The Kurly Beauty Festa, which made its debut last year, has evolved into an "experiential show" this year. The event, held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Jung-gu, Seoul from the 30th to the 2nd of next month, adopts a "selection and focus" strategy, with 60 brands participating, 30 fewer than last year. It offers visitors the chance to experience each brand's worldview with all five senses.
At 11 a.m. on the 30th, a visit to the venue set up at Dongdaemun DDP revealed booths with long lines. At the booth of K-beauty brand d'Alba, visitors could try a high-frequency beauty device. Visitors wiped the device with an alcohol swab and, following staff guidance, used the device on their faces. Lee Min-ju, 24, said, "I hadn't had the chance to try a beauty device before, but it was nice to be able to use it even briefly."
At the booth of L'Oréal's high-end derma brand SkinCeuticals, participating for the first time in an offline beauty festa, an artificial intelligence (AI) wrinkle diagnosis service was offered. When visitors photographed their faces with a camera, AI analyzed wrinkle depth and elasticity and recommended tailored products. Kim Seo-hee, 29, said, "It was useful because I could get a skin type diagnosis you usually only get at a dermatology clinic."
The booth of global color brand NARS was dazzling. At the NARS booth, the lights dim and music plays at set times in the morning and afternoon as the stage begins. A professional makeup artist demonstrates step-by-step makeup on a model. Kérastase offers scalp diagnosis and a hair class, while Kent runs a toothbrush engraving service.
This event consists of five zones: "Serenity" for nature-oriented brands, "Vitality" focused on functional products, "Radiance" for color brands, "Heritage" for legacy brands, and "Senses" for sensorial experiences. Unlike last year, when zones were divided by brand price range, the space was organized to match customer tastes.
In the Serenity garden are Kundal, YADAH, and NACIFIC; in the Vitality garden are La Roche-Posay, AESTURA, and SkinCeuticals; and in the Radiance garden are NARS, Portre, and BANILA CO. Each booth provides a QR code that links to the Kurly app (application), allowing on-site purchases.
Kurly cut the number of brands from 90 last year to 60 this year and instead expanded the space per booth, adopting a "selection and focus" strategy. Notably, 40 of these brands are participating in the Kurly Beauty Festa for the first time. The aim is to differentiate from other companies' offline beauty festivals such as CJ Olive Young, Coupang, and Musinsa.
Kurly expects about 16,000 visitors to attend this event. It said it reduced the scale from around 20,000 last year to improve visitor convenience and allow attendees to take their time looking around the venue.
Major commerce platforms such as Olive Young, Coupang, Musinsa, and Zigzag have been holding large-scale beauty events in succession, increasing offline touchpoints. The goal is to raise brand awareness and sales by increasing face-to-face customer contact that is impossible online.
Olive Young, the "original" of beauty events, first held its festa outdoors in May to differentiate itself. Musinsa Beauty also sought differentiation with new private brand (PB) products and curation content. Zigzag, which held its first beauty event, collaborated with figures such as Yoa Jung to strengthen the F&B aspect.
Kim Goeun, Kurly's head of brand marketing group, said, "We hope visitors fully enjoy not only the various events unfolding at each brand booth but also makeup demonstrations, and experience a rich beauty festival."