TikTok said on the 26th that it hosted Beauty Crush London on the 23rd local time in Shoreditch, London, to showcase the beauty category of its in-app shopping platform, TikTok Shop.
Hundreds of leading U.K. beauty creators and 18 beauty brands, including six Korean brands, attended the event. Among the Korean brands, Medicube, Dr. Mellaxin, Beauty of Joseon, colorgram, BioHeal, and Mixsoon set up on-site booths, introduced their products, and held discussions on collaboration with local creators.
K-beauty accounted for half of the presentations at the event. According to TikTok, searches related to K-beauty and Korean skincare on TikTok Shop in the U.K. increased 125% over the first half during the past six months. With the spread of routines represented by "glass skin (#GlassSkin)" and ingredient-focused layering trends, K-beauty is influencing the skincare practices of U.K. consumers, the analysis said.
TikTok also said K-beauty (#kbeauty) has established itself as the third most used beauty hashtag in the U.K. The average basket size for K-beauty brands was about 35% higher than the overall skincare average. In the case of Medicube's Zero Pore Pad, searches increased 400%, showing a pattern in which interest in efficacy-centered products is expanding in combination with content-based discovery.
TikTok said, "Instead of choosing a brand first, consumers increasingly refer to explanatory content created by creators based on their own skin concerns, understand ingredients, usage and routines first, then search for brands that match and proceed to purchase." Accordingly, brands are using informational content and real-time communication channels to help consumers understand products, and through live shopping are spreading methods that offer immediate Q&A, routine suggestions and product bundles, with beauty-focused live shopping having grown by nearly 90% in the U.K. from early last year to now.
Emily Kane, head of beauty for TikTok Shop U.K., said, "On TikTok Shop, rather than deciding on a specific product from the start, users naturally form an experience of discovering and learning through content to find routines and products that suit them," adding, "As information tailored to skin concerns connects with content, a flow is created in which discovery leads to purchase."