33 Color & Base Brands: Where Each Generation Searches

Who Primarily Searches for Color and Base Makeup

More than 9 out of 10 people who search for color and base cosmetics are women. In the South Korean market, an analysis of 33 major brands showed that women accounted for 93.7% of all searchers across the genre (monthly average from Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). Although discussions suggest growing interest in beauty among men, search behavior in the color and base category remains heavily centered on female consumers.

Looking at the age distribution, consumers in their 30s and 40s with purchasing power stand out. People in their 30s make up the largest share at 30.2%, followed by those in their 40s at 25.4%. Together, these two age groups account for more than half of the total. Those aged 25 to 29 account for 14.5%, and those aged 50 and older make up 14.2%. Meanwhile, ages 20 to 24 stand at 9.0%, and ages 13 to 19 remain at 6.7%. Even if teenagers and college students appear to drive high engagement on social media, portal search volume shows the genre's core search base centers on people in their 30s and 40s. Search volume is an indicator of interest and does not directly equate to sales volume, but it shows which age groups actively seek information.

Which Brands Are Searched Most Across Age Groups?

The dividing line for the most searched brand falls at age 25. Among ages 13 to 19, Rom&nd ranks first with a 12.1% share within the age group, and it also takes the top spot among ages 20 to 24 at 7.8%. Moving to the 25 to 29 bracket, Hera takes the lead with 7.8%. Hera captures the highest search volume across all subsequent age groups: 30s (8.5%), 40s (10.2%), and 50 and older (13.4%). The concentration toward Hera increases as age rises.

Apart from the top brands by absolute search volume, it is important to examine brands that specific age groups search noticeably more than average. For ages 13 to 19, the search index for Blanc Diva is 4.26 times the overall average, and it remains high at 2.49 times for ages 20 to 24. For ages 25 to 29, Fwee exceeds the average at 1.58 times, and for people in their 30s, 3CE records 1.25 times. For people in their 40s, Bobbi Brown is 1.43 times higher, and for ages 50 and older, Saint Blanc is 3.95 times higher. The focus on Blanc Diva among teens and young adults and Saint Blanc among those 50 and older highlights distinct generational demand in those age groups. These index differences serve as clues for identifying detailed age-specific preferences from an Intent Intelligence perspective.

Which Brands Are Searched Differently by Women and Men?

Although women account for 93.7% of searches across the genre, detailed figures vary by brand. Brands with the highest female share are Colorgram (97.1%), About Tone (97.1%), and Lilybyred (97.0%).

Conversely, some brands see a relatively higher share of male searchers. BBIA has a female share of 90.1%, and Hera stands at 89.5%. TONYMOLY drops to 80.6% female share, representing the lowest female share among the 33 brands. This means roughly 2 out of 10 searchers for TONYMOLY are men. Brands like Hera and TONYMOLY, which offer men's product lines or hold broad brand recognition, draw a higher proportion of male searchers. Even within a heavily gender-skewed product category, certain brands serve as entry points for male consumers.

How to Apply Generation and Gender Search Profiles in Practice

Search profile data serves as a benchmark for marketing and product planning. In the targeting stage, teams can verify who actually shows interest in the brand. Even if a product was planned for teenagers, if its search index is high among people in their 30s, communication channels must be adjusted. Age-group concentrations can also guide media execution. For brands that resonate with specific age groups, such as Fwee (index 1.58x among ages 25 to 29) or Bobbi Brown (index 1.43x among people in their 40s), allocating advertising budgets to media channels where those groups spend time is effective.

Product planners and merchandisers can build bundle sets and promotions based on preferred brands by age group. The fact that Saint Blanc reaches a search index of 3.95x among consumers aged 50 and older provides justification for dedicated promotions or package designs targeting seniors. Data and strategy leads can turn these search signals into hypotheses based on search signals to inform lineup expansions and channel strategies for the next quarter.

Methodology

• Data: ListeningMind Brand Finder Korea edition, 48 months from Sep 2022 to Aug 2026. Sum of monthly search volume on Naver and Google.
• Monthly average search volume: Average over the most recent 12 months (Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). Combines searches for the brand name alone and searches combining brand name with products or modifiers.
• Year-over-year: Compares the most recent 12-month average with the preceding 12-month average. Compared to 3 years ago: Compares with the first 12-month average (if the first 12-month value is less than 10% of the recent value, it is left blank and marked as 'New').
• Share within genre: Ratio to the total search volume of the 33 brands included in this genre. Inclusions follow Brand Finder genre rules.
• Age and gender: Searcher distribution (measured). Index = Brand share within that age group / Total brand share. Selected among brands with a share of 1% or higher within the age group.
• Search volume reflects the level of interest and does not represent sales volume or market share statistics.
• Other articles in the same genre are available in the Color and Base Makeup Collection.

Questions

Which brands have the highest search volume by age group?

In the South Korean market, Rom&nd was the most searched brand among ages 13 to 19 (12.1%) and ages 20 to 24 (7.8%) based on monthly averages from Sep 2025 to Aug 2026. In contrast, Hera ranked first in search share within each demographic for ages 25 to 29 (7.8%), people in their 30s (8.5%), people in their 40s (10.2%), and ages 50 and older (13.4%).

Which color and base brands have a relatively high share of male searchers?

Among 33 color and base makeup brands in South Korea, TONYMOLY had the lowest female share at 80.6%, followed by Hera (89.5%) and BBIA (90.1%) based on monthly averages from Sep 2025 to Aug 2026. Compared to brands like Colorgram or About Tone where female share reaches 97.1%, male searches are relatively higher.

Which color and base brands have the highest share of female searchers?

In the South Korean market, female searchers accounted for 93.7% of the color and base makeup genre based on monthly averages from Sep 2025 to Aug 2026. Individual brands with the highest female share were Colorgram at 97.1%, About Tone at 97.1%, and Lilybyred at 97.0%. Search volume indicates consumer interest and does not directly equate to sales volume.

Which age group searches for color and base makeup the most?

In the South Korean market, consumers in their 30s accounted for the largest share of color and base makeup searches at 30.2% based on monthly averages from Sep 2025 to Aug 2026. This was followed by people in their 40s at 25.4%, ages 25 to 29 at 14.5%, ages 50 and older at 14.2%, ages 20 to 24 at 9.0%, and ages 13 to 19 at 6.7%.

Which color and base brands are searched more than average in each age group?

In South Korea, based on monthly averages from Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, ages 13 to 19 and 20 to 24 searched for Blanc Diva significantly more than the genre average, with index scores of 4.26x and 2.49x, respectively. Ages 25 to 29 favored Fwee (index 1.58x), while people in their 30s favored 3CE (index 1.25x). Bobbi Brown saw higher search interest among people in their 40s (index 1.43x), and Saint Blanc recorded a high index of 3.95x among consumers aged 50 and older.

Sources

1. ListeningMind Brand Finder · 한국 · 2022.09~2026.08 월간 검색량 · 2026-10-09