A Paradigm Shift in Beauty Education in Response to the Digital Transformation Era -Based on Analysis of Trends in the Cosmetics and Beauty Industry-

Abstract

In the present age, the social and economic structures are rapidly shifting to a digital base. In the cosmetics and beauty field, “contactless industry” which is grafted into the digital technology has been on the issues. In the field of education, educational standard is increasing through digital transformation using “Edu-Tech”. This study is to explore a new paradigm of beauty education to respond to the digital transformation era. Moreover, it aims to find academic basis to train digital savvy manpower in the field of cosmetics and beauty. The research methods are as follows: trends in domestic and foreign cosmetics and beauty industries were analyzed by referring to academic and degree papers, academic presentation documents, trends and research reports, and websites with the keywords of the 4<sup>th</sup> Industrial Revolution, Digital Transformation, Edu-Tech, beauty education, and cosmetics and beauty industry trends. This study results can be summarized in five points as follows. Firstly, government announced a plan to build a related infrastructure to increase productivity dramatically with the “Digital New Deal”. Secondly, “Edu-Tech” industry can lead the digital transformation to provide customized education. Thirdly, the government selects and promotes four key projects: the development of sustainable K-beauty innovative technology, enhancement of corporate activities through regulatory improvement, support for strategic overseas expansion, and creation of the K-beauty industry ecosystem. Fourthly, major issues in the global cosmetics market include differentiation of clean beauty, realization of substantiality, marketing with the new technologies such as AI, AR, VR, and Metabus, and expansion of the customized cosmetics market. Finally, domestic and foreign companies leading those industries also take the head of digital transformation in manufacturing, distribution, and marketing. Based on the research results above, three conclusions are presented. First of all, it is the development of a curriculum for the digital indigenous generation that has to actively respond to changes in the future society. Nextly, innovation is also required in the development of digital education programs and textbooks. Lastly, it is an effort for instructors to change the perception of digital transformation and to strengthen digital capabilities. Digital transformation should be accompanied by a self-directed educational system centered on learners rather than the existing system centered on instructors. The reason is that it is necessary to respond to the continuous reduction in the number of students, the crisis of higher education due to COVID-19, and the rapidly changing both internal and external environments.