23 USD).

Note: all prices and conversions are as of Apr. 24, 2024.

Taking these brands into consideration, Jeon SoMi's product is slightly on the pricey side but not entirely out of reach. It is up to consumers to buy a product in their comfortable price range.

 

The Likeliness Of More K-Celebs Opening Brands In Future

Whilst K-Pop idols are at a career and popularity advantage to launch products in the form of beauty and fashion brands, there might be some hesitance on their part due to potential backlash from fans. Jeon SoMi is one case study, but so is former Girls' Generation member Jessica Jung, who faced backlash from her agency when trying to launch her current fashion brand BLANC & ECLARE.

Some fans perceive pursuing businesses like this as a distraction and a lack of dedication to being an idol. Even in the West, Rihanna has received a lot of backlash for not releasing music and focusing solely on her beauty brand, for example.

As K-Pop fandom prioritizes a relationship with the K-Pop idol, for instance, whilst there might be an outpouring of support for the idol's brand - fans might not like the change in focus.

There is also the issue of K-Pop idols losing out on much-needed brand deals essential to marketing their groups or themselves. This is because beauty brand models are usually tied to only promoting that specific brand due to exclusivity clauses in the contract.

Lastly, and naturally, creating a brand in a saturated market is also a huge risk that K-Celebs may not have the time or energy to take on. Especially in South Korea, where K-Beauty giants such as Olive Young rule the day, it might be difficult to navigate the brands under that umbrella and other competitors. Even a brand (distributor) as huge as Sephora (selling international brands) has had to close down operations in South Korea due to being unable to beat the local K-Beauty market.

If competition can be this fierce between distributors, then it will undoubtedly be just as fierce amongst actual brand competitors.

However, there is still hope that more K-Celebs will take the leap to create products that can help fans feel closer to or like them.

What do you think? Should more K-Celebs be starting beauty brands? Do you reckon that being the face of another K-Beauty brand and not starting their own is the best way for K-Celebs to be part of the K-Beauty industry?

The 5th generation of K-Pop is all the rage right now and dominating this generation as one of the top rising groups is none other than RIIZE. With talented members, gorgeous visuals, and addictive music, RIIZE is steadily making their mark on the industry. Their latest comeback with the prologue single 'Impossible' was a house track that featured outstanding choreography, and the member who caught fans' attention the most with his unmatched dancing skills was Shotaro.

Thoroughly impressed by Shotaro's flawless talent, we were left wanting more. So, it got us thinking about a dream variety show where Shotaro could collaborate with fellow K-Pop idols who were also known for their incredible skills.

So, here are the top 5 idol dancers we would love to see collab with RIIZE's Shotaro!

 

1. Shotaro x SHINee's TaeMin

The person who wants this collaboration even more than us is probably Shotaro himself. TaeMin is Shotaro's role model and as we all know, TaeMin is one of the best, if not THE best dancer in K-Pop. A collaboration between the reigning King and a rising Prince would be fantastic, to say the least. Both dancers have their own unique groove and style that, we believe, would complement each other wonderfully.

 

2. Shotaro x SEVENTEEN's Hoshi

Another dancing machine whose talent knows no bounds, Hoshi would be perfect for a dance collaboration with Shotaro. With both Hoshi and Shotaro being sunshine personified, this collab would break the internet for being the coolest and the cutest at the same time. We can already imagine the two idols getting along well together and we would love to see them come up with an original choreography.

 

3. Shotaro x EXO's Lay Zhang

If we're talking about the best of the best when it comes to dance, we cannot possibly forget Lay Zhang. The idol recently made his comeback on Korean music shows with his latest song 'Psychic'. With the man, the myth, and the legend back, we would love to see him dance with SM's rising star, Shotaro. From one dance prodigy to another, this could be a collaboration that's truly one of a kind.

 

4. Shotaro x KISS OF LIFE's Natty

Widely recognized as one of the it-girls of K-Pop right now, Natty is an outstanding dancer, to say the least. A collaboration between the two 5th-generation dance icons - Natty and Shotaro, would make the headlines for days. Both artists have a knack for a variety of dance styles and are known for their high-energy, precise performances. We'd love to see a fusion of different dance styles from them.

 

5. Shotaro x New:ID's Wilson

Currently a trainee under MLD Entertainment, New:ID's Wilson is already gaining attention from all over the world for his dance skills. New:ID's SNS is buzzing with dance cover videos and fans just can't get enough of Wilson's moves. Collaborating with Shotaro would be a great opportunity for Wilson to learn from his sunbaenim and give us even more reasons to fall in love with both of them all over again.

Which K-Pop idol do you want to see Shotaro collaborate with? Tell us on X!

The cozy comfort of a much-awaited Saturday morning was settling in when I tuned in to the Coachella Week 2 "Sahara" stage live broadcast. Having witnessed the absolute grandeur of ATEEZ's Week 1 performance at Coachella, I was mostly expecting a reiteration of the same iconic level for Week 2. However, what we got was something out of this world.

One phrase kept going round and round in my mind as I watched this ATEEZ set at Coachella week 2. This is a ritual of love. Love for music, love for performance, and very distinctly, love for each other. ATEEZ's Coachella week 2 performance was not just one of the best performances at Coachella this year, but it was a glorious invocation of the muses. Having studied literature and art for all my life, I cannot possibly think of a better way to describe the breathless brilliance of this performance.

Getting the obvious out of the way, of course, ATEEZ's confidence, panache, showmanship, vocals, rap, dance, and all other technicalities were much more polished than in week 1. The boys were now more aware of the stage, and having had one go at it, they were definitely more relaxed. In Korean, this state of mind where one recognizes scope or room to expand is called "yeoyu" (여유).

Yeoyu is something you see in a seasoned warrior, and when our Captain walked onto the stage that night with his members, ATEEZ looked nothing short of warrior princes coming for the throne. Every single member stood out in their own unique way, with their versatile talents on full display. The visuals were top-tier, as always, the styling - en pointe, and the vibes - immaculate. The rap came across power-packed and smooth, the vocals were resounding yet delicate when need be, and energy was at an all-time high. These men knew what they were doing, even with the slightest gaze they held out to the audience, and the effortlessness of it all elevated the performance to a whole new level.

This time, it was as if ATEEZ was putting their lives on the line and thankfully, the camera work delivered in picking up the detailed nuances of this performance. Even as I write this, I'm taken back to SeongHwa, sword in hand, screaming into the sky to call forth the last ounce of strength he needed to pour his all into his art. When SeongHwa roared, like lightning sent back to the heavens, the lump in my throat threatened to escape, only to be held back by the realization that I was looking at a spitting image of Sung JinWoo from "Solo Leveling". Now, I need that live-action to happen, and I need SeongHwa to play humanity's greatest hunter.

Embed from Getty Images

The very next thing I remember is a singular black tear running down his cheek as he stared right down at the camera. This moment has gone viral and for good reason, too, as artists flock to SeongHwa, having found their new muse.

However, it wasn't just the aesthetics of it all that left an impression. To me, as an ATINY and a Hallyu Journalist, this tear represented how far ATEEZ had come. The unstilted passion, diligence, hard work, and endless struggle they endured culminated in this one defining moment when they were on top of the world. ATEEZ, who started from nothing, created something, and won everything, were declaring to the world that they were just getting started.

The respect ATEEZ had for the Coachella stage, for the audience, and for everyone who supported them, especially ATINY, is what that tear symbolized to my eye, but like all art, this, too, is up to your interpretation.