????雖然法國人向來是時裝潮流的全球領導者，不過在美容領域，過去幾十年的創新主要是由SK-II和資生堂等日本化妝品公司引領的。NPD集團表示，近年來，在市場規模高達440億美元的美國美容市場上，韓國的美容品牌開始占據更大的份額。

????生活網站Refinery29的美容總監梅根?麥金泰爾指出：“人們對韓國美容產品的興趣漸漸增高，這種趨勢是從BB霜開始的。”

????BB霜是一款兼具護膚和化妝作用的美容產品，可以起到保濕、遮瑕的作用，并且包含防曬成分。這種產品于2011年在美國開賣，現在幾乎每個大型化妝品品牌都有了自家的BB霜產品。麥金泰爾表示：“自從美國女性愛上了BB霜，她們就開始對其它韓國美容產品也充滿興趣。”

????去年，麥金泰爾在韓國招聘了一位辦事員，向她全面報告韓國美容行業的最新動向。她表示：“如果韓國的BB霜已經生產20年了，那么我們還錯過了哪些產品？”

????韓國有兩家美容巨頭，一家是愛茉莉，其地位相當于韓國的雅詩蘭黛，它的品牌包括蘭芝、亦博和雪花秀；另一家是LG，旗下品牌包括SUM 37和馬上將推出的belif。韓國的其它主要品牌包括Dr. Jart、魔法森林和Amarte等等。很多品牌在伯道夫古德曼、內曼馬庫斯和絲芙蘭等商場和門店有售，此外也有很多網站在銷售韓國美容產品，比如Glowrecipe、Peach and Lily和SokoGlam等。另外還有一項類似于化妝品發現平臺Birchbox，名叫MemeBox的美容產品訂購服務。

????除了BB霜和韓國化妝品慣常采用的可愛包裝（比如魔法森林的唇膜采用桃紅色包裝，化妝盒呈嘴唇狀）以外，韓國美容產品的吸引力究竟是什么？它與美國化妝品有什么不同？

????Glowrecipe.com的聯合創始人克里斯汀?張表示，這要歸功于韓國美容行業的創新，以及韓國人對好皮膚的癡迷。

????克里斯汀?張表示：“韓國企業正在以前所未有的速度推出創新產品，這是由于許多消費者為了護膚不惜任何代價。韓國女性采用一種完全不同的美容方法，她們不依靠單一的產品護膚，而且也不愿用化妝品掩蓋臉上的瑕疵。”

????麥金泰爾稱，一名韓國女性的護膚流程通常要用到好幾種產品，包含好幾道工序，經常在10到17道工序之間。“她們并不認為這種過程很繁瑣累人，而是當成一種儀式，或一種享受過程。”

????不少韓國化妝品含有人參和蝸牛粘液等原料，韓國的面膜原材料有的取自棉纖維，有的取自海藻等天然原料，還有些產品含有發酵成份。韓國化妝品也有自己的“行話”。所謂的“精華”類似于一種加強版的精華液，而韓國專家口中的“肌膚表達”，是指消費者將一款產品用到皮膚上的效果。

????下面讓我們了解一下美國市場上幾個最大的韓國品牌。

????While the French have long been the global style leader in the sartorial stakes, for decades beauty innovation was being led by Japanese cosmetics companies such as SK-IIand Shiseido. But in the last few years, South Korean beauty brands have been claiming a bigger stake of the American beauty market, which is estimated to be $44 billion dollars, according to the NPD Group.

????“There has been a cumulative interest in Korean beauty and it all started with the BB cream,” says Megan McIntyre, the beauty director at the lifestyle siteRefinery29.

????A BB, or beauty balm, is in an all-in-one skincare and makeup hybrid that moisturizers, covers blemishes, and contains sunscreen. The products hit U.S. shelves in 2011 and now nearly every major cosmetics brand carries one. “Once American women caught on to BB creams, they started becoming curious about other Korean beauty products,” says McIntyre.

????Last year, McIntyre hired a South Korea-based correspondent to report on the latest trends from the ground. “If Korea has had BB creams for about 20 years, what else are we missing?” she says.

????The two major Korean beauty powerhouses areAMOREPACIFIC (think of it as the Estée Lauder of Korea) and its brands include LANEIGE, Iope and Sulwhasoo, while LG has SUM 37 and the soon-to-be-launched belif. Other major brands include Dr. Jart,Tony Moly and Amarte. While many of these brands are sold at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus as well as Sephora, there’s also a host of websites selling curated Korean beauty products, such as Glowrecipe, Peach and Lily, and SokoGlam. MemeBox is a Korean beauty subscription service, similar to Birchbox.

????But beyond the BB cream, and the often cute packaging- Tony Moly’s lip balms are packaged in cherry and lip shaped compacts- what’s the appeal of Korean beauty, and how is different than its American counterpart?

????It all comes down to innovation and an obsession with beautiful skin, says Christine Chang, the co-founder, along with Sarah Lee, of Glowrecipe.com.

????“Korean companies are churning out innovative products at an unprecedented rate, and it’s powered by consumers willing to do anything for good skin,” says Chang. “Korean women have a totally different approach to beauty. They don’t rely on one product for their skin and they don’t use makeup to mask their imperfections.”

????A typical Korean skincare regime involves multiple products and multiple steps—usually somewhere between 10 and 17, says McIntyre. “It’s not a chore for Korean women though. They view it as a ritual or pampering experience.”

????The hallmarks of Korean beauty include ingredients such as ginseng and even snail mucin; facial-sheet masks which can be made from cotton fiber or natural material such as kelp; and products containing fermented ingredients. K beauty (as its called) also has its own lingo. An “essence” is similar to a super-charged serum and K beauty experts talk about “skin expression,” which is how consumers work a product into their skin.

????Here’s a look at some of the biggest Korean brands available in the U.S.