The New Paper - 30 Nov 2004 Look who is plugging cosmetics IT'S usually the pretty girls who hog the cosmetics ads. But Korea's pretty boys are smiling their way into beauty posters too. Stop by Parco Bugis Junction's newly opened Beauty Hall and you'll find posters of Korean heart-throbs Won Bin and Kwon Sang Woo plastered on the walls of two adjacent cosmetics shops. Won Bin is the spokesman for Missha and Sang Woo for The Face Shop. But they are not the first men to endorse cosmetics. Two years ago, Korean soccer hero Ahn Jung Hwan made history by plugging Somang Cosmetics' first foundation-cum-sunscreen for men, Color Lotion. Backed by a lavish advertising campaign, the product chalked up US$4 million ($6.5m) in sales in the first six months, much to the surprise of its manufacturer. Sunshine boy Kim Jae Won has since joined him in the ads for Color Lotion, which is available here at Sasa outlets. But, why men? Isn't makeup effeminate to begin with, and typically frowned upon by the macho gang? Surprisingly, Korea's men are reportedly lapping up makeup faster than we can say metrosexual. And we're talking about average Joes, not celebrities. Market research has shown that men's makeup appeals most to middle-aged businessmen. A firm believer of makeup for men is Mr Yu Sang Ok, 70, chairman of a leading beauty manufacturer in Korea, Coreana Cosmetics. In his autobiography, The CEO Who Wears Make-up, he asked: 'Why shouldn't men want to look beautiful and take care of their skin? 'Especially as they grow older, they have to wear makeup if they don't want to look shabby.' The obvious reason to use Korean male celebrities for cosmetics, and not just male-oriented makeup, is that they appeal to the young women who buy them. Ms Lisa Jeong, who launched Missha at Bugis, said: 'Won Bin is handsome, and he attracts young girls.' Over at The Face Shop, many eager fans of Sang Woo have also swamped the outlet to ogle at his posters. The Face Shop owner, Ms Doreen Kho, recalled how some excited customers whipped out their handphones to call their mothers on the spot to rave about Sang Woo's posters. 'In the next few days, they would bring their mums down. We're very impressed that mum and daughter share the same interest in Kwon Sang Woo.' Ms Kho emphasised that Sang Woo was picked as the first spokesman for The Face Shop because he embodies the spirit of the brand. CHARM 'Our image is very clean-cut and sincere, and he has that image too,' she said. 'He's not gorgeous, but he's got a boyish charm.' Missha started as an online cosmetics store in 2001, before launching its first outlet in Seoul in 2002. Now, it has more than 250 stores in Korea, one in Sydney and one here. It offers colour cosmetics as well as products for skin, body and hair, with prices for its products capped at $8. Won Bin is its first male spokesman, replacing K-pop star BoA. The Face Shop has 170 outlets in Korea and also in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and here. It offers in-house skincare, bodycare and haircare products, priced between $2.50 and $20. Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.