“K-beauty is operating at a world-class level.”
That is the assessment of Farma Jaye, a Senegalese-born global marketing strategist who has been living in South Korea since 2017 while helping Korean beauty brands expand internationally.
Born in France to Senegalese parents, Farma has become one of the growing number of international professionals contributing to the global rise of K-beauty from inside Korea itself. In an interview conducted at his office in Seoul’s trendy Seongsu-dong district, he praised Korea’s beauty industry for its innovation, product diversity, and ability to react quickly to changing trends.
According to Farma, K-beauty’s strength goes far beyond skincare. Makeup, haircare, and even Korean perfume brands are now becoming globally competitive.
He noted that even consumers in France — traditionally considered the home of luxury fragrance — are increasingly showing interest in Korean perfumes.
The Sheet Mask That Changed Everything
Farma’s connection to Korea began unexpectedly in 2008 during a visit to Koreatown Manhattan.
After graduating university, he spent nearly a decade living in New York City while balancing work and studies. During that time, he discovered Korean sheet masks at a Korean beauty store — a moment he describes as transformative.
At the time, major American retailers like Macy’s and Sephora barely carried sheet masks, which surprised him.
Seeing untapped potential early, Farma later founded AGASKIN, a company dedicated to helping Korean beauty brands expand overseas through marketing, consulting, and global pop-up events.
The name “AGASKIN” was personally created by Farma and refers to clear, healthy “baby-like skin.”
Today, AGASKIN has reportedly collaborated with more than 100 K-beauty brands.
Bringing K-Beauty to Paris
One of Farma’s biggest achievements came after the COVID-19 pandemic, when he successfully organized a long-running K-beauty pop-up project at Galeries Lafayette.
According to Farma, he personally approached the department store to pitch the idea.
At the time, K-beauty awareness in France was still relatively limited compared to today. However, the response from consumers exceeded expectations.
He described the event’s popularity as explosive, saying the project proved K-beauty’s enormous potential in global markets.
“One Strategy Cannot Fit Every Market”
While Farma praised the creativity and innovation of Korean beauty companies, he also warned against a major weakness in how some brands approach international expansion.
He argued that many Korean brands still rely on identical strategies across different countries despite differences in skin types, beauty cultures, and consumer expectations.
According to Farma, true diversity means more than simply adding a few extra makeup shades.
He shared an experience from a professional photoshoot where suitable products for a model’s skin tone were unavailable, forcing the model to use personal makeup products instead.
For Farma, this was not just a small oversight but evidence of a larger structural issue within parts of the beauty industry — a lack of deep understanding about global skin diversity.
Still, he believes K-beauty’s future remains extremely bright thanks to four major strengths:
- Constant innovation
- Strong beauty philosophy
- The influence of Korean Wave culture
- The power of social media
KOREA FBI Editor’s Comment
Farma Jaye represents a new generation of global voices helping shape the future of K-beauty from within Korea itself. His story shows that K-beauty is no longer simply a Korean export — it has become an international movement powered by multicultural perspectives, global consumers, and evolving ideas about beauty and inclusivity.
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