K-Beauty Innovation Meets AI - Industry Leaders Gather to Discuss Future Growth Directions
On December 18, the top CEOs and executives of Korea's cosmetics industry gathered for an event that was more than just an annual meeting. Organized by the Korean Cosmetics Association under the theme 'K-Cosmetic Jump-up', the event highlighted the intersection of K-beauty’s strength and AI technology to design a more advanced future.
An Important Event at a New Venue
The '2025 Jump-up K-Cosmetic CEO Meeting' was initially scheduled to take place at the Korea Cosmetics Association's meeting room, but due to overwhelming attendance requests, it was relocated to the Space Share Seoul Station 2 Center. This change reflected the high interest from industry leaders.
The event kicked off at 10 AM with significant participation from major industry figures. It featured in-depth discussions on market trends and technological evolution. This gathering was especially meaningful for enhancing the competitiveness of the cosmetics industry, fostering inter-company exchanges, and developing future strategies. In his opening remarks, Jaehor Yeon, Vice Chairman of the Korean Cosmetics Association, emphasized the need to consider structural changes in the industry and deliberate together on the direction the industry should take in this transformative period.
“This year is a critical time to prepare for structural changes in the cosmetics industry. I hope this gathering will serve as a meaningful opportunity to share market and technology trends and to discuss future visions.”
How K-Beauty Reached Its Current Position
Dr. Yu-Hyun Seo from the Seoul National University Consumer Trend Analysis Center took participants through a session exploring the roots of K-beauty. He pointed out that the success of K-beauty was not merely a by-product of the popularity of K-pop or K-dramas, but rather a result of numerous challenges and failures interwoven over time.
Dr. Seo identified six elements as the innovation DNA of K-beauty: Planning Power, Speed, Initiative, Responsiveness, Product Power, and lastly, 'Enthusiasm'. This 'enthusiasm' refers to an ability to immerse in products and aim for an emotional connection with consumers, a key identity that defines K-beauty today.
“There is still much to learn from Korea's unique ecosystem in cosmetics. K-beauty is not just an industry, it is the teacher of future Korean economics.”
As these multi-faceted factors have converged, K-beauty continues to expand its influence globally, evolving continuously.
How AI Is Changing Marketing
Next, Dongjin Son, CEO of Dexter Crema, shared practical strategies for using AI in cosmetics marketing. He proposed the 'I.D.E.A' framework consisting of Influence, Discovery, Empathy, and Algorithm, emphasizing the importance of authenticity at its core.
Instead of typical celebrity-focused marketing, leveraging nano-influencers was suggested, and while technological implementation may be straightforward, content creation based on emotional context still requires human touch.
“We must reach beyond just presenting a tech manual to our customers and instead connect with the emotions they feel when looking in the mirror. That's marketing, and that's living content.”
Three practical methods for AI marketing were presented: First, providing accurate information easily quotable by AI; Second, accumulating data that reacts to questions; and Third, continually producing hyper-personalized content. This illustrated that tech-driven marketing is not mere automation but requires thoughtful design and planning.
The Paradigm of the Industry: Fusion of Technology and Emotion
This CEO meeting was not simply a forum for presentations. It was a place for companies and leaders to review their strategies and co-construct a path for advancement. Particularly, AI technology was now recognized as essential within the industry, and any future marketing strategies need to be developed considering its influence.
Consumers' desire for experiences is increasingly personalized. If they are not satisfied with a sense of 'a brand just for me', they may not make purchasing decisions. At this point, AI is evolving into a tool that can analyze consumers' preferences, interests, and psychology, allowing brands to initiate conversation first.
“If AI does not recognize your brand, customers will be unaware of its existence.”
“A customer’s choice is not something predictable; it is something to be experienced.”
The Most Flexible Ones Go the Furthest
As Dr. Seo pointed out, Korea today is facing challenges due to the stagnant growth structure of its overall economy. Without responding flexibly in new ways, we will fall behind. K-beauty is setting an example in this flexibility, which could be applicable across other industries as well.
This meeting proved that possibility. It was evaluated that this flexibility is further reinforced when aligned with AI technology. It is crucial to create an interconnected ecosystem where marketing, products, distribution, and customer experience are seamlessly linked, not fragmented.
The era is not about technology replacing emotion, but about supporting and expanding it. The future direction of K-beauty might lie exactly in this fusion.
The growth of K-beauty is creating new possibilities through integration with reliable AI technologies. aims to support sustainable growth in the cosmetics industry through practical and emotional approaches amidst these changes.
