최초입력 2025.02.07 14:53:11
As K-beauty continues to thrive globally, Amorepacific’s Innisfree and iFamilySC’s Rom&nd emerged as the most beloved brands among consumers last year.
The two brands gained significant recognition from South Korea’s discerning consumers, reinforcing their influence on global beauty trends. At the K-Beauty Icon Awards 2025 held on Wednesday at the Maekyung Media Group headquarters in Seoul, Innisfree won the top prize in the skincare category, while Rom&nd was awarded in the makeup category.
This inaugural awards program was established to spotlight and celebrate the achievements of K-beauty brands competing on the global stage. The awards recognize the top three most talked-about brands in both the skincare and makeup categories, honoring a total of six brands. Hosted jointly by Maeil Business Newspaper and AI-based big data analytics firm Newen AI, with support from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the selection process was based on online mentions, reflecting the importance of viral marketing in the beauty industry.
Newen AI first identified the top-selling beauty brands across major domestic retailers before narrowing the list to 500 brands with significant online presence. A total of 1.08 million valid mentions were analyzed, filtering out advertisements to focus solely on organic consumer reviews.
Innisfree, a flagship skincare brand under Amorepacific, won the top prize in the skincare category with 13,115 mentions. Launched in 2000, the brand is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Once a dominant player in South Korea’s first-generation road shop boom, Innisfree peaked in 2016 with global sales reaching 1 trillion won ($691 million) before experiencing a slowdown. However, the brand has seen a resurgence following strategic downsizing of its offline presence and a bold rebranding effort.
Among Innisfree’s most mentioned products last year was the Retinol Cica Repair Ampoule with 2,524 mentions, praised for its anti-aging benefits and moisturizing effects. Another standout was the Green Tea Hyaluronic Acid Cream, which gained viral attention after Seventeen’s Mingyu, an Innisfree ambassador, appeared in three promotional videos that collectively garnered 7.32 million views.
In the makeup category, Rom&nd took the top prize with 54,276 mentions. Established by iFamilySC in 2016, the brand skyrocketed to fame with its Juicy Lasting Tint in 2017 and has since cemented its status as a leading K-beauty makeup brand.
Rom&nd’s renewed version of Juicy Lasting Tint, launched in November, was a blockbuster hit, generating 1 billion won in sales on its first day of pre-release at Olive Young and ranking No. 1 in the makeup category for 25 consecutive days. The product sold over 620,000 units during this period—an average of one sold every three seconds. Online buzz surrounding the new shades and packaging design contributed to 16,037 mentions, the highest for any single makeup product last year.
The top excellence awards in the skincare category went to VT Cosmetics and Mediheal. VT Cosmetics’ Reedle Shot had the highest mentions for a single skincare product (6,033 mentions), gaining popularity for offering dermatological treatment-like results at home at an affordable price. Meanwhile, Mediheal, a flagship skincare brand of L&P Cosmetic, saw a surge in mentions thanks to promotional sales at Olive Young and its collaboration with virtual idol Plave, which included limited-edition merchandise. Mediheal’s Derma Modeling Pack, designed for professional-grade skincare at home, was the brand’s most talked-about product with 1,887 mentions.
The makeup category’s top excellence awards went to Etude and WakeMake. Amorepacific’s Etude saw 3,594 mentions, largely driven by the popularity of its Curl Fix Mascara and its collaboration with K-pop group Riize, which included collectible photocard giveaways. The brand also capitalized on the Y2K trend by re-releasing discontinued bestsellers. WakeMake, known for its eye palettes, attracted attention with innovative formulas and trend-driven shades. The brand gained traction early in the year with dark, smoky makeup tutorials featuring shades like Black and Bone Dark, followed by increased mentions in spring and summer with vibrant palettes like Lime Crush and Blue Sand. The Soft Blurring Eye Palette recorded the highest mentions among WakeMake’s products, with 3,723 mentions.