New frontier: Why ‘quality’ Asian beauty brands are seeing signs of success in the US

In recent years, Asian beauty brands have gained significant recognition and influence worldwide, and the US is no exception. US beauty consumers have increasingly acknowledged the efficacy, innovation, and unique approaches that Asian beauty brands offer.

Cassandra Stern, editor of CosmeticsDesign-US said that US consumers associate Asian brands like Shiseido or Tatcha Skincare with “quality”.​

She believes that Asian beauty brands stand a good chance to flourish in the US market despite the competitive landscape.

“I think it's important to remember that at least for right now, we're seeing growth across a lot of different areas. So, while it's competitive, there's room for a lot of different brands to stretch their legs and really enter this space,” ​she said on the Beauty 4.0​ podcast by CosmeticsDesign-Asia​.

She highlighted that US consumers were interested in the kind of ingredients that Asian beauty brands use, such as green tea or ginseng.

“I think that there is certainly a perception that there are certain ingredients that Japanese brands and Korea brands use that are maybe not as well known in the US, not because they're not as effective, but because they're not as common. And I think a lot of US consumers who are frustrated with mainstream ingredients will turn to these types of brands to see what other types of product offerings are out there.”​

Asian-made sunscreens were particularly popular among US beauty consumers thanks to the buzz on social media.

“There's a huge following on social media for Korean and Japanese brand sunscreens… The perception overall is generally very positive,” ​said Cassandra.

A legal makeover​

A potential challenge for Asian brands expanding into the US could be the Modernisation of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA).

The passing of MoCRA has left cosmetic companies in Asia wondering about the changes, some of which are set to be enforced by the end of 2023.

“MoCRA is the first piece of US regulatory legislation that has passed into law regarding cosmetics manufacturing, in about 80 years. This is a really big deal in our market. This is going to mean a lot of changes. And it’s got some people a little worried, understandably, a little concerned about what these changes are going to mean,” ​said Cassandra.

“Asian manufacturers that are looking to expand in the US market are really going to need to have a good grasp and understanding of what the regulation states and what it means to comply with them.”​

To hear more detailed insights into MoCRA and the current beauty trends in the US, check out the podcast above.