Elise Hu’s book Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital, which explores South Korea’s booming beauty industry and culture, is also currently garnering rave reviews.
The book was published in May 2023, but South Korea has long been a trailblazer in the global beauty industry and is responsible for creating skincare ideals and trends such as “glass skin” that ripple the world over.
For nearly a decade, K-beauty products have been a staple in my own skincare regimen because of their innovative formulations, quality ingredients, and reasonable price points.
I used to have to procure products solely from online storefronts like YesStyle and Olive Young that ship directly from Korea. This would often mean long wait times and high shipping costs. Now, some of Korea’s bestselling and best-known beauty goods can be conveniently found on Amazon.