Korean cosmetics has always been highly esteemed and it’s quality is renowned. It’s been like that for ages and its selfcare has been imbedded in the Korean culture for eras. This emergence of popularity of Korean cosmetics has purged due to technology and social media, but it has been emerging as a prominent forefront of beauty standards.
The use of cosmetics in Korea has been observed around the time of the Ancient Chosun era and they used accessories and ornaments and embellishments and cosmetics to show their social and governemental positions and religious piousness. They valued fair skin as it showed that they were of higher class that did not require physical labor outside in the sun in which they had to toil. The observable start of “cosmetics” was the application of lard to the skin to prevent frostbitten skin as well as to moisture skin as well. It served essentially as a balm. This was Ancient Korea’s emergence into the world of cosmetics.
There were steps taken to maintain fair skin and among them were eating mugwort and garlic for 100 days.
In the Three Kingdom’s Era of Korea, Goguryeo favored a round face with thin brows and hairdressing. The hairdressing was in fact an influence that Goguryeo had from China. After a certain point, most people regardless of class and status were into cosmetics and beauty. There were murals dated back to Goguryeo that depicted how the women who were noblewomen and maids were and how they fashioned themselves and how they did their makeup. The painting showed that they had their hair done up and combed in a comlex up-do while they had thin eye-brows and had blush and or rouge on their cheeks in circle right at the apple of their cheeks and had thin and round rouge on their lips as well.
Baekje didn’t have explicit record of the cosmetic trend of its’ people. But it seems that Baekje had influence on Japanese cosmetics and makeup techniques and Japan already had started making makeup and advancing their cosmetics, it would seem that Baekje must’ve had at least the same caliber and advance technology to produce the cosmetics that would later influence Japan. There is a clue that Baekje people wore a lighter makeup style than usual which might be another clue that they indeed had advanced cosmetic technology to allow a sheer look and a more natural look instead of the exagerrated look of thick and heavily colored cosmetics. Baekje also saw hairdressing and makeup as a sign of status and most people who were of a higher status usually used cosmetics.
The Kingdom of Silla held beauty to high esteem and they seemed to have highly advanced cosmetic manufacturing and makeup technique. Silla also seemed to influence Japan due to proximity and trading with each other.
Later, Korea became affected by the Chinese cosmetic style and manufacturing that the style then adapted to a more extravagant and elaborate style. The Goryeo dynasty had a more advanced manufacturing of cosmetics and less extravagant style than when the Chinese style was adopted.
The Joseon Dynasty adopted a more demure style of fashion and makeup, but this didn’t mean that the manufacturing of Korea slowed or reduced, but instead the cosmetics were seen as important with a different light and perspective. The everyday look was more natural and sheer in look and the heavy thick makeup style was reserved for gisaeng, court ladies and musicians. It is said in an ancient book of an ideal Korean woman, that women’s makeup has around 18 kinds of cosmetics and makeup tools. There was already “salesmen” for the production and sale of these cosmetics in the Joseon Dynasty which suggest an emergence in industrialization of cosmetics.
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