Bangkok Beauty Show & K-Beauty Expo ride the “hallyu” wave with clean and smart beauty

08 Dec 2022 --- The Bangkok Beauty Show & K-Beauty Expo 2022 returns this December to showcase the latest trends in the K-Beauty sector and usher in business opportunities for companies in Thailand and South Korea. The events were out of commission due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are returning after a three year long break. 

“Thailand is one of South Korea’s five largest cosmetics exporters with an overall cosmetics market value of KRW6 trillion (US$4.4 billion),” says Jonggeun Park, VP of Korea International Exhibition Center (Kintex), where the expo will be held. 

Under the theme “Where beauty blooms and cosmetics professionals come together,” this year’s expo will feature more than 100 South Korean companies and 50 Thai companies and more coming from across the globe.

South Korean Wave
The exhibition will bring together promising K-beauty trends. For example, there is a focus on “clean beauty” products using eco-friendly packaging materials or excluding animal-based ingredients.

“Smart beauty” items enable intensive care in households and “hair care” related products to help people with hair loss. 

In line with this trend, Amorepacific, in collaboration with professor Kim Jeehwan at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, unveiled a chipless wireless wearable electronic skin that can transmit data and monitor the wearer’s skin.The biggest K-Beauty trends, such as “clean beauty” and “smart beauty,” will feature prominently at the events.

South Korea is regarded as the base for beauty companies looking to expand into Southeast Asia. The recent rise of “hallyu,” also known as the South Korean Wave through Netflix and K-Pop, is expected to increase the demand for cosmetic products from the region further.

Makeover time
The exhibition also provides an opportunity for international cultural exchange to promote K-culture. The Korean Makeup Artists Association and Hair & Beauty Magazine of Thailand will collaborate to hold the “International K-Beauty Fair & Hair Show 2022” and will host an international makeup contest. 

Makeup artists will participate in the categories of makeup, hair and nail art in categories including bridal makeup, fashion fantasy makeup, character makeup, art mask and body painting for the makeup category; creative cutting and styling for the hair category; and salon art and flat art for the nail category.

Kintex has put a hard focus on K-Beauty’s international expansion since 2016. 

Official participating sponsors of the K-Beauty Expo Bangkok are The Korean Cosmetic Association, the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau, The National Science and Technology Development Agency, the Thai Cosmetic Cluster Trade Association and the Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand. 

The events, organized by the Korea International Exhibition Center, will take place from December 15 to 17 at BITEC, Bangkok.

Edited by Inga de Jong