Every December, CJ Olive Young, Korea's largest health and beauty retailer, publishes the keywords it expects to shape the next year. For 2026 it chose FULLMOON, an acronym for eight trends. One of them, Over the Makeup, describes a shift you can already see on Korean shelves: makeup is moving from color you apply on top of skin to skincare that happens to carry color.
What the numbers say
The report included these figures from Olive Young's own shopping data:
- Searches in the makeup category for soothing, barrier and hydration terms rose 150% year over year.
- Sales of color lip serums grew 727% compared with the same period a year earlier.
- Lash nourishing serums grew 7%.
In other words, shoppers are reading makeup labels the way they read skincare labels. They want to know what a product does for the skin underneath, not only how it looks for eight hours.
Why it is happening
Korean routines have been getting shorter: fewer products, each doing more. A lip product that tints and conditions replaces two steps. A sunscreen with a soft finish can stand in for primer. For people who used to follow a ten-step routine, cutting steps without cutting care is the appeal.
How to try it in your own routine
1. Swap matte lipstick for a tinted lip oil or balm
A sheer lip oil gives color and shine while keeping lips soft. If your lips are dry, start the day with a ceramide balm and layer tint on top.
- rom&nd Glasting Melting Lip Oil 6g: a sheer wash of color with a glass-like shine, lightweight and non-sticky.
- Dr.Jart+ Ceramidin Hydrating Ceramide Lip Balm 7g: Ceramide NP for dry, chapped lips, with a non-sticky finish.
2. Care for lashes, not only coat them
Lash serums sit in the same "wear it and treat it" space. Apply at night on clean lashes, then use mascara as usual in the morning.
- COSNORI Long Active Eyelash Serum 9g: a peptide and hyaluronic acid serum for lashes, brows and hairline, and a repeat Olive Young Awards winner.
3. Let sunscreen do the base work
Korean sunscreens are made to wear under or instead of foundation. A fluid or velvet-finish formula leaves no white cast and gives makeup a smooth surface to sit on.
- Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture Airy Fit Daily Sunscreen SPF50+ 50ml: a thin, moisturizing film with no greasiness or white cast.
- House of Hur Weightless Sun Fluid 50ml: a light fluid with yuja and honey extracts, made without pore-clogging ingredients.
The short version
Over the Makeup is less about new products and more about a new question at the shelf: what does this do for my skin? If a product can answer that and still look good, it earns a place in a shorter routine.
Source: CJ Olive Young, 2026 beauty trend keywords "FULLMOON", as reported by Cosmorning (December 19, 2025). Figures are Olive Young's own shopping data.