Gloss Angeles Podcast Summary

Episode: Why Korean Beauty is Always Ahead (With the Lipstick Lesbians)
Date: August 22, 2025
Hosts: Kirbie Johnson & Sara Tan
Guests: Alexis Androulakis & Christina (The Lipstick Lesbians)

Overview

This episode dives deep into the enduring influence, evolution, and innovative edge of Korean beauty (K-Beauty) in the global beauty industry. Hosts Kirbie and Sara are joined by Alexis and Christina, aka The Lipstick Lesbians—industry insiders and product development experts—to discuss why K-Beauty is always a step ahead, how it impacts Western markets, the cycles of K-Beauty trends (“waves”), and what the next phase might look like amid global changes and technological advances.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Reclaiming the "Lipstick Lesbians" Brand

• Alexis and Christina share how they've trademarked the term "Lipstick Lesbians" and reclaimed its visibility in the beauty space.
  • "Now you Google like ‘lipstick lesbians,’ we actually come up." (D, 01:27)

2. K-Beauty Origin Stories: Personal Product Memories

• Each guest and host recalls their first exposure to K-Beauty:
  • Alexis: Discusses being wowed by innovative textures in unbranded supplier samples and shouts out the Amore Pacific cushion as a formative branded experience. (E, 04:32–05:18)
  • Christina: First tried a "putty bouncy blush" recommended by Alexis; highlights the importance of influence in product discovery. (D/E, 05:35–05:56)
  • Sara: Bought into early K-Beauty through fun sheet masks, referencing the role of Soko Glam, Glow Recipe, and KCON. (C, 05:59–06:56)
  • Kirbie: Was most drawn by the 10-step skincare routine, which she learned was more marketing than reality. (B, 07:44–08:16)

3. Understanding the K-Beauty "Waves"

• Wave 1: Curiosity and novelty, rise of sheet masks and BB/CC "alphabet" creams (face masks in Walmart, Dr. Jart, Laneige at Sephora).
  • "Phase one was curiosity, intrigue." (E, 13:54)
• Wave 2: Virality and mass adoption driven by social/digital platforms (specifically TikTok), with compelling visual/texture experiences like COSRX snail mucin and Medicube cleansers.
  • "Phase two for me is virality." (E, 13:54)
• Wave 3 (Future): Integrating AI and globalization, with more crossovers between K-Beauty tech/textures and Western color cosmetics.
  • "I would say we're, like, closing on wave two, but I'm also thinking about wave three, because, like, AI." (E, 04:14)

4. What K-Beauty Does Better

• Texture Innovation: Korean brands are leaders in developing unique, sensorial skincare and color products (bouncy, milky, cushiony, etc.).
  • "K Beauty has always pioneered texture in skin." (E, 08:35)
• Ingredient Tech and Fermentation: Heightened focus on advanced formulations (biotech, fermentation) for potency and efficacy.
• Trendsetting in Lip Products: Korea excels at complex lip color formulations (emulsions, stains, glosses).
  • "Korea does amazing what we would call lip emulsions." (E, 10:26)

5. Virality, Social Media, and the Visual Hook

• Product virality is now a key consideration in development, with visual payoff (bounce, texture, transformation) dominating TikTok and Instagram.
  • "The vast majority of [top TikTok Shop] products are Korean beauty products, but they're all giving you a really compelling texture." (E, 16:17)
• Some product developers resist making "virality" the main focus; others embrace it out of necessity.
  • "There's ones that are just like, no, it's all about the virality because that's what sells." (D, 17:21)

6. Redefining Innovation

• The group discusses whether “innovation” is overused and what truly counts as new anymore; many “innovations” are just smart rebranding of K-Beauty staples.
  • "What does that actually mean [innovation]?" (C, 17:35)
  • "The Lip Sleeping Mask from Laneige had virality ... because we'd never heard of a sleeping mask." (B, 17:47)
• Example: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask as a game-changer, both in product concept and viral appeal.

7. Laneige and the Importance of Adaptability

• Laneige is used as a case study for longevity and relevance: being responsive, bringing in new applicators, and creating collectable, aesthetically appealing products keeps them top-of-mind even decades after launch.
  • "Laneige…start out and you're a leader from the gate, it breeds this almost competitive nature in you and your soul." (E, 19:26)

8. Challenges of Cross-Cultural Success

• Not all K-Beauty brands succeed in the U.S. due to cultural and consumer differences; Laneige is credited with setting the blueprint for localizing product and marketing for American audiences.
  • "Not every K beauty brand has translated successfully to this market. No." (E, 21:14)
• Reference to PDRN (salmon sperm) and how trends “export” differently.

9. Glass Skin: Meaning and Misconceptions

• The concept of "glass skin" differs in Korea (celebration of natural skin, humidity-adapted finishes) versus the US (layered, glazed makeup effect); definitions and attainability can be fluid.
  • "Glass skin is a celebration of your skin being the hero of the show." (E, 24:18)

10. Barriers, Body Care, and Category Proliferation

• Barrier repair is key in both facial and body skincare; K-Beauty’s science-forward approach is spreading to body care, though US adoption lags behind.
  • "Your barrier can't be broken. Unhealthy skin is gonna be compromised skin." (E, 25:59–27:06)
• Korean body/hair care brands are starting to emerge in Western markets, e.g., Dr. Groot.

11. Formulation Leadership: Why Korea is Ahead

• Korean brands invest deeply in raw material science and biotech, which enables them to bring true breakthroughs to market earlier.
  • "Korea has a lead in raw material technology ... they can create products that nobody else can create." (E, 29:23)
• The tech trickles down globally as others license or replicate.

12. K-Beauty/Inspiration vs. Authenticity

• "Made in Korea" does not always equal K-Beauty; the group questions what counts as real K-Beauty vs. “K-Beauty inspired” products found in the U.S.
  • "How does one know what is actually K Beauty and what is not?" (B, 32:23)
• Example brands: POV Beauty, Glow Recipe, Violette_FR—each have different relationships to Korean formulation and branding.

13. Color Cosmetic Challenges: Shade Range and Inclusivity

• Even hit Korean products (e.g., tear tear cushion) lag in shade inclusivity and undertone accuracy, but progress is happening as they learn from Western demands.
  • "It is one thing to be shade inclusive and it's another thing to have amazing shades. And that's where we say K Beauty has a long way to go." (E, 38:49)

14. The Coming Wave: AI and the K-Beauty Boom

• AI will play a growing role in customization (shade matching, personalized recommendations) and possibly speed up innovation cycles; also helps address persistent challenges like undertone matching.
  • "Let's have AI be a part of ... our product development life cycle solving true consumer pain points." (D, 41:48)

15. Tariffs and Economic Shifts

• New tariffs on imports could slow the next K-Beauty wave in the U.S., leading to higher prices, less frequent launches, and possible closures; however, Korean brands may still thrive due to local logistics and volume.
  • "We're going to see a lot less launches, really." (E, 42:08)
  • "Brands are literally playing games with spreadsheets right now, assessing how much their profit margin changes and how much their profit then changes." (E, 43:23)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On reclaiming “Lipstick Lesbians”:
  • “We've reclaimed it. Yes. You know, visibility matters.” — Alexis & Christina (D/E, 01:59)
• On the importance of texture:
  • “K Beauty has always pioneered texture in skin.” — Alexis (E, 08:35)
• On virality as a strategy:
  • “This is strategy, baby. It's not even science in the most cases.” — Alexis (E, 16:17)
• On the meaning of glass skin:
  • “Glass skin is a celebration of your skin being the hero of the show… for me, it's about the 85 layers that we put on. That gives us the illusion of a glazed almost like we've put, you know, like we've lacquered our faces.” — Alexis (E, 24:18)
• On innovation trickling down globally:
  • “They can create products nobody else can create, or they can make them first, and then they can sell their technology two years later to another supplier ... you’ll see the innovation trickle down years later.” — Alexis (E, 29:29–30:00)
• On the shade-range challenge:
  • "It is one thing to be shade inclusive and it's another thing to have amazing shades. And that's where we say K Beauty has a long way to go." — Alexis (E, 38:49)
• On upcoming market shifts:
  • "Brands have to be cunning ... almost like lethal to stay relevant. And drop the Baskin Robbins so that everyone is excited again. So we don't forget about the original hero..." — Alexis (E, 44:17)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Lipstick Lesbians intro and branding: 01:06–01:35
• First K-Beauty product experiences: 04:25–06:56
• Defining the K-Beauty waves: 12:39–14:57
• Texture innovation and viral hooks: 08:30–10:26, 16:08–17:34
• What makes Laneige special: 19:21–22:30
• ‘Glass skin’ explained: 22:30–25:12
• Body care and fragrance differences: 27:18–29:12
• Raw materials and why Korea is ahead: 29:22–31:58
• Cross-cultural authenticity and "Made in Korea": 32:06–34:45
• Shade range and K-Beauty’s color expansion: 38:09–40:10
• AI and the future (Wave 3): 40:22–41:53
• Tariffs and economic impact: 41:53–44:52
• Hosts' wrap-up question for listeners: 45:11–45:47

Listener Takeaway / Homework

• Question from Alexis:
  • “Are they… Who's going to be making, like, the K Beauty switch and who's going to stay loyal and tried and true once all these brands drop? ... Do we feel like we want this or do we wanna be more selective with who these retailers are bringing?” (E, 45:11)

Final Thoughts

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in skincare, cosmetic innovation, or the globalization of beauty trends. The guests and hosts deliver nuanced, entertaining insights on how K-Beauty rewrote the rules, why it keeps outpacing Western brands, and some of the pitfalls and complexities ahead as the market rapidly evolves.