Glossy skin, straight bleach-tinted hair, a famous face: South Korea's beauty industry has come to dominate the world over ¡ª Japan included.

From 2017 to 2023, Korean cosmetology exports have , totaling more than $530 billion (about ?82.6 trillion) and of French beauty products for the first time. Touted as effective yet affordable, Korean beauty routines promise prospective buyers the same thing: the smooth, healthy and youthful yuri pibu (glass skin) popularized by idol groups like BTS and glamorous actor-models like Jun Ji-hyun.

¡°Korean and 911±¬ÁÏÍø skincare trends and demands are not so different these days,¡± says Kay Lan, an international business development counselor at Ginza¡¯s Bianca Clinic. ¡°Korea likes shiny, moisturized skin, and Japan follows the trend.¡±