The Korean beauty industry has settled well within the Western beauty market. In the last few years, its popularity has grown significantly and will likely be a powerhouse in the beauty industry for years to come. With K-beauty’s dominance certain, many within the industry have begun wondering what might compete with it in the near future. While much is still uncertain, Arab beauty may be the next pick.
Middle Eastern beauty standards have had popularity in the past, but have continued to struggle under stereotypes and Orientalism within Western pop culture. In the modern era, where Orientalism within pop culture is being scrutinized through ongoing conversations online and in academic spaces, many within the Arab world have been gradually given space to express their diverse culture in their own terms.
This has led to wondrous milestones of Arab creators in the beauty and fashion scenes to get their spotlight, leading to a growing interest within social media. Much of the influence of the current Arab beauty industry is through fragrances. Unlike K-beauty, fragrances have been a longstanding exported product within A-beauty that goes past even the 20th century. It is that historical edge that A-beauty could draw on to reach Western consumers, but there are still many roadblocks that could halt that progress.
A-beauty lacks the influence that Korean entertainment gave to K-beauty. K-dramas, manhwa (Korean comics), and K-pop generated a massive amount of interest in Korean culture among young people. There would need to be a similar lengthy effort from countries within the Arab world for a chance of A-beauty’s success within the Western world. Sadly, that is made much harder with the ongoing political landscape between the two regions. Luckily, with how positively younger people view the Arab world than in previous generations, there is a chance for success.
