How Fashion Face Masks Encouraged the Industry to Source Meaningful Beauty Products in a Declining Market 

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Beauty may be in the eyes of the beholder, but when it comes to the long-term attractiveness of the near $600 billion beauty industry, it has created a niche for entrepreneurs and social media influencers such as Siew Pui Yi one of Asia’s fastest growing internet star and model, who has created a rage over her wild, sultry posts across social media, garnering more than 15 million followers on Instagram and close to 100K subscribers on YouTube where she and other influencers are using their social clout to help spark new ways for companies to stay closely connected to their customers.

As things stand now, the makeup sector of the beauty industry has been the most negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, down 34 percent in 2020. Despite a 19% drop in 2020 compared to the previous year, the sales of prestige beauty products have managed to stay afloat thanks to e-commerce and the power of social media.

As consumer priorities continued to shift throughout the pandemic, the beauty industry managed to evolve and transform in unprecedented ways, with entrepreneurs looking for alternative ways to keep their customers immersed in luxury and beauty.

The Birth of Fashion Face Masks

Remember when the notion of having fashion face masks first came about as the COVID-19 pandemic slowly closed down shop for retailers? As ridiculous as it may have seemed at the time, fashion face masks actually pre-dated the pandemic, with its protection rooted in the 19th century during the cholera outbreaks.

When scientists first discovered germs on dust particles, wealthy women in Paris began wearing lace veils to protect them from particles circulating on busy streets.

Then came the Spanish flu in 1918, in which Americans began wearing masks. Ironically, this coincided with World War I, where masks were then produced to protect soldiers who were about to enter the battlefield as a means of both curbing the spread of the disease as well as symbolizing their patriotism.

For decades, it became common practice for people in Asia to wear masks, especially in 2003 after the SARS outbreak, as well as the rising rates of air pollution. Over the years, these masks served as both health-oriented protection as well as a form of self-expression that many outside of Asia found to be strange.

But then major household brands like Louis Vuitton and others decided to take the risk in the U.S. in 2020 because they had to. And you know what? It worked. Now, every company and brand seems to have their own branded mask for consumers to wear in compliance with COVID-19 restrictions.

Using Social Media to Restore Beauty

Overall, beauty-product sales at essential retailers like Estee Lauder, L’Oreal, Sephora, and Ulta  were down, forcing consumers to purchase products online, without the chance to physically examine or test them out in person.

Now, we are seeing companies address skincare and beauty by utilizing social media to connect with consumers, by offering pandemic-oriented products that allow the wearer to both wear a mask and look beautiful at the same time, bringing us to what MSPUIYI Cosmetics is offering with mask-wearing makeup and products that ensure compliance, comfort, and beauty.

Yet MSPUIYI brings the value regularly to her community comes from one of her most prominent ventures, MSPUIYI Cosmetics, an extensive and luxurious cosmetic line of lip gloss, lip matte, and other beauty products.

The company’s newest offering is a mask-friendly makeup, speaking directly to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our product launch was based on the concept of consumers being forced to pivot to choosing mask-friendly alternative makeup options,” MSPUIYI says.

Since masks cover most of the face from the nose down, this left open a market solution for eyes, lashes, and brows to shine, making the cosmetic line all the more appealing when it comes to offering eyeshadow, brow makeup, eyeliners, concealers, and mascara.

Since she was 15-years old, MSPUIYI has continued to grow her professional portfolio, becoming one of Asia’s highest paid beauty influencers. She was recently recognized as the winner of the International Asia Wang Hong Award in Shanghai, China. Now, Yi is making waves with her latest cosmetics venture for purposes of producing an array of cosmetic products by the end of 2021 that provide a beauty and pandemic-oriented balance.

“Right now, the beauty industry needs to be as close to consumers as possible, given what we’ve all experienced these past two years,” MSPUIYI says. “For this reason, it’s important for brands to create alluring and special moments with the consumer, giving them every reason to feel confident and beautiful even while they are wearing a mask.”

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