Competition among beauty brands is intensifying to capture "grooming-conscious" soldiers within the South Korean military, with the rivalry now extending beyond offline military marts (PX) to WA Mall, an online shopping platform exclusive to service members.
The Korea Military Welfare Service is recruiting general merchandise vendors for WA Mall through May 5, with applications open in the food and beauty categories, according to the distribution industry on Monday. The agency plans to complete eligibility screening and select final vendors in early June.
The beauty industry is showing particular interest ahead of the recruitment. Brands expect a powerful "lock-in" effect, as the trust and recognition built within the military often carry over into civilian life after discharge.
In recent years, beauty brands that gained word-of-mouth popularity at PX outlets have grown rapidly. Brand awareness has risen organically as soldiers purchase products for personal use or give them as gifts to family and friends during leave or after discharge. Interest has grown to the point that "PX recommendation" content, complete with ratings, is widely shared on online communities and social media.
A representative example is Dr.G, a brand from Gowoonsesang Cosmetics. After entering PX outlets in 2016, Dr.G established itself as a "PX must-have" among soldiers, led by products such as its Black Snail Cream. As male soldiers' interest in skincare grew, Amorepacific's Innisfree also joined the competition by entering military marts in 2021.
This year, the range of products in the military beauty market is diversifying. Beautyskin, a first-generation K-beauty company, began selling sleeping pack series from Cha AI Healthcare (formerly Jayjun Cosmetic) at military marts and off-base stores nationwide starting in January. More recently, the beauty device brand Juvera also succeeded in entering PX outlets with its "Triple Vibration Cleanser," expanding the lineup beyond basic cosmetics.
The industry sees soldiers' consumption patterns as having shifted from the past. Beyond simple cleansing products, demand is growing for sun care, blemish care, functional creams, and deep cleansing products.
"Soldiers are now meticulous about sun care as well as functional creams, blemish care, and deep cleansing," a distribution industry official said. "That's why both the easily accessible offline PX and WA Mall, which allows convenient online shopping, have become new battlegrounds for the beauty industry."
