Taiwan, Taiwan, what is there not to love about this country?

Merely five hours away, it presents itself to be a vibrant landscape of scenic wonders, city sights, and gourmet delights at a pauper’s budget. As with every tourist’s psyche to cap off the holiday spirit with tangible mementoes, whether to hoard in the drawer or to soften the simmering withdrawal with close relatives and friends, let’s talk about the underrated offerings of Taiwan’s bustling beauty scene.

Why Taiwan?

Since our last visit with Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the influence of Taiwan’s beauty scene is definitely picking up in the Asian beauty sector. It comes as no surprise that a country’s beauty industry forms, in itself, a formidable endorsement for tourism. Look at the benchmark set by South Korea: the market for its cosmetic products alone generated about $9 billion euros in revenue in 2015.

With the Taiwan Beauty Alliance in place, the multitude of local Taiwanese products can be distilled into 11 leading brands and their subsidiary lines. Before delving into recommendations, I feel that it is fair to address some of the concerns and provide a few disclaimers as a revision of our earlier article on this field. Beauty will always be subjective because each experience will be different and therefore tailored to the individual’s skin type and needs.

Each country’s beauty products generally cater to their people, so the functions and properties of these products will be inherently different. The effects will also be different. Previously, I drew a comparison with Korean products and Taiwanese products, but that is not to say that one is better than the other. Both beauty industries have their respective strengths and weaknesses: South Korean products are cheap but limited in their results, while Taiwanese products are medically formulated but also on the pricier end of things. Identifying the key differences in their qualities and objectives will provide a clearer picture of the spectrum that Asian beauty products base themselves upon.

On Korean Beauty Products

One of such difference is the target appeal. A majority of Korean products come out fast and adorable. The brands usually position themselves with popular or quirky ingredients that target specific conditions, like wine for anti-aging, green tea for oily skin or even the recently rising popularity of yuzu, creating a consistent industry pattern where certain waves of beauty and/or skincare contenders come into the spotlight for awhile.

These products are usually highly affordable, making them super attractive (in terms of their promised results versus the price point), and mass-marketed. When it comes to the varying brackets of skincare and beauty, South Korea’s beauty industry is perfect because it offers such a huge variety of choices, brands, prices, and products. The industry’s proponents are those adventurous enough to tackle the huge selection and invest their time exploring affordable skincare routines without breaking the bank.

On the other hand, the wide selection allows a gap to form in terms of specific product-oriented effectiveness. They are cute, cheap and fast, but at the end of the day, do they really work? Most of these products lead by their brand names, celebrity spokesperson, and word of mouth, and the occasional negligible review. Again, as a huge fan of South Korean products, I’m not saying that these products lie about their results or appear to be superficial promises. There are certain products that really deliver. Instead, I am aware that the final goal for these products does not always necessarily depend on their effectiveness, but rather their attractiveness.

If $10 gets me 10 sheet masks that do minimal to nothing for my skin, but offers me a moment of tactile luxury, itself like a hedonistic dip into immediate gratification, would I still purchase the masks? Probably.

On Taiwan Beauty Products

From my experience with Taiwan beauty products, it is a slightly different story. Most brands, especially the ones involved with the Taiwan Beauty Alliance, prefer to align themselves with renowned skin dermatologists and aesthetics clinics, some even establishing their own specific clinic area for customers. The focus is on skin statistics, result specifications and really, really niche areas of product objectives.

Story continues