Yepoda, a recent popup store at Milan’s Central Station (Photo: a screenshot from Yepoda’s official website)
ROME, Nov. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – Leading Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica has turned its spotlight on the growing phenomenon of Korean cosmetics, highlighting the global surge in K-beauty’s popularity in a recent article titled “The New Era of Korean Cosmetics.”
In its November 2 report, the newspaper cited data from global market research firm Statista showing the robust growth trajectory of Korea’s cosmetics industry.
According to the statistics, the Korean cosmetics market recorded sales exceeding $5 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $12.6 billion by 2032. The article also noted that South Korea has emerged as the world’s second-largest cosmetics exporter.
The newspaper highlighted Yepoda, a recent popup store at Milan’s Central Station, as a testament to Korean cosmetics’ continuing growth. Interestingly, Yepoda is not a Korean brand but a German cosmetics company that anticipated K-beauty’s success.
The brand’s founder, Sander Joonyoung, born to a Korean mother and Dutch father and currently residing in Berlin, shared his inspiration for creating the brand.
“Every time I visited Seoul, my suitcase would be filled with cosmetics requested by friends, relatives, and colleagues,” he explained.
“Instead of continuing to fill suitcases, I decided to create a brand specifically for the European market.”
This led to the 2020 launch of Yepoda, a cosmetics brand manufactured in Korea but exclusively sold in Europe.
Veronika Strotmann, the company’s co-founder, attributed K-beauty’s worldwide success to “Korean cosmetics’ innovation and technological prowess.”
She added that “Korean cosmetics are becoming a symbol of excellence, similar to Swiss watches, German cars, and Italian leather goods.”
While traditional Korean beauty standards emphasize glass-like, flawless, and transparent skin, La Repubblica noted that Yepoda has tailored its approach to the European market by focusing on sustainability, clean ingredients, and efficacy.
The brand’s K-beauty-focused strategy has proved successful, with Yepoda gaining popularity across Europe after its initial launch in Germany.
“We never imagined there would be such long queues at our popup stores or this level of social media buzz,” Sander Joonyoung remarked.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
