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Lee, Eunjung (2025) The Impact of Generation Z Women Perception on Korean Skincare Practices: A Phenomenological Study of Irish Sociocultural Behaviour. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.
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Abstract
This study explores the impact of Generation Z women’s perception on Korean skincare practices within the sociocultural context of Ireland. As Korean skincare continues to expand its global reach, this research investigates how Irish women aged 20 to 28 interpret, adopt, or negotiate these practices through a uniquely local lens. The aim is to uncover how emotional branding, peer influence, and digital culture shape the engagement of Irish Gen Z consumers with Korean skincare, and to generate branding insight relevant to niche European markets.
Using a descriptive phenomenological methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven Irish female participants. Thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s framework (2006) was applied to uncover patterns in participant narratives, grounded in lived experience and identity performance.
Key findings reveal that Korean skincare is not adopted uncritically. While many participants had pre-existing exposure to Korean culture, others were influenced purely by product efficacy. Participants associated Korean skincare with prevention, purity, and transparency—qualities that contrasted with Irish norms such as tanning. Consumer trust was co-constructed through emotional resonance, packaging aesthetics, and peer-to-peer validation.
This research contributes to the literature on emotional branding and cross-cultural consumer behaviour. It highlights how global beauty ideals are localised through socio-cultural negotiation and personal values. The study also reflects the dual cultural lens of a Korean researcher embedded in Irish society, offering a deeper interpretation of both convergence and resistance in skincare adoption.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Supervisors: | Name Email Tan, Eileen UNSPECIFIED |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Irish Gen Z women; Korean Skincare; Emotional Branding; Cross-Cultural Consumer Behaviour; Peer Influence |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > Marketing > Consumer Behaviour H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Specific Industries > Cosmetics Industry J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) > Ireland |
| Divisions: | School of Business (- 2025) > Master of Science in Entrepreneurship |
| Depositing User: | Ciara O'Brien |
| Date Deposited: | 11 Feb 2026 14:51 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Feb 2026 14:51 |
| URI: | https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/9121 |
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