K-Beauty Trends from 2021 GLOWPICK Awards

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Renowned Korean beauty review site GLOWPICK has announced the GLOWPICK Consumer Beauty Awards for 2021. This year’s awards honored beauty products across 211 categories. Results were based on 551,964 reviews on 115,692 products, written by 32,303 registered GLOWPICK users from November 16, 2020, to November 15, 2021.

During the selection, GLOWPICK underwent a four-step screening process which involved removing spam, advertisements, and inappropriate and sponsored reviews. The site also conducted evaluations internally to ensure the results are fair and unbiased. For the full list of winners for 2021, please visit GLOWPICK’s website (Korean only).

Trends by GLOWPICK

Just like in the previous year, GLOWPICK has selected ten trends of the year based on the most popular keywords searched on its site. According to the trend report, coronavirus is still one of our biggest concerns that continue to shape our beauty preferences. Untact beauty (a new buzzword in South Korea meaning “contact-free”), which is all about hygienic application of products with tools such as balm sticks and pads − instead of using bare hands − is trending. Perfumed products are also booming all across the world. Muted makeup is back in high demand after a year of stagnation caused by the pandemic; the versatile makeup allows customers to create various looks on any skin tone. Meanwhile, Gen Zs are beginning to pay more attention to skin health and early anti-aging care.

  1. Multifunctional: MIXSOON – Bean Essence
  2. Bare Skin: AMELI – Cool Through Foundation SPF30 PA++
  3. Muted Makeup: ETUDE – Play Color Eyes Autumn Closet
  4. Untact Beauty: KAHI – Wrinkle Bounce Multi Balm
  5. Perfumed: NONFICTION – Gentle Night Hand Cream
  6. Anti-Pollution: RED TO RAD – Anti-Dust Barrier Mist
  7. Zero Waste: SUISKIN – Avobab Clean Soap
  8. Early Anti-Aging: Fossula – Hydrafirst Firming Cream
  9. Topical Inner Beauty: CKD GUARANTEED – LACTODERM Beneficial Moisturizing Cream
  10. Rinse Free: mise en scene – Salon Plus Clinic 10 Professional No Wash Treatment Balm

And The Awards Go To…

Cleansing & Exfoliating

Winners in the cleansing category are usually almost identical to the results in the previous years, but not this time. Competition was fierce among the cleansing balms and cleansing oils. Nonetheless, BANILA CO’s Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original, Dr.G’s Brightening Peeling Gel and Mandom’s Bifesta Cleansing Sheet (Bright Up) still keep their No.1 ranks after years of topping their respective sub-categories.

  1. Cleansing Oil:SKIN 1004 – Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil
  2. Cleansing Balm: BANILA CO – Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original
  3. Cleansing Milk:make p:rem – Safe Me. Relief Moisture Cleansing Milk
  4. Cleansing Tissue: Mandom – Bifesta Cleansing Sheet (Bright Up)
  5. Cleansing Tool:ETUDE – My Beauty Tool Bubble Maker
  6. Peeling Gel:Dr.G – Brightening Peeling Gel
  7. Scrub:I’m from – Fig Scrub Mask
  8. Mascara Remover:ISEHAN – Kiss Me Heroine Make Speedy Mascara Remover

Skin Care

Clean beauty, cruelty-free, vegan and ethical skin care products remain popular this year. Products made of a single ingredient – typically a naturally derived, plant-based ingredient – are on trend. When it comes to functionality, beauty customers gravitated towards products with moisturizing, soothing or anti-aging properties, as well as those with skin barrier-repairing benefits.

  1. Toner:JUMISO – Waterfull Hyaluronic Toner
  2. Toner Pad:SKINFOOD – Carrot Carotene Calming Water Pad
  3. Mist:HOLIKA HOLIKA – Good Cera Super Ceramide Mist
  4. Lotion:SCINIC – The Simple Daily Lotion
  5. Cream:JUMISO – Waterfull Hyaluronic Cream
  6. Face Oil:TIRTIR – Organic Jojoba Oil
  7. Nose Pack:CNP Laboratory – Anti-Pore Black Head Clear Kit
  8. Wash-Off Mask:SKINFOOD – Black Sugar Mask Wash Off
  9. Sleeping Mask: HANYUL – Yuja Sleeping Mask
  10. Lip Mask:LANEIGE – Lip Sleeping Mask
  11. Blotting Sheet: Mandom – Gatsby Oil Clear Sheet

Face Makeup

Reviewers from GLOWPICK preferred moist and dewy makeup with a long-lasting finish. Color correctors that neutralize rather than conceal flaws are on the rise, as are tone-up creams that create a natural, barely-there makeup look.

Although the popularity of contouring makeup has been waning since the pandemic, makeup products that create a three-dimensional effect such as highlighting sticks are still in high demand. ETUDE’s Contour Powder continues to be a firm favorite among beauty junkies. There’s a preference for blushes in watercolor tones, as well as multi-colored palettes that serve as a highlighter, bronzer, blush and eye shadow in one.

  1. Tone-Up Base: eSpoir – Water Splash Tone Up Cushion
  2. Cushion Foundation: ETUDE – Double Lasting Cushion Matte
  3. BB Cream:Phymongshe – Aqua Blemish Cover Balm
  4. Shading:ETUDE – Contour Powder
  5. Liquid Blush:A’PIEU – Juicy-Pang Water Blusher
  6. Puff: JAVIN DE SEOUL – Select For My Cushion Puff
  7. Beauty Blender:eSpoir – Skinny Fix Blender

Brow & Eye Makeup

Products that emphasize the textures of brows and lashes are favored by customers, such as ETUDE’s Bare Edge Brow Fixer which won in the browcara category. The brand’s Curl Fix Mascara also tops the curling mascara category.

  1. Brow Pencil: MISSHA – Smudge Proof Wood Brow
  2. Brow Powder:SKINFOOD – Choco Eyebrow Powder Cake
  3. Browcara:ETUDE – Bare Edge Brow Fixer
  4. Eye Palette:WAKEMAKE – Mix Blurring Eye Palette
  5. Cream Eye Shadow: MISSHA – Dewy Glossy Eyes
  6. Gel Eyeliner:MERZY – The First Slim Gel Eyeliner
  7. Pencil Eyeliner:A’PIEU – Born To Be Madproof Eye Pencil
  8. Liquid Eyeliner: ISEHAN – Kiss Me Heroine Make Prime Liquid Eyeliner
  9. Lengthening Mascara:mude – Inspire Curling Mascara
  10. Curling Mascara:ETUDE – Curl Fix Mascara
  11. Lash Serum: HOLIKA HOLIKA – Lash Correcting Care Essential Serum
  12. Lash Curler:Shiseido – Eyelash Curler

Lip Makeup

The beauty realm is blossoming with lip makeup of different textures, including lipsticks, lip tints and tinted lip balms. Beauty customers are especially keen on mask-proof and glossy lip products, which makes Korean makeup brand romand stand out. Competition among matte lip products is intense and also dominated by Korean beauty brands.

  1. Glossy Lip Tint:romand – Juicy Lasting Tint
  2. Watery Lip Tint:romand – Glasting Water Tint
  3. Lip Liner:ETUDE – Soft Touch Auto Lipliner
  4. Lip Gloss:romand – Glasting Water Gloss
  5. Matte Lip Tint:ETUDE – Fixing Tint

Sun Care

Sunscreens with extra functions on top of UV protection have become increasingly popular. Tone-up sunscreens, like innisfree’s Tone Up No Sebum Sunscreen, are considered alternatives to makeup foundations, and they’re gaining popularity as part of the mask-proof makeup trend.

  1. Waterproof Sunscreen: THE FACE SHOP – Natural Sun Eco Super Active Sun Cream Set
  2. Sebum Control Sunscreen: innisfree – Tone Up No Sebum Sunscreen
  3. Sun Cushion:ELROEL – Pang Pang Sun Cushion UV Shield
  4. Sun Base:CKD GUARANTEED – Green Propolis All-Covery Sun
  5. After Sun Care:AROMATICA – Soothing Aloe Vera Gel

Bath & Body Care

As people spend more time at home during the pandemic, bath and body care products have grown in demand. Beauty junkies continue to invest in products that make them feel good, including items with aromatic or therapeutic features. Meanwhile, some turn to clean beauty and choose soaps with minimal packaging and ingredients over liquid cleansers that may result in more wastage.

  1. Body Lotion:ILLIYOON – Ceramide Ato Lotion
  2. Body Cream:ILLIYOON – Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream
  3. Body Oil:Huxley – Body Oil Moroccan Gardener
  4. Relaxing:LION – Kyusoku Jikan Cooling Sheet For Legs
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