• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.303-315
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• 2022

This study compared and analyzed Japan and China, two major competitors to Korea, in the male cosmetics market, which has been shifted dramatically by the outbreak of COVID-19, with implications for the ASEAN market in mind. Questionnaire copies collected from 300 men in Generation MZ living in Korea, China, and Japan were used for analysis, and SPSS 21.0 was used to conduct a statistical analysis of the collected questionnaires. The following are this study's results: First, this study identified their purchase behaviors. The average amount of money the male respondents spent on buying cosmetics was below KRW 30,000 in Korea, China, and Japan. Functionality and texture ranked as top factors contributing to cosmetics purchases in all the three countries. Second, with regard to brands preferred by the respondents, Korea and China were open to foreign brands, while Japan mostly preferred its domestic brands. Functionality and texture ranked as top factors contributing to cosmetics purchase in all the three countries. Second, with regard to brands preferred by the respondents, Korea and China were open to foreign brands, while Japan mostly preferred its domestic brands. Third, this study found changes in the use of cosmetics since the outbreak of COVID-19. The respondents' biggest skin concern since COVID-19 was acne in Korea and Japan and increased sebum excretion in China. Concerns about sebum were commonly ranked high across the three countries. Based on these results, this study is suggested as a reference to improve the export competitiveness of Korean male cosmetics in the ASEAN market.