With the growing number of “grooming people” who invest generously in fashion and beauty, male heart is emerging as a keyword in the retail industry, including beauty, fashion, and jewelry. Major domestic and foreign brands have reorganized their store composition and product lineups targeting the grooming people who want to express themselves through cosmetics, clothes, and jewelry. In particular, as men’s department store sales are higher than women’s, the number of fashion and jewelry stores targeting men is also expanding. In the beauty sector, men who used to use only skin or lotion in the past are showing detailed consumption patterns according to their skin types and tastes. According to Euromonitor, a global data analysis company, the domestic grooming market is expected to grow from 760 million dollars in 2020 to 870 million dollars in 2030. In response, the beauty platform Olive Young opened the “Hongdae Playground Store” in Mapo-gu, Seoul, in June last year, which created the “Men’s Edith Zone,” a 100-pyeong men’s specialized space. Last month, it also introduced a new “Men’s Edith Theme Hall” for male customers in online malls and mobile apps. According to Olive Young, the number of male members increased 25% year-on-year as of February this year, and online purchases increased 27.6% during the same period.
The cosmetics industry is also expanding its exclusive line. Last year, AmorePacific introduced its men’s styling brand Prep by Beready in Daiso, while LG Household & Health Care introduced its men’s beauty line Bonin RX.
Major Korean department stores are reshaping men’s views, which used to be the focus of suits, into trendy and unique brands. In May last year, Lotte Department Store increased the proportion of contemporary and casual products, meaning reasonable luxury, to 20 percent at its men’s fashion hall in Seoul’s Songpa district. As a result, men’s contemporary sales jumped 20 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year.
The number of men’s luxury brands is also on the rise. Shinsegae Department Store has expanded its sixth-floor men’s luxury goods store in Gangnam to its new building in 2024, and has introduced Celine and Loebe men. In the same year, Hyundai Department Store also introduced men’s stores from global luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton Men’s and Prada Men’s to major stores including The Hyundai Seoul.
As male customers’ interest in luxury goods increases, sales growth is outpacing female customers. Shinsegae Department Store saw its men’s fashion sales increase by 5.7 percent in 2025, exceeding that of women (4.8 percent), while Hyundai Department Store also saw its men’s fashion sales increase by 7.9 percent during the same period, higher than that of women (5.1 percent). Recently, men are emerging as new consumers in the jewelry consumption market. In response, French high-jewelry brand Fred has been selling men’s necklaces and bracelets since its launch of BTS jeans in 2024. “As the culture of exercise and self-management spreads, men are also moving beyond simple management to consumption to express themselves,” said Lee Jong-woo, a professor of distribution marketing at Seoul National University. “The repeated exposure of styles such as K-pop idols to SNS has led to an increase in consumption that imitates them.”
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
