As the export front in the Chinese market has cooled rapidly since last year, voices for diversification of export countries are also getting louder.

Russia and Kazakhstan are two places that are worthy of attention even in this situation in which Korea's cosmetics exports are facing.

In the case of Russia, export performance until the first half of last year was $168.52 million. This is a 31.9% increase compared to the same period last year, and it ranks 6th with a 4.1% share of total exports.

Kazakhstan raised $36.71 million during this period. Although the market share is not high, the year-on-year growth rate reached 81.4%.

While Russia has been at war with Ukraine for a year and a half, K-beauty imports are on the rise. Kazakhstan is one of the countries that has seen this growth in recent years.

The Korea Cosmetic Industry Research Institute (President Lee Jae-ran,  www.kcii.re.kr, hereinafter Researcher) has published 'Global Cosmetic Focus', the 6th issue, covering the latest cosmetics market trends and channel information in these two countries.

Summary of market trends

In Russia, cosmetics that share information through SNS are popular, and in Kazakhstan, Korean products used by Hallyu stars are showing high interest.

Russian consumers are highly interested in new product information and related content shared through SNS. It appears that there are many beauty brands using the social networks 'VKontakte' and 'Telegram'.

In the keyword analysis process, the keyword that showed the highest correlation coefficient with the keyword 'Share' was fcontakte.

Russian social media platforms Fkontakte and Telegram were found to have a strong influence in the local cosmetics market, especially in the marketing of new products.

Referred to as 'Russian Facebook', 89% of local cosmetics offline stores operate a community and communicate with consumers, emerging as an information sharing platform for cosmetics consumers.

In contrast, Telegram is favored by low-cost beauty brands. In particular, Telegram is emerging as a marketing platform for cosmetics brands due to its high usage rate in large Russian cities.

Analysts say that low-priced beauty brands that wish to build an online store are attracted to it by providing their own statistical program, allowing each brand to track its own advertising effectiveness and analyze competitors' marketing, and even support a Telegram chatbot function.

In Kazakhstan, the influence of Hallyu culture is exerting its power in further increasing the popularity of K-beauty. Consumers are also very interested in products used by Hallyu stars.

This situation is being created as cosmetics used by Hallyu stars are naturally exposed through video media such as K-dramas, movies, and YouTube.

In particular, as they were often seen using sunscreen for skin health, interest in the sunscreen used by stars increased greatly. In addition, it is news that the number of consumers showing interest in brands and products that actors who have built up awareness through Korean dramas act as advertising models has increased significantly.

According to the Korea International Cultural Exchange Agency's 'Overseas Korean Wave Survey', 56.5% of Kazakhstani respondents said they were willing to purchase Korean cosmetics. 76.7% of the respondents evaluated that Korean cosmetics are known to the general public and are popular, so marketing through Hallyu contents is expected to be effective.

The researcher said, “Russia is getting cosmetics and beauty information through local SNS, and Kazakhstan is getting cosmetics and beauty information through famous celebrities.” gave an interpretation.

Products that are popular in both countries

In Russia, the ranking of Dr.F5's 'Airy Fit Primer Sun Stick' rose significantly. Dr. F5 is a 'modern ageless skin care' brand that advocates clean beauty. It mainly introduces skin care products that are applied with high-functional raw materials used in Korean medical beauty technology and procedures that are gaining popularity around the world.

In order to strengthen communication with Russian consumers, it is actively using it for marketing while operating a local SNS account, Fkontakte. In the first half of last year, in collaboration with other brands, it received a favorable response from consumers by promoting popular products on social media.

In addition to SNS marketing activities, it is also an important factor in establishing the local market by entering Russian cosmetics major distribution chains such as L'etoile and Gold Apple, as well as small cosmetics online malls, increasing the accessibility of Russian consumers. .

One of the products that rose the most in the ranking during the survey period in Kazakhstan was Nivea's 'Body Bomb SOS'.

Nivea, a global brand famous for moisturizing products, operates various SNS accounts such as YouTube, Instagram, and Telegram through its Kazakhstan branch. With the slogan 'We are always with you', we are building a close and familiar brand image.

Due to Kazakhstan's continental climate, it is in high demand among consumers with dry and cracked skin. As proof of this, it is worth paying attention to the consumer response to the Nivea SOS product line.                                                     <Organization and Cosmorning editorial office>