Here's just a few things that Sephora and Ulta should really be doing:

Cut the Asian beauty inspired crap.

I'm pointing the finger at Sephora more or less, with it's "K-beauty skincare", and "Asian Beauty" routines which just seems like a new angle to market mediocre, mid-performance prestige products to consumers.  

Instead, both stores should stock actual products from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China and other areas, and market it as "beauty from abroad".  It could be products are known but maybe harder to come across online (L'herboflore masks); well known products that might able to be sold in Sephora and Ulta (Etude House, Holika Holika, Peripera, etc) or a mixture. Just a thought: since princes themed brand Too Faced does pretty well, why not add Etude House to the mix?




While the markup on prices might be high, it would be nice to see more than a few smatterings of random Tony Moly products and some US-only Leaders masks, when both stores can offer actual products in store and online, and can be a true representation of a AB centric routine that many of us have.

A large portion of products that Sephora has under its AB Skin care section likely aren't the best products, are overpriced as its other items are at similar price points and are not the best combination either.  Since Sephora includes  the Dr Jart+ ceramidin cream, where are the sunscreens in their list of a "K-beauty skin care" routine--a coveted part of our own routines? Or how the reviews on Shiseido's


Ulta is no better of course. While Ulta hasn't really marketed an "AB" centric routine at its stores at this time, or online, it does offer select TonyMoly products online and in store--basically whatever Sephora doesn't sell of the Tony Moly--but selection is still very random... (some $8 snail eye hydrogel patches and I'm real masks at $3.75 ea, but only tea tree and aloe and one lonely Dream Panda eye cooling stick, priced at $12...)

Both stores, particular Sephora, has seemly jumped on the bandwagon of this discovery of a "trend" but truly, it is not.  AB and an AB-centric routine is more of a mindset; a method of self care and self love.  It doesn't really matter collectively how expensive your products are, but how it matches with your skin and body chemistry to help you better your skin. If it does, then you're a show-off, and an ass.

My main point is that Sephora and Ulta have the upper hand: they can be selling and marketing makeup and skincare products from not only throughout Asia, but from Australia and New Zealand, from Canada and from Europe to its American customers, and directly compete with Amazon or ebay.  It gives both stores a chance to be the one to share other beauty products to customers, and give the experience that beauty is for everyone, and someone else (another country) has something more to share.


Cut out "Asian inspired" brands; stop inclusion of them in "K-beauty" themed articles.

I don't mean not use them, but instead stop marketing them as a Korean or Japanese when they are not; using some Korean or Japanese ingredients and methods does not make it a Korean or Japanese product if its still manufactured in California or New York, with solely English on its packaging and is sold in Sephora. Slapping on a random, half-assed kanji doesn't make a product Japanese either. Especially if the product isn't even sold in Korean or Japan (but a native version at a cheaper, readily available price point, exists).

A key example of this is TATCHA, a Japanese "inspired" brand, based in the US. As detailed on their homepage, founder Victoria Tsai was supposedly inspired by Geisha beauty methods while traveling through Kyoto, on a trip and thus, her motivation and muse for creating the brand.  However, while TATCHA is manufactured in Japan, with some minor googling, it seems that TATCHA is not sold in Japan and can only be purchased through TATCHA's website or on Sephora, where it's marketed among its other prestige products towards a US-based audience.

Allure.com makes the mistake os including a TATCHA product in its "13 Japanese Beauty Products That Will Change Your Routine Forever" clickbait type article. It's the second-to-last product (#13) but it is not a Japanese product, unlike the other products mentioned!



There isn't a good way to wrap all this up but to open it up for further discussion.  Sephora and Ulta--even Birchbox--need to soften their marketing strategies and stop jumping on bandwagons just to gain a share of interest or profit from customers. They each need to be true in their claims, and offer actual, real Korean and Japanese products, not ones that have some buzz online but aren't truly popular.