The world is in love with Korean cosmetics made up of UNIQUE ingredients!

Cosmetics containing natural ingredients such as fruits and vegetables have been around for some time. However, lately new cosmetics with more unusual, high-quality ingredients are attracting the attention of consumers.

To appeal to customers and stand out from the competition, cosmetics companies have developed new products containing foods such as caviar and wine, therapeutic ingredients such as snake venom and squalane, and exotic additives such as extract of snail mucus and fermented honeysuckle.

As an industry representative explained, "To meet consumer desire for new products new, companies are always seeking unusual ingredients. In this highly competitive market, a unique product can attract a lot of attention".

Cosmetics with unique ingredients not only grab consumer attention. Their effectiveness has seen their popularity soar in the domestic market and boosted overseas interest in K-beauty.

Here we describe some of the leading cosmetic products incorporating interesting and unusual ingredients.

Jeju Volcanic pore clay mask

Among the many Korean cosmetics gaining attention in international markets with the spread of the Korean Wave, skincare products containing ingredients from Jeju Island, Korea's largest island, are especially popular. Jeju Volcanic Pore Mask from Innisfree, a Korean cosmetics brand that recently opened its fifth international store in Shanghai followed one in Beijing, has become a hit with Chinese online consumers in particular.

Jeju Volcanic Pore Mask is made with scoria, or lava rock, a living, breathing stone abundant on the volcanic island of Jeju. Scoria is formed during volcanic eruptions, when underground magma is spewed from the earth at temperatures of up to 1600ºC.

The lava rock's property of adsorption is said to keep the skin moisturized and the pores clear.

Snail Cream

Snail cream is another novel cosmetic product all the rage in China, where it made the list of Korean hit products recently announced by the KOTRA Trade Center in Qingdao. According to the announcement, snail cream is booming among young Chinese women following the success of the product in Korea.

Since the company Its Skin first introduced snail extract cosmetics in 2009, most brands have followed suit. Now street fashion shops and mass-market brands such as Nature Republic, The Saem, Missha, Skin79, and Tony Moly feature snail extract cosmetics among their product ranges. The use of snail extract has also widened recently from mainly skincare cosmetics to include BB cream, moisturizing masks, and acne treatments.

In the past year alone popular Korean cosmetics retailer Tony Moly sold 1.2 million units of snail extract cosmetics. A company spokesperson commented that, "Because the unit price of snail extract cosmetics is relatively high, the sales value is also high. Snail extract products are one of our top three skincare products".

Developed with Asian consumers in mind, the reasonable price and superior effects of Korea's snail creams make them the preferred choice of many Asian consumers to similar products from China or Europe.

Wine cosmetics

In conjunction with the renowned American winery Mondavi, LG Household & Health Care has developed 'DAVI', a range of cosmetics that combines the wine expertise of Mondavi with the science of dermatology.

According to LG, flagship DAVI product Le Grand Cru Cream improves the skin's elasticity and reduces wrinkles due to Resveratrol extracted from the vine. It also promotes clear skin tones thanks to Vitisin extracted from the vine roots and Modena from fermented grapes. The company is planning to target the global prestige market with the DAVI brand.

In a survey conducted by KOTRA among Chinese visitors to the 7th Central Investment and Trade Expo held last year in China, more than 60% of respondents name a Korean brand as their favorite brand, citing high product quality as the reason for their preference.

Korean cosmetics' high quality and the continuing efforts of Korean cosmetic companies to use ingredients will surely help to spread the Korean wave and K-beauty to even further.

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