Local, Regional, Global: the 3 locations that matter most in international beauty

Where a brand is based, where a product’s ingredients originate, and what culture’s history and technologies inform the formulation can be as important as the overall efficacy or marketing story. Here Cosmetics Design considers the importance of local, regional, and global beauty today.

Global culture​

K beauty has been a global phenomenon for several years now, thanks in part to investment from the South Korean government and entrepreneurs around the globe with personal connections to Korean culture.

Today, K beauty continues to be a globally interesting category as consumers are intrigued by unfamiliar ingredients, readily adopting sheet masks in to their skin care routines, and as K beauty itself becomes more trusted in categories beyond skin care. Color cosmetics from and inspired by Korean brands will be the next wave of K beauty.

All the while, J beauty—a term for Japanese beauty that some say is too kitchy to do these brands justice— is having a resurgence. Like brands from Korea, brands from Japan are strongest globally in skin care but have great potential in other categories as well.

Asian brands and beauty makers aren’t the only one aiming to compete in this space, I beauty (out of Italy) and beauty from the diaspora (brands that draw on the wisdom of people from the African diaspora) are just two other culturally based beauty movements looking to secure their footing in the international marketplace.  

Regional interest ​

Brands made in Australian and New Zealand are proving to be of particular interest. This is a rising trend that we will discuss further in our upcoming Cosmetics Design 2019 trends video.

in the meantime, suffice it to say that consumers looking for natural, safe, and clean beauty and personal care products are turning to brands from Oceania—good news for brands like Ao Skin Care and Ethique.

Nordic beauty is another regional phenomenon that consumers seem to correlate with more ethically sourced and developed products as well as more ethical and effective brands in general.

In the face of so many conflicting definitions of natural and notions of safety, many shoppers are turning to third-party certifications, or in cases like Oceanic beauty and Nordic beauty, to other governments for policies and practices that feel credible.

Local business  ​

In the US especially local food, local craft (jewelry, apparel, home décor), and local beauty are finding a new place in the economy and in consumer decision making. Local equates to less waste in the minds of many consumers concerned about pollution and expenses from transportation and it equates to more opportunists for local workers.

There is ownership and loyalty in local. And, beauty and fragrance makers that source from thoughtfully delineated areas, that make product by hand and share the process with their fans and followers online, and those that meet face-to-face with consumers during in-store events, at pop-ups, etc. are making good use of being local.

---

Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.