The Western beauty market has found its next big K-beauty investment: hair care . For decades, American consumers have been enamored with Korea's ingredients-led skin-care products and aesthetic treatments. According to a report released by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in May, Korea’s cosmetics exports reached $11.4 billion in 2025 , a 11.8% jump from a year earlier. Korea is the world’s second-largest cosmetics exporter after France, with the U.S. as its largest destination. Similar to its skin-care counterpart, K-hair is heavily ingredient- and treatment-driven, with a popular focus on scalp health and "glass hair" (a sleek, super-straight hairstyle with a high-gloss finish). Major retailers are betting big on the category this year: Ulta Beauty added 13 brands to its assortment, six of which are available in-store; while Sephora is rolling out four brands, in addition to an ongoing partnership with K-beauty retailer Olive Young (which just opened i...
Before diving into the fast-paced world of beauty entrepreneurship, Alexandra Spunt and Franchesca Hashim met as co-workers at Everlane. Spunt, the "sustainable" fashion brand's co-founder, and Hashim, who headed its marketing team, bonded over "clean" skin-care discussions and identified a gap in the sun-care market for mineral SPF that was actually enjoyable to use. "Alex and I weren't necessarily itching to become entrepreneurs," Hashim tells Fashionista. "It just started from a conversation that would not end where we were like, 'Why is [mineral sunscreen] so bad? Why can't I find something? Why do I, being a Black woman, have to make a sacrifice to get a 'cleaner' product?'" With the shared goal of revamping the mineral sun-care category, the duo officially launched Good Weather Skin in 2025. After all, their bond transcended Everlane's walls: "We were this two-headed monster and we knew that we would...