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🇩🇪 Germany /Culture & Society

Inside South Korea’s beauty kingdom

From Süddeutsche Zeitung · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Documents & data Context piece
  • German dermatologist Emi Arpa visited South Korean clinics and companies to examine the country’s advanced beauty industry.
  • South Korea overtook France as the world’s leading beauty exporter last year, while tourism linked to cosmetics and dermatology continues to grow.
  • Foreign visitors spent about 1.12 billion euros on beauty in May, with spending rising sharply in skincare shops, clinics and pharmacies.

Emi Arpa arrived in South Korea with the curiosity of a dermatologist and the reach of a social-media beauty figure. Vogue once called the 37-year-old “Germany’s leading dermatologist.” She runs a practice in Berlin-Charlottenburg, has built her own cosmetics line and reaches 691,000 followers on Instagram.

A South Korean colleague invited her to see the industry up close. Arpa visited numerous clinics and said companies and medical facilities were remarkably open to her requests. What surprised her most was the speed and sophistication of the treatments she encountered. “I visited so many clinics where they perform eyelid-fold surgery in 20 minutes, while it takes two hours at home,” she said. “They are incredibly far ahead in everything related to beauty.”

South Korea takes visible pride in its cosmetics industry. Last year, it overtook France as the leading beauty exporter, with annual exports exceeding $11 billion. K-cosmetics has become a global category alongside K-pop and K-drama.

I visited so many clinics where they perform eyelid-fold surgery in 20 minutes, while it takes two hours at home.

· Emi ArpaThe German dermatologist described the speed of procedures she observed in South Korea.

In central Seoul, visitors repeatedly encounter Olive Young cosmetics stores, where tourists leave carrying bags filled with products. More tourists are also booking appointments at dermatology clinics. The Korean Times attributed the trend to beauty content on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, which has made Korean skincare, clinics and pharmacy products familiar to young people worldwide.

The spending figures underline the scale of the market. According to the Korean Tourism Organization, foreign visitors spent more than 2 trillion won, or about 1.12 billion euros, on beauty in May. Spending at skincare shops rose 153.9 percent from the same period a year earlier, while dermatology clinics recorded an 85.5 percent increase and pharmacies a 206.1 percent rise. Arpa’s interest, the article suggests, is part of a much larger international fascination.

They are incredibly far ahead in everything related to beauty.

· Emi ArpaArpa assessed South Korea’s beauty clinics and industry.
About this summary

Originally published by Süddeutsche Zeitung in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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