From snacks to skincare: How the Hallyu wave is redefining consumer tastes in India

When BTS sells out stadiums in hours, when BLACKPINK’s music videos trend in India before Bollywood drops its next chartbuster, and when K-dramas top streaming charts across metros and Tier-2 towns alike, you know the Hallyu wave is no longer niche. What started as a soft-power movement in entertainment has seeped into fashion, beauty, and now even the way young Indians snack.

The Korean Wave is not just about fandom, it's about lifestyle. From teens picking up Korean catchphrases to college students building entire skincare routines inspired by K-beauty and K-drama, Hallyu has become a bridge that connects aspiration with consumption. And for brands, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge: how to ride the cultural tide while still resonating with Indian realities.

Two recent case studies illustrate this evolution vividly. Snack brand Too Yumm! has boldly entered the Korean flavors territory with launches like K-Bomb Ramen and Spicy Korean Banana Chips, while Sciative Solutions’ 2024 Trends Report shows a staggering 2.5x surge in Korean beauty brands in India. This tells a story of how Hallyu is shaping not just entertainment choices, but everyday consumption across categories.

K-snacking: When Flavours Travel Faster Than Flights

For Too Yumm! tapping into Korean flavors wasn’t just about chasing a food trend, it was about anticipating cultural momentum. “Korean flavors aren’t just a fad, they’re a cultural phenomenon,” says Yogesh Tewari, Vice President Marketing, Too Yumm!. “The rise of Hallyu in India, combined with consumers’ growing appetite for experimenting with global cuisines, made Korean flavors an exciting space to innovate in.”

 The brand’s decision to launch K-Bomb Ramen was a blend of consumer listening and proactive trend-spotting. “It wasn’t just about a flavor trend, it was about creating a product that feels culturally relevant, aspirational, and delicious,” Tewari explains.

 What’s striking is the adoption curve. “The repeat rate is tracking higher than expected,” Tewari reveals. “That tells us Indian consumers aren’t just curious, they're making Korean-inspired flavors part of their regular snacking repertoire.”

 On the cultural strategy, he adds: “We’ve collaborated with K-influencers and designed campaigns with a mangainspired aesthetic. Our goal is to make Too Yumm! the bridge between India’s snacking culture and Korea’s pop influence.”

Glass skin, K-drama and you

 If Korean food is winning over taste buds, Korean beauty is reshaping how Indians think about skincare. According to Vijeta Soni, Co-Founder & CEO of Sciative Solutions, “Our 2024 Trends Report shows that Korean beauty brands in India grew 2.5x in just one year. That kind of growth is not driven by hype, it's driven by innovation meeting aspiration.”

Soni points out that the surge is fueled by a growth flywheel where pop culture drives discovery, innovation ensures conversion, and strategic pricing sustains loyalty.

She elaborates: “Over 60% of first-time buyers discovered K-beauty through dramas or K-pop, but repeat purchase intent came from results. Culture is the spark, but efficiency is the engine.”

But beyond results, beauty is also emotional. “What makes K-beauty powerful is not only that it solves problems, it creates rituals,” says Soni. “The sensorial experience of lightweight textures, minimal packaging, and sciencebacked storytelling makes skincare feel indulgent rather than medicinal. That emotional connection is why consumers are willing to spend 20–30% more.”

 K-beauty’s success in India lies in smart localization. “Indian consumers face issues like hyperpigmentation and humidity-driven breakouts, so lightweight, non-greasy products with brightening and sun protection work well,” says Soni. She adds, “While they admire layering, most stick to 3-5 essentials: sunscreen, serums, and moisturizers. It’s K-principle, Indian pragmatism.”

The Common Thread: Culture + Innovation

What connects Too Yumm!’s K-Bomb and K-beauty’s rise is the same consumer behaviour: a generation eager to explore global culture, yet selective about what they keep in their lifestyle. They may snack on ramen-inspired chips while bingeing a K-drama, and the next morning apply a K-beauty sunscreen before heading out. Both categories thrive because they combine cultural spark with innovation-led substance.

As Tewari sums it up: “This isn’t hype, it's a long-term shift. From what we eat to how we care for ourselves, Korean influence is becoming part of the Indian lifestyle. And brands that embrace this wave with authenticity and innovation will win the future.

Hallyu Hits Home

From snacks that crunch to skincare that glows, the Korean wave has become much more than a pop culture trend. It is shaping how India eats, aspires, and consumes, blurring the boundaries between culture and commerce, also transcending the generations not only of GEN Z but people from all across the generation are fans of this Hallyu wave. Culturally both the countries share the same values and traditions. What started with BTS became a cultural phenomena with K dramas entering into the scene.

KFC India is building a Korean flavour profile that has helped drive trials among young consumers, while McDonald’s is seeing Korean food interest move beyond Gen Z to broader demographics. Tira is witnessing working professionals and older consumers buying Korean beauty products, and Nykaa continues to expand its K-Beauty assortment as demand grows in smaller towns.

 Myntra has recorded a 200% year-on-year surge in K-beauty, while ITC Foods’ Bingo! Korean chips have emerged as one of the top penetrated products in Indian households. Rebel Foods has also introduced Koreaninspired items across its menus, with burgers performing particularly well and some dishes now becoming permanent offerings.

 In recent media interaction Bernie Cho, President and Founder of DFSB Kollective, sheds light on the strategy behind K-Pop’s massive global success, pointing to the industry’s unique ability to blend cultural authenticity with cutting-edge marketing and fan engagement. He notes that K-Pop’s rise has been fueled by a mix of digitalfirst distribution, social media virality, and a strong emphasis on storytelling that resonates across cultures.

Looking ahead, Cho highlights the growing role of AI in shaping the music industry, from enhancing creative production and audience personalization to redefining how artists and fans connect on a global scale.