Black beauty YouTuber Miss Darcei's shorts titled "The darkest Korean foundation," left, and her follow-up shorts showing her unboxing TIRTIR's 20 shades of darker cushion foundation the company sent to her. Screenshot from @MissDarcei on YouTube Editor’s note This article is the 14th in The Korea Times' 2024 series focusing on diversity, inclusiveness and equality. — ED.
By Park Jin-hai TIRTIR, a Korean beauty brand, has broken new ground in the U.S. market with its Mask Fit Red Cushion, showcasing the expanding diversity in Korean beauty products.
The cushion foundation went viral through Black beauty YouTuber Miss Darcei's video, titled "The darkest Korean foundation." In the shorts, uploaded in April, the beauty influencer with 3.5 million subscribers said the Korean cushion foundation was too light for her skin tone.
The company responded by creating 20 more shades to match diverse skin tones and sent them to her. The shorts featuring her unboxing and trying the products went viral, garnering nearly 56 million views, and propelled the cosmetics product's 40 shades to the top of the overall beauty category sales rankings on Amazon. Experts attribute the company's success to its alignment with U.
S. consumers' shifting preferences — from a focus on Korean skincare to a wider embrace of makeup products — marking a shift in the international perception of Korean beauty brands. This reflects the increasing importance of inclusiveness and diversity in the beauty industr.