Korean Men Makeup: Neat, Clean Appearance Leads to Success at Work and at Home

In South Korea, it has become the norm to see successful business and family men walking the streets, donning foundation and eyebrow liner. Men in South Korea's male-dominant society believe that wearing makeup provides for a "competitive edge" when it comes to the workplace and satisfying ever-evolving female expectations and desires. And according to the popular South Korean cosmetics company Amorepacific, the fad of "Korean men wearing makeup" doesn't look like it's about to fade out any time soon.

Amorepacific expects to sell over $885 million in cosmetics this year, and a large part of sales relies on a heavy South Korean male consumer-base. According to Euromonitor International statistics, South Korean men spent a total of approximately $471 million on skincare products last year, averaging out to about $26 per male individual. Those South Korean sales accounted for nearly 21 per cent of total global sales, making South Korea the largest market for men's skincare in the world, although only approximately 19 million men reside in the country (according to the Associated Press).

South Korea - a conservative, male-dominant country that enforces a mandatory two-year military enrollment for all men - has been deemed the male makeup capital of the world.

Cho Won-hyuk a 24-year-old South Korean college student, told the AP, "Having a clean, neat face makes you look sophisticated and creates an image that you can handle yourself well. Your appearance matters, so when I wear makeup on special occasions, it makes me more confident."

The fashion trend of South Korean men wearing makeup began to surface n the late 1990s - the sovereign state lifted a ban on Japanese products (including comics) that idolized "beautiful" men who appeared less masculine than traditional Koreans. Popular South Korean celebrity and World Cup soccer player Ahn Jung-hwan took hold of this trend in 2002, becoming a founding member of the "flower men" and making a fortune selling male cosmetics. Today, "appearance is power" drives South Korean men for success in the workplace, society, as well as in their love life.

According to Roald Maliangkay, head of Korean studies at Australian National University, "Effeminate male beauty is a marker of social success."

So while many American men continue to shave and apply cologne, Korean men will continue their search for success in their own way - black eyeliner and all.