Early last year, I finally caved and invested in a (pricey) Shiseido eyelash curler. After hearing countless people promote the eyelash curler as a perfect product for those with Asian facial features, I was intrigued by its promise to avoid the pain of pinched eyelids and power to lift even the shortest, straightest Asian eyelashes. After using the same curler nearly every day for the past year, I can happily say I have never needed another one.
Asian beauty brands such as Shiseido have grown exponentially in popularity all over the world with stores like Koreheim, Shibuya LA and Aritaum making products available for American consumers. Additionally, online stores such as YesStyle carry a wide range of Asian beauty products that are relatively cheap to purchase. The more I scroll on TikTok, the more “get-ready-with-me” routines I see that are filled with Asian makeup products, recommendations that praise Asian-owned businesses and recreations of Asian beauty trends.
One of the biggest Asian beauty trends of the last few years is Asian skincare, specifically featuring Korean skincare products. A study published in December of 2023 found the Asia-Pacific region to be the global leader in the skincare market, owning over 40%. Skincare products range from serums, washes, lotions, sunscreen and more. While foundation may not necessarily be part of a skincare routine, it is a product that is heavily applied on skin; foundation formulas need to be conscious of and care for the skin. This includes releasing an inclusive shade range for all skin types and tones.
For example, TIRTIR, a Korean beauty brand, had their cushion foundation well-reviewed for its formula and wear. Unfortunately, the brand and product came under fire for its extremely limited shade range that not only made it difficult for Black individuals to use their product, but also darker-skinned Asians.
In March of 2024, African American content creator @missdarcei posted a video trying on TIRTIR’s popular foundation. By the time of Darcei’s video, TIRTIR had released six new shades in addition to their original three as the product gained popularity; yet none of the shades matched her. Despite this, Darcei ended up loving the product, and she encouraged the brand to continue expanding their shade range. In May, Darcei posted an updated video, where TIRTIR sent her 11 new shades, making them the biggest shade range out of any Korean brand. Many people, including Darcei, were pleased with the shade expansion and promise of more shades in the future, praising the brand’s ability to listen to consumer feedback and quickly work to diversify their products.
Unfortunately, not everyone had a positive reaction to Darcei’s video. Many others, including the two most popular comments on her post, had a negative — not to mention ignorant — reaction to her post. Instagram user @ikraicva commented, “Wow maybe korean people aren’t black???” which garnered 33.7k likes. User @starxliie commented, “Maybe they dont have any darker Shades BECAUSE ITS KOREAN.!” which received 52.8k likes.
The first and most obvious issue with comments like the ones found under Darcei’s video is that there most definitely are Korean people who are Black. It is vastly wrong to think that there is no need for inclusive shade ranges in Korea when there are mixed Korean-Black individuals and Black people who live, study and work in Korea. Asian American beauty creator @rogerwh0 addressed this point more than a year ago with the same foundation — where he found that the then darkest shade of the foundation was unsuitable for tanner Asians like him. In the video, Roger noted that “for me, this is just something that’s fun to try, but I’ve seen Koreans that are the same shade as me, some darker, and it’s like, what are they supposed to do?”
Secondly, if a company like TIRTIR intends to market their products to a global audience, then the global audience has every right to have their needs catered to. Being a Korean company does not excuse them from being inclusive to consumers that they are consciously marketing to. Brands from all over the world, especially ones that are as popular as TIRTIR, continuously recognize their responsibility to create products that will satisfy a diverse customer base — and Asian beauty brands should be no different.
Shiseido and TIRTIR have shown the complexities of the rising popularity and accessibility of Asian beauty brands and trends all over the world, especially in the United States. While the acclaim of Shiseido’s eyelash curler is a testament to Asian beauty brands filling the gaps in the beauty industry for certain diasporic communities, TIRTIR’s original foundation shade range is also a symbol of the exclusivity of certain people within said communities. Popularity, especially within such a diverse, global market, should not be taken for granted by any brand. If anything, Asian beauty brands should understand on a deep level that there is a responsibility of non-Western brands to cater to communities left outside of the Western-dominated beauty industry. Now that Asian beauty brands have been appearing more and more at the forefront of the beauty industry, they shoulder the responsibility to create products that are inclusive and welcoming to all.
Visual Credit: The Pocket Mama
