A research desk in Seoul, not a trend blog.

I'm Sean Lim. Every month I run each candidate through four gates before it earns a place in the issue. Fail one and it doesn't run. No brand pays to be included, and Citeda doesn't sell, ship or take payment.

The four gates

1. 01
   Export momentum. Korea Customs Service export value to the US by HS code (3303 perfume, 3304 skin and makeup, 3305 hair, 3307 body), month over month.
2. 02
   Creator velocity. Views and upload counts on Korean beauty creators' videos, last 30 days against the 30 before, with brand and product read from the titles.
3. 03
   The Amazon gap. The exact product name typed into Amazon US: does the search box suggest it, and does page one have a seller? Dated, one query per product.
4. 04
   Seoul reality check. Whether it is on the shelf and in stock at Olive Young, Daiso and the brand's own shop, recorded with the date.

If you want a product

Check supply sends me your product and quantity. I ask the brand's export desk or its US distributor who can sell to the US, and you get back stock status, case pricing and MOQ if they share it, and lead time, within 2 business days. Pricing and terms are the brand's to give, so this site shows none.

Where numbers come from

Every figure in an issue names its source and the day it was checked. Open the issue or the data file to see them. Amazon observations are public page checks and change daily.

Read the latest issue →