Kang, who is also the director of Kolmar Korea’s research and development center, said on the first day of the 24th Conference of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists (IFSCC 2017 Seoul), “We must have trust in the idea that the most ‘Korean’ products are the most globally popular, and develop new hit products to continue the success of BB cream and air cushion foundation.” (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Korea Bizwire) – The president of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea, Kang Hak-hee, has said the South Korean cosmetics industry is being urged to follow up the global success of BB cream air cushion foundation with new hit products, in comments made during a cosmetics conference held on Tuesday.
Kang, who is also the director of Kolmar Korea’s research and development center, said on the first day of the 24th Conference of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists (IFSCC 2017 Seoul), “We must have trust in the idea that the most ‘Korean’ products are the most globally popular, and develop new hit products to continue the success of BB cream and air cushion foundation.”
Kang was appointed to chair the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists on the last day of the IFSCC 2017 Seoul on Wednesday, a day after speaking to the audience at the conference, and shared his vision for the future of the South Korean beauty industry.
“It has been 14 years since this conference was first held in South Korea, yet over 1,000 people attended the event, marking its success,” Kang said as he explained the growing interest in so-called K-beauty was behind the high attendance at this year’s event.
During the conference, workshops under the theme of South Korean innovation took place, focusing on items such as BB cream, air cushion foundation, and facial sheet masks, to name a few.
Though the conference traditionally consists of scientific research announcements, overwhelming requests prior to the event prompted the organizing body of the conference to put together workshops which were fully booked ahead of time.
Kang, who has been in the cosmetics industry for over three decades and worked with AmorePacific before he became the director of Kolmar Korea’s research center, is often considered one of the most renowned experts in the cosmetics research and development field.
“There was retinol, and then a variety of items including BB cream, air cushion foundation, and snail cream were introduced and became popular internationally.”
Kang says South Korean beauty products have been able to enjoy international recognition thanks to the number of global hit items and the country’s unique distribution structure, characterized by brand stores that specifically sell only each brand’s items.
“For K-beauty to improve, we must continue creating distinguished beauty products that are uniquely ‘Korean’. For the K-beauty brand to not lose trust, the whole industry must work together,” Kang said.
Hyunsu Yim (hyunsu@koreabizwire.com)
