HISTORY

The 5th

Korea YouTuber’s Awards 2023

To mark the 5th Korea YouTuber’s Awards, the first large-scale offline awards ceremony and pop-up exhibition was held over three days. Approximately 1,700 beauty enthusiasts, including beauty industry professionals, brand representatives, and Korea’s top beauty YouTube creators, gathered to turn Garosu-gil, Sinsa-dong, into a vibrant beauty festival.

The awards ceremony was hosted by actress and model Jang Yoon-ju, with notable figures such as Cho Yong-min, Managing Director of Google Korea, and top beauty creators LeoJ and Minsco participating in the awards presentation, further enhancing the prestige of the event. Starting with an awards ceremony featuring over 50 winning brands, the event also included diverse programs such as a beauty YouTube big data insights seminar, open live commerce sessions, top beauty creator fan meetings, and product showcase events.

Based on the analysis of 216,042 brand and product recommendations from 26,415 voluntarily uploaded recommendation videos by 1,381 Korean beauty creators in 2023, the comprehensive makeup category was awarded to “CLIO,” while “NUMBUZIN” took the top spot in the skincare category. Both brands delivered their honorable acceptance speeches amidst applause and congratulations from Korea’s beauty creators.

The Korea YouTuber’s Awards is recognized as one of the most authoritative awards in the cosmetics industry, reflecting consumer popularity and engagement with the utmost objectivity. Each year, it provides insights into the trends and dynamics of the beauty industry. With the success of its first large-scale offline awards ceremony, the event took a significant step toward becoming an international convention to showcase the achievements of K-beauty to the world.

Korea YouTuber’s Awards 2023 Semi

The Korea YouTuber’s Awards 2023 Semi Awards was held as a spin-off to recognize and encourage the contributions of more brands and products through the broader standard of “Top 1%,” unlike previous awards, which only honored the top 1st to 3rd places. From January to December 2022, a full analysis was conducted on 25,070 beauty review contents created by 1,483 beauty YouTubers in Korea, resulting in the selection of 68 products that ranked in the top 1% based on the number of reviews across 51 categories.

The most competitive product category in the Semi Awards was “Essences/Ampoules/Serums,” with 1,618 products vying for recognition. The brand “NUMBUZIN” emerged as the most loved skincare brand among beauty YouTubers, achieving five award-winning products. In makeup, “dasique” secured five awards, solidifying its position as a leading color cosmetics brand. Following dasique, brands like “CLIO,” “BBIA,” “LAKA,” and “hince” were also recognized as part of the top 1% in their respective categories.

The 4th

Korea YouTuber’s Awards 2022

The Korea YouTuber’s Awards 2022 witnessed intense competition, with the average competition rate per category increasing more than fivefold.

Leferi Data Lab conducted a comprehensive analysis of 19,291 non-sponsored content pieces voluntarily uploaded by 1,262 beauty YouTubers in Korea from January to December 2021. Out of a total of 4,221 brands and 24,510 products, only the top 0.1%—6 brands and 51 products—were selected.

In the Brand Categories, “d’Alba” claimed the top honor in the overall skincare category, while “Dasique” secured first place in the overall makeup category. Notably, the “Skincare” category recorded the highest competition rate in 2022, with 2,031 to 1. “d’Alba,” which ranked first in the overall skincare category, achieved a remarkable 270% increase in recommendations by beauty creators compared to the previous year. It also won awards in the <Cleansing oil>, <Essence/Ampoule/Serum>, and <Sunscreen> categories, earning the distinction of being a four-time winner.

The 3rd

Korea YouTuber’s Awards Rising 2021

Amid the significant changes in the cosmetics market due to the impact of COVID-19, the Korea YouTuber’s Awards Rising 2021 was launched to identify and celebrate “Rising Star” brands and products that have achieved remarkable growth by quickly responding to the changing needs and trends of consumers in the challenging beauty market. This newly established category, introduced in collaboration with JTBC PLUS Magazine, aims to foster the continuous development of brands expected to grow further this year. It recognizes brands and products that gained more recommendations and support from beauty creators on YouTube in 2020 compared to the previous year, 2019, supporting their active role as motivators for the beauty industry.

From January to December 2020, Leferi Data Lab conducted a comprehensive analysis of 14,062 non-sponsored content pieces voluntarily uploaded by 882 beauty YouTubers in Korea. Out of 2,898 brands and 16,953 products, only 43 brands and products were selected, overcoming an average competition rate of 412 to 1.

Notably, the intense competition among skincare products, fueled by the ongoing impact of COVID-19, highlighted the overwhelming growth of the emerging brand “NUMBUZIN.” Despite prolonged mask-wearing, “HERA” claimed the top spot in the overall rankings, “PERIPERA” secured first place in the makeup category, and “ROM&ND” took first place in both the lipstick and lip tint categories, reaffirming its position as a dominant force in the makeup market.

The 2nd

Korea YouTuber’s Awards 2020

The Korea YouTuber’s Awards 2020 expanded to include 10 award categories compared to the previous year, with the final winning brands and products selected after intense competition, reaching up to a 935:1 ratio. In just its second year, it has established itself as Korea’s first beauty awards that recognize beauty brands and products with the strongest public support on YouTube, recording exceptionally high competition rates.

From January to June 2020, an analysis was conducted on 5,516 non-sponsored content pieces uploaded by 691 Korean beauty YouTubers. Among 2,072 domestic and international beauty brands and 12,462 products, only the top 0.2% earned the honor of winning. Notably, “COSRX,” which ranked first in the skincare category, maintained its position as the strongest skincare brand by achieving the highest competition rate of 815:1 for the second consecutive year. Additionally, “ETUDE” won the overall first-place award, proving its dominance across makeup and skincare as the most influential and talked-about brand on YouTube.

The 1st

Korea YouTuber's Awards 2019

In the film industry, there is the Cannes Film Festival; in the design world, the Red Dot Award; and in fashion, Paris Fashion Week. Is there any truly authoritative awards or convention in the beauty industry? This question led to the establishment of the Korea YouTuber’s Awards in the same year Leferi Data Lab, a corporate-affiliated research institute certified by the Ministry of Science and ICT, was founded. From January 1 to December 31, 2019, a thorough analysis of 10,471 non-sponsored content pieces uploaded by 879 Korean beauty YouTubers was conducted. The awards evaluated various factors such as the frequency of recommendations and subscriber engagement to select the winning brands and products. By focusing solely on voluntary product review content instead of promotional videos, the awards ensured credibility in its selections. This fair, recommendation-based selection process, combined with the acknowledgment of public support on YouTube, the most powerful media channel of the millennial era drew significant attention from the beauty industry, marking the emergence of a groundbreaking awards program.