Increase in Trademark Applications for 'K-Beauty' Cosmetics... Oldest Trademark is 'Taepyeongyang' Established 61 Years Ago

The first cosmetics-related trademark in Korea was "Bakgabun (朴家粉)," registered in 1920. However, as the product disappeared from the market in 1937, the trademark is no longer maintained. Since then, the "Taepyeongyang (太平洋)" trademark, registered in 1955, has been continuously maintained and remains the oldest existing cosmetics-related trademark in Korea. The photo shows an advertisement for the "Bakgabun" product published in the Dong-A Ilbo in 1923. Photo by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] As the demand base for K-beauty has expanded, it is analyzed that trademark applications in the domestic cosmetics industry are also becoming more active.

According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office on the 27th, trademark applications in the domestic cosmetics industry increased by about 39.6% over five years, from 15,017 cases in 2014 to 20,956 cases in 2019.

During the same period, companies with many trademark applications in cosmetics included LG Household & Health Care (4,698 cases) and Amorepacific Corporation (2,391 cases). Additionally, road shop brands such as The Face Shop (975 cases), Missha (758 cases), and Tony Moly (716 cases) were also included among the companies with multiple trademark applications.

Above all, LG Household & Health Care and Amorepacific showed an active stance in trademark applications, ranking first (7,015 cases) and third (3,564 cases) respectively in the total number of trademark applications beyond just cosmetics.

However, in the status of cosmetics trademark applications by applicants, the share of large corporations decreased from 11.8% in 2015 to 5.8% in 2019, while the share of small and medium-sized enterprises increased from 34.5% to 39.2%, and individuals increased from 34.1% to 37.1%, highlighting a notable rise in trademark applications by SMEs and individuals.

This is interpreted as being due to the activation of cosmetics distribution through online channels and the relatively easier market entry for small and venture companies and individual entrepreneurs into the cosmetics market through OEM and ODM contract manufacturing without their own production facilities compared to the past.

Also, as demand for non-face-to-face online shopping increased, various brands were exposed to consumers through hashtags and keyword searches, and word of mouth spread quickly through blog reviews, enabling high-quality emerging brands to gain popularity in a short period, which was a key factor.

In particular, the K-pop craze appears to have acted as a favorable wind for K-beauty brands as well. For example, Company A, which featured BTS, the K-pop idol group representing Korea, as its model, set a rare record by selling out its mask pack product within three hours of release.

Meanwhile, the Korean Intellectual Property Office cites ‘太平洋 (Taepyeongyang)’ as the oldest existing trademark related to cosmetics in the domestic cosmetics industry. This trademark was registered in 1959 and has maintained its trademark status for 61 years.

Prior to this, the trademark ‘박가분 (Park Gabun)’ was first registered in the domestic cosmetics industry in 1920, but it is reported that the product disappeared in 1937 due to quality issues caused by harmful ingredients and the emergence of similar and counterfeit products.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.