"Spring Warm Tone for Straight Body Shape"... MZ Generation Deeply Into Personal Consulting

20s 46.5%, Personal Consulting Experience
Expert: "MZ Generation Has Strong Desire for Self-Analysis"

#Recently, Kang (30), an office worker, paid 180,000 KRW at a private company to receive a personal color diagnosis. Personal color consulting is a service that finds the colors that suit an individual best based on their skin tone and eye color. The personal color expert diagnosed Kang as belonging to the 'Spring Warm Tone' category among the four major personal color types. They also recommended cosmetic shades, brands, and hair dye colors that would suit Kang.

Recently, a personal consulting craze has been sweeping mainly among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z). Personal consulting is a diagnostic service that recommends the most suitable colors and fashion based on one’s body shape and skin tone. Despite the high cost, the popularity of such services is analyzed to stem from the strong desire of the MZ generation for self-analysis.

According to a survey conducted by market research firm Embrain Trend Monitor from the 4th to the 9th of last month targeting 1,200 men and women aged 13 to 69, 46.5% of respondents in their 20s reported having used personal consulting services. This was followed by 30s (36%) and 40s (30.5%) age groups in terms of service experience rates.

By service type, interest was highest in beauty-related consulting. Among respondents in their 20s, 60.5% expressed interest in body shape analysis and 55% in personal color consulting. Those interested in hairstyling consulting accounted for 49%.

Riding on this popularity, consulting services that were once focused on personal color diagnosis are recently expanding into areas such as body shape and hairstyle. Body shape consulting is a service that recommends clothing suited to the individual based on skeletal diagnosis. Beauty influencers post their service experience reviews on YouTube, and these videos have garnered hundreds of thousands of views, significantly increasing service demand.

A promotional post related to personal consulting is posted on Kmong, a freelance brokerage platform.
[Image source: Screenshot of Kmong homepage]

The usage fee for personal consulting services ranges from under 100,000 KRW to as much as 200,000 KRW. Services that simply provide color and body shape diagnosis can be used for under 100,000 KRW. However, companies offering beauty consulting services such as makeup and hairstyling based on the diagnosis sometimes charge around 300,000 KRW per session.

Industry insiders see personal consulting as a blue ocean and are rushing to enter related businesses. Nail artist Lee Ju-yeon (29), who majored in cosmetology at university and started a nail salon, said, "After graduating from cosmetology, many alumni who became hair artists and makeup artists heard that personal consulting is doing well and are preparing to start their own businesses. They said that just by adding a personalized service to the same beauty skills, their customer base has doubled."

Experts explain that the MZ generation’s desire for self-understanding has led to the popularity of personal consulting. Professor Lee Young-ae of the Department of Consumer Studies at Incheon National University said, "The MZ generation enjoys reward consumption for themselves and has a strong desire for self-analysis. Especially due to the social isolation caused by COVID-19, an environment was created for them to contemplate their identity, which increased the popularity of self-analysis content."