美國(guó)女性愛上了韓國(guó)化妝品

South Korea Exports Its Glow

美國(guó)女性愛上了韓國(guó)化妝品

First came the wave of manufacturing, with Samsung and LG; then the K-pop stars, whose ubiquity reached its regrettable height with Psy. Now comes the latest import from South Korea: a formidable array of beauty products.

先是以三星和LG為代表的制造業(yè);然后是韓國(guó)流行歌手，可惜他們的巔峰止于鳥叔(Psy)?，F(xiàn)在是韓國(guó)的最新進(jìn)口產(chǎn)品：一系列勢(shì)不可擋的美容產(chǎn)品。

It all started with the BB cream. In early 2011, the Korean brand Dr. Jart introduced two BB creams at Sephora in the United States. They had dermatologic roots, intended to protect and heal patients’ skin after treatment, and had been popular as all-in-one skin-care and makeup products in Korea for several years before they came to the United States.

一切都始于BB霜。2011年初，韓國(guó)品牌蒂佳婷(Dr. Jart)在美國(guó)絲芙蘭化妝品商店(Sephora)推出了兩款BB霜。BB霜有皮膚病學(xué)的淵源，最初是為了保護(hù)和修復(fù)治療后的皮膚。作為一款全效護(hù)膚化妝品，它進(jìn)入美國(guó)前已經(jīng)在韓國(guó)暢銷了好幾年。

The cream was a hit. Major beauty companies took note. Soon enough, it had spawned versions from L’Oréal, Smashbox, Clinique, Jane Iredale, Stila and Dior — and paved the way for a Korean beauty invasion of the United States.

BB霜很受歡迎。大牌化妝品公司紛紛效仿。很快，歐萊雅、Smashbox、倩碧(Clinique)、珍愛芮德(Jane Iredale)、絲狄拉(Stila)和迪奧(Dior)等品牌都推出了自己的BB霜，為韓國(guó)化妝品進(jìn)軍美國(guó)鋪平了道路。

The beauty market has long been led by European countries, which were thought to be the source of innovation. But in recent years, American women (and beauty companies), their interest piqued by the BB cream, began to look more closely at Korean multistep skin-care regimens, and they liked what they saw.

長(zhǎng)期以來，化妝品市場(chǎng)由歐洲國(guó)家主導(dǎo)，歐洲被認(rèn)為是創(chuàng)新之源。但是近些年，美國(guó)女人(以及美國(guó)化妝品公司)對(duì)韓國(guó)的興趣被BB霜勾了起來，開始更密切地關(guān)注韓式多步護(hù)膚法，她們對(duì)其護(hù)膚效果也感到滿意。

“It shifted our consciousness on what it means to take care of your skin,” said Megan McIntyre, the beauty director at the lifestyle site Refinery29. Seeing the care Korean women devote to their skin made consumers curious about new techniques, Ms. McIntyre said, adding that the often adorably twee packaging, high-tech innovations (peel-off lip stains, overnight masks) and affordable prices have not hurt, either. But let no one think that Korean women just slap on a BB cream and call it a day.

“它改變了我們對(duì)護(hù)膚的看法，”生活方式網(wǎng)站Refinery29的美容總監(jiān)梅根·麥金太爾(Megan McIntyre)說。麥金太爾說，顧客們看過韓國(guó)女人對(duì)護(hù)膚的投入后，對(duì)新技術(shù)很好奇。她補(bǔ)充說，況且韓國(guó)化妝品的包裝大多很可愛，又有高科技創(chuàng)新(撕拉式唇彩、睡眠面膜)，價(jià)格也能承受。但是可別以為韓國(guó)女人涂上BB霜就完事了。

“The American approach is: the simpler the better, the faster I can get out the door,” said Cindy Kim, a founder of Peach and Lily, one of a number of online retailers, including Soko Glam and Memebox, that sells Korean beauty products. “The Korean mentality is comprehensive and detailed.”

桃子與百合(Peach and Lily)是一家銷售韓國(guó)化妝品的在線零售商(類似的還有Soko Glam和Memebox)。它的創(chuàng)始人辛迪·金(Cindy Kim)說，“美國(guó)女人的方式是：越簡(jiǎn)單越好，這樣我就能更快出門;韓國(guó)女人的心態(tài)則是全面而細(xì)致。”

And it is exhaustive. First, there’s cleansing, often with two different cleansers (one oil-based to remove makeup, then a foaming cleanser), followed by a toner to balance pH levels on the face.

而且韓式化妝非常徹底。先是潔面，通常要用兩種潔面產(chǎn)品(先是卸妝油，然后是泡沫潔面乳)，然后用柔膚水平衡臉上的pH值。

Then there are “essences” and serums, which is “where the number of steps can blow up,” Ms. Kim said. The serums often target single issues: aging, radiance, hydration, redness. An eye cream, plus moisturizer, and BB cream (for day) or an overnight sleep mask are applied next and all sealed with a mist. There is even a term for the desired plump and sticky feeling after application of these products: “chok chok.”

之后使用精華液。“這里的步驟可以無限多，”金說。精華液通常是針對(duì)單個(gè)問題的：延緩老化，提亮膚色，補(bǔ)水，使臉色紅潤(rùn)。然后用眼霜、滋潤(rùn)霜和BB 霜(白天用)或睡眠面膜，最后用噴霧定妝。韓語中甚至有個(gè)詞來形容用完這些產(chǎn)品后所期待的飽滿水潤(rùn)的感覺：chok chok(大意是水靈靈的)。

Taking a half-hour for your skin-care routine “isn’t weird,” said Esther Dong, the senior vice president for marketing at the Korean line Amorepacific, whose Time Response anti-aging moisturizers are selling well in the United States. “When people describe a beautiful girl in the U.S., it’s all about the body, and the third or fourth sentence is about the face. When you describe a beautiful girl in Asia, it’s about her face and how pure and fine her skin is.”

韓國(guó)化妝品公司愛茉莉(Amorepacific)的市場(chǎng)營(yíng)銷高級(jí)副總裁埃斯特·董(Esther Dong)說，花半小時(shí)護(hù)膚“不奇怪”。該公司的時(shí)光幻彩(Time Response)抗老化保濕霜在美國(guó)很暢銷。“美國(guó)人描述美女全是在說身材，第三或第四句話才提到臉。亞洲人說美女是說她臉龐俊秀、皮膚純凈。”

Such standards are reflective of Korean culture at large. “The culture of South Korea is very much tied with technological advancement and the rapid pace of life,” said Richard You, the deputy general manager for Dr. Jart in the United States. “Everyone has a smartphone, is concerned about their looks, and companies are working around the clock to provide new products. Word gets around quickly regarding what’s working and what’s not.” In Korea, more than one television show is devoted to reviewing new beauty products.

這樣的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)反映了韓國(guó)文化的整體面貌。“韓國(guó)文化與科技進(jìn)步和生活快節(jié)奏緊密相關(guān)，”蒂佳婷美國(guó)區(qū)副總經(jīng)理理查德·劉(Richard You)說，“每個(gè)人都有智能手機(jī)，很在意自己的相貌，化妝品公司夜以繼日地開發(fā)新產(chǎn)品。關(guān)于產(chǎn)品效果的評(píng)價(jià)很快就會(huì)傳開。”在韓國(guó)，不止一個(gè)電視節(jié)目致力于評(píng)價(jià)美容新產(chǎn)品。

Even if American women aren’t likely to massage five different creams into their faces for 30 minutes, they are willing to try new products. Alicia Yoon, the other founder of Peach and Lily, reported that most of its customers are non-Asian and that, month to month, its sales nearly double.

雖然美國(guó)女人不大可能花30分鐘時(shí)間往臉上抹五種面霜，但她們?cè)敢鈬L試新產(chǎn)品。桃子與百合網(wǎng)店的另一位創(chuàng)始人艾莉西婭·尹(Alicia Yoon)說，該網(wǎng)店的大部分顧客不是亞洲人，而且銷量幾乎在逐月翻倍。

“The appetite is huge,” said Priya Venkatesh, who oversees the merchandising of products with Korean roots at Sephora. And not just for Korean brands. Korean-inspired masks and essences from Dior, Shiseido and SK-II are emerging as popular, she said.

普里亞·凡卡泰斯(Priya Venkatesh)在絲芙蘭公司負(fù)責(zé)與韓國(guó)有關(guān)的美容產(chǎn)品的促銷活動(dòng)。她說，“顧客們很感興趣”，而且不只是對(duì)韓國(guó)品牌，迪奧、資生堂和SK-II等品牌受韓國(guó)美容產(chǎn)品啟發(fā)開發(fā)的面膜和精華液也開始流行。

American companies are also hoping to strike a chord with similar products. Peter Thomas Roth, a skin-care line in New York, makes a CC cream (a lighter sibling to the BB cream) in South Korea. Its answer to the Korean essence, a step between cleansing and treatment, is its Un-Wrinkle Turbo Line Smoothing Lotion. It also has a sleeping mask (a concentrated mask you wear overnight) and an oil-like product made from squalene, which comes from sugar cane and has long been popular in Asia.

美國(guó)化妝品公司也希望用類似的產(chǎn)品打動(dòng)顧客。紐約護(hù)膚品牌彼得羅夫(Peter Thomas Roth)在韓國(guó)生產(chǎn)CC霜(一款比BB霜清淡的姐妹產(chǎn)品)。它的精純勝肽精華(Un-Wrinkle Turbo Line Smoothing Lotion)是一款與韓國(guó)的精華液(清潔和護(hù)膚之間的一個(gè)步驟)類似的產(chǎn)品。它也有睡眠面膜(可以敷著入睡的濃縮面膜)，還有一款用鯊烯做的卸妝油，這種從甘蔗中提取出來的鯊烯在亞洲流行已久。

For sure, there is an exoticism to Korean ingredients, with products like LadyKin Vanpir Dark Repair Cream (which touts Red Dragon Blood Resin Extract) and Mizon Returning Starfish Cream (with 70 percent starfish extract). Alpha-hydroxy acid-based peeling foot masks that remove layers of dead skin have been gaining followers here, the most popular being Baby Foot. (Best not to Google the product. Eeew.)

毫無疑問，韓國(guó)護(hù)膚品的成分具有異國(guó)情調(diào)，比如LadyKin吸血鬼暗黑復(fù)活面霜(LadyKin Vanpir Dark Repair Cream，含有紅龍木樹脂提取液)和謎之芬海星再生面霜(Mizon Returning Starfish Cream，含有70%的海星萃取物)。果酸去死皮足膜在美國(guó)也被追捧，最流行的是寶貝腳(Baby Foot)牌的(最好別去谷歌上搜索這種產(chǎn)品。呃!)。

So pronounced is the interest in Korean products among Refinery29 readers that Ms. McIntyre recently hired Joyce Kong, a Korean-American writer in Seoul, as its Korean beauty correspondent.

Refinery29網(wǎng)站的讀者們對(duì)韓國(guó)護(hù)膚品的興趣非常明顯，所以麥金太爾最近聘用首爾的韓裔美國(guó)作家喬伊斯·孔(Joyce Kong)擔(dān)任韓國(guó)美容記者。

“Every month there’s something new, so much of my job is to figure out, is this a fad or something that’s going to be a real trend?” Ms. Kong said. “There has been snail cream and snake venom lotion. Right now donkey milk is a thing.”

“每個(gè)月都有新產(chǎn)品，我的工作很大一部分是弄清楚某種新產(chǎn)品只是一時(shí)流行還是會(huì)成為真正的潮流，”孔說，“曾有過蝸牛霜和蛇毒液?，F(xiàn)在新出現(xiàn)的是驢奶。”

A contender for the next blockbuster is the single-use sheet mask, a piece of thin paper or fabric coated in active ingredients. “Say my skin routine focuses on hydrating and firming,” Ms. Yoon said, “but I’ve been tired so I want something to promote an inner glow. That’s where a mask comes in.”

下一個(gè)熱門可能是一次性薄片面膜，就是一片涂有活性成分的薄紙或薄布。“比如，我平常護(hù)膚主要是補(bǔ)水和緊致，”尹說，“但我感到疲倦，想提升皮膚的內(nèi)在光彩。這時(shí)就需要面膜。”

In Korea, these are already ubiquitous. “You walk into any drugstore and there are walls filled with sheet masks that cost anywhere from $1 to $10,” Ms. Kim said. “They’re very much part of the routine over there.”

在韓國(guó)，這些已經(jīng)非常普遍。“你走進(jìn)任何一家化妝品商店，都能看見墻上擺滿薄片面膜，售價(jià)從1美元到10美元不等，”金說，“在韓國(guó)，面膜幾乎是必用的。”