After a first successful K-beauty pop-up store at Kick Café, On The Shelf renews the operation with the online store MY-KARE at the delicatessen Misikga in Paris. Laura KOEPPLER, founder of the On The Shelf agency and K-beauty expert influencer on Jung Magazine, organized and delivered her very first masterclass to allow everyone to discover Korean beauty in a concrete way!
Korean beauty in France, a growing market
With the surge of the Korean wave (Hallyu), Korean cosmetics have made an important place in the international beauty shelves. Indeed, Korean brands are the most innovative in the sector and thus a real source of inspiration for the West and its consumers who are increasingly charmed by this expertise.
Arrived in Europe through BB and CC creams, cloth masks, then cushions, Korean beauty has seduced the market for its willingness to combine skincare and makeup. France was the first European country to import Korean cosmetics in 2015 representing nearly 35% of sales in Europe. First distributed through e-shops, it was French cosmetics giant Sephora that put K-beauty in stores for the first time in 2016. In the same year, LVMH invested in CLIO Cosmetics, the American Estée Lauder took a stake in the skincare brand Dr. Jart+ in 2015, not to mention the French-Korean brand Erborian, which was acquired by the L'Occitane group in 2012 with more than 50%.
Despite the growing awareness of Korean beauty in recent years in France, its practices are still unknown to many. Some brands such as TonyMoly or Skin79 have been introduced to the European market with "kawaii" (cute in Japanese) products ranging from panda masks to fruit-shaped creams. In the minds of consumers, K-Beauty then appeared as watered down and cute without glimpsing the real know-how and the precursor formulas of this industry, nor even the independent brands resolutely turned towards a certain naturalness.
Thus, consumers inclined to buy premium, natural and ethical Korean cosmetics do not always take the plunge, not being sufficiently informed of the diversity of the K-beauty repertoire.
This is a major problem for the Korean cosmetics online stores that are flourishing in France, which are positioned on the niche of "green", "clean", or even vegan and cruelty-free K-beauty.
My-Kare x Misikga: The pop-up store
And to unveil this little-known side of Korean beauty and conquer a new audience, what could be more convincing than to push the door of physical retail outlets?
With our support, MY-KARE had already realized a first pop-up of K-Beauty clean in Paris last December. Following its success with Korean pop culture fans at the Kick Café, the online store is repeating the experience from February 17 to 21 with a whole new clientele. This time, it turns to the Korean delicatessen Misikga. This new place in the 13th arrondissement of Paris offers a gastronomic journey through delectable Korean dishes and condiments, full of nutrients from fermentation as good for the body as for the skin.
The most beautiful natural and Vegan cosmetic brands from South Korea (Sioris, Aromatica, Whamisa, Urang, Sandawha, All Natural, Benton, Chobs and Bonajour) provided by MY-KARE could be tested exclusively. All the products are categorized (serum, ampoule, essence, cleanser, etc.) to simplify the search for the uninitiated.
On this occasion, customers were offered a 10% discount on My-Kare skincare products and Misikga groceries.
The pop-up was a real success, showing an undeniable interest from consumers, it did not take place over 5 days as initially planned but until May 31, 2022. To welcome and advise customers, MY-KARE founder Hyun-Hee KOH was present every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon from 2pm to 7pm.
The K-Beauty discovery masterclass
On The Shelf organized the masterclass "discovery of Korean beauty" presided over by its founder, Laura KOEPPLER, in order to democratize K-Beauty among French women and to accompany them in the construction of a routine adapted to each skin type and to their real needs. This training took place on Saturday, February 19, 2022, during two 2-hour sessions, at 11am and 3pm: the interested parties were able to learn about the ancestral beauty ritual of Korean women, guided by the K-Beauty expert with the participation of Hyun-Hee KOH.
In a relaxing and intimate setting, this event allowed each participant to learn more, step by step, about the typical gestures of Korean layering, a true pillar of healthy and radiant skin.
Accompanied by a tasting of Misikga's Ginseng tea, the masterclass was based on an educational program ranging from the presentation of Laura's enlightened consumer journey to the method of use of each category of Korean products, from makeup removal to the sun care step.
The skin type being the starting point to have an adapted skincare routine, Laura allowed those who did not know it yet to determine it and to explain how to find a balance with the help of the present products corresponding to their needs. With the help of a leaflet containing the essential points of the event, we made sure that everything was clear and that each person could go home with customized advice!
A bright future
One of the participants, shared her impressions with us:
"I came out of simple curiosity and I left with a beautified skin!
Laura knew perfectly how to explain her journey, explain the virtues of the products offered, make us test them and help us in our choices according to our skin type (which she helped to define for those who did not know it yet), I will definitely come to the next one!"
Following the excitement and positive feedback from this first K-Beauty masterclass, On The Shelf would like to organize more intimate beauty appointments in small groups to allow everyone to become familiar with the Korean beauty ritual, benefit from a skin diagnosis and customized advice by us. The masterclasses organized by our team are also relayed on jungmagazine.com, the first media dedicated to Korean beauty in France (35K readers, 5K subscribers on Instagram, 1K newsletter subscribers) allowing our partners or contributors a wider impact and the general public to discover the backstage of the event.
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