DUE TO the current popularity of Korean skincare and beauty, the SM Store Beauty Section has decided to delegate space for curating and showcasing available Korean — and Asian — brands in all of their 68 branches nationwide.

“It’s called K-Beauty Playgrounds. It’s basically a special area that curates all the Korean bestsellers, especially with skincare and cosmetics. Our goal is to actually roll it out in all stores to make it more accessible to our customers,” Sharon Decapia, marketing controller for SM Beauty and Watsons, told BusinessWorld during the launch of the flagship area in SM Makati on Oct. 26.

SM Beauty is the dedicated section for all things skincare and beauty and is located inside SM Stores.

The SM Makati K-Beauty Playground is located in the middle of the SM Store and currently features well-known Korean beauty brands like CosRX, Dear Klairs, Neogen, Mediheal, and AHC, among others. Ms. Decapia noted that the space will be “constantly updated with brands from Asia,” as the product mix and brand mix will change “depending on what is actually new out there.”

Currently, the zone is in 40 SM Beauty stores and the selection of brands and products will vary depending on the size of the stores.

“There are relatively smaller doors so the selection will be smaller but we do select the top brands, especially the sheet masks which are in high demand,” Ms. Decapia said.

The zones will also reflect the trends in Asian beauty as Ms. Decapia explained that they have noticed recently that customers are now more into buying products specifically targeted to their concerns and, that beyond K-Beauty, they have also noticed an increased interest in other Asian beauty brands.

“Japanese brands have very superior skin technology and even Thai beauty products are getting popular,” she said. — Zsarlene B. Chua

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