Product Watch: Beauty Sleep

The newest product trend to cross from Korea to Western shores is the sleep mask. Usually a rich cream, sleep masks are designed to be applied at bedtime and then washed off in the morning and are formulated to target specific concerns, such as moisturizing or brightening. “It’s like an intensive serum and cream in one,” explains Alicia Yoon, cofounder of Peachandlily.com, an e-commerce site specializing in Asian beauty products. The timing seems right: Masks continue to be a hot trend at retail, with NPD reporting 2013 prestige sales of almost $53 million in the category, a 72 percent increase over 2012. “In Korea, your nighttime beauty regimen is a sacred time,” says Yoon. “Sleeping masks are the evolution of that culture.”