The secret to Korean-style beauty will be unlocked next month when the curtain is raised on the 2013 Cosmetics & Beauty Expo in Osong, North Chungcheong Province.

Up to 2,000 buyers from 300 companies are to participate during the 24-day exhibition from May 3-26, with 1 million people expected to attend, the event organizers said.

The event, the first of its kind, is designed to showcase how much Korean cosmetics makers have advanced, along with offering a stage for other global cosmetics manufacturers a chance to strut their stuff. 

“North Chungcheong Province will open a new era in the cosmetics and beauty industry,” said Lee Si-jong, the governor of the province. “I believe it was therefore a most well-guided decision to jump into the cosmetics exhibition market at this point when all over the region, competition is heating up over who will take the lead.”

The event is being jointly hosted by the City of Cheongju and Chungwon District of North Chungcheong Province, with the support of the Korea Food and Drug Administration.

Lee said the event would not only let the world know how advanced Korea’s cosmetics industries have become and guide them to their rightful international buyers, but was designed to put Osong at the center of the Korean cosmetics market that is based on both advanced research and development, and avid sales strategies. 

The province also has plans for laying the foundation for turning Osong into a place where training and education for beauty and cosmetics experts can begin.

Another objective that the expo fulfills is in sync with the Park Geun-hye government’s drive to ensure that smaller enterprises are not ignored or discriminated against amid their competition with their bigger counterparts.

This is because the expo is focused on introducing many of the smaller but competent cosmetics makers who have been striving to nab a place in the market that is still largely dominated by the conglomerates or their affiliates.

Technology will also play a part, as the expo organizers are determined to show how Korea, known for its advanced technology, is applying such skills to the advancement of cosmetics.

Osong is the perfect venue for such events since it’s home to the nation’s sole bioindustrial cluster, known as the Osong Life Science Cluster, and is respected for its expertise and focus in these fields. 


The five zones of beauty

The expo will consist of five different purpose-specific zones: the Welcoming Site, the Themed Site, the Industry Site, the Experience Site and the Communication Site.

Once inside the Welcome Site, the “Five Brothers and Sisters of Osong,” the official characters of the event, welcome anyone who has decided to take part in the event.

Then the visitors can move on to the themed site, where different pavilions are situated to offer a history of cosmetics and their future, and also showcase the companies.

The World Beauty Pavilion, for example, exhibits a history of cosmetics shown via beautiful people chosen from the eastern and western worlds.

Spectators are expected to stop in their tracks when they come upon the breathtaking three-dimensional images of the secret makeup techniques used by famous Korean beauties of the past, such as Hwang Jin-i, Shin Saimdang and Queen Inhyeon.

Through this stroll down memory lane, organizers assure that visitors will be given a chance to trace back to how and why Korean beauty has become so popular of late.

In the following Beauty Innovation Pavilion, visitors will take a ride into the future with the cutting-edge bio and science technologies introduced for slowing the aging process.

In the Industry Site, there will be pavilions where cosmetics makers will be exhibiting their major projects, and also the Beauty Industry Pavilion, where manufacturers of beauty supplies from all over the world will display their goods.

By Kim Ji-hyun  (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)