Rosé, a member of the K-pop group Blackpink, posted her selfies on Instagram. There is one element in common about her makeup in the two pictures: neon eyeliner. Rosé stuck eyeliner stickers from Simihaze Beauty, a celebrity beauty brand launched by beauty icons Simi and Haze Khadra, on her eyelids. Korean rapper Jay Park established his liquor manufacturer and introduced its first product “Won Soju” to the market in February this year. The pop-up store was set up to celebrate the release of Won Soju for a week. During that period, 20,000 bottles of initial quantity were sold out despite its price being several times higher than ordinary soju.

It has become a trend for celebrities to launch their own brands, ranging from cosmetics to clothing to alcohol. Why are celebrities creating their own brands? Above all, it is easier for celebrities to start a business using their fame. Celebrities with many followers can promote their products without spending a lot of money on marketing. Celebrities have connections with their fans and understand their needs to find effective ways to satisfy them. Therefore, based on their high understanding of products and industries, celebrities want to manage their own brands with the help of experts. In Korea, many beauty YouTubers would co-develop cosmetics with brands. Their subscribers believe in the honesty and expertise of YouTubers they have seen in YouTube videos and purchase collaboration products.

Why do people consume celebrity brands? People are curious about brands that contain celebrities’ stories and philosophies. The public has kept their eyes on celebrities and could not help but be interested in the brands they launched. Roh Hyun-seo (Freshman, Dept. of English Language and Literature) said, “People unconsciously trust celebrities who have a high degree of public awareness. In addition, people desire to catch up with trends by consuming products made by celebrities who set the trend. The synergy between these two factors has driven celebrity brands’ success.” If you have ever bought celebrity brand products, why did you buy them? If you are going to buy a product from a celebrity brand, which brand would you choose? Here are some brands that have engaged consumers with their own philosophies and stories.

By Gim Ye-rin, Tribune Reporter