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Yves Saint Laurent gets free ride on drama sensation

Yves Saint Laurent, the French cosmetics brand owned by L’Oreal, is getting a free ride on the Asian drama sensation “My Love from the Star.”

Due to erroneous information that the lipstick used by Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun, the star of the drama, was from YSL, its products are flying off the shelves.

Currently, two of the coral hue lipsticks -- Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain 105 and Rouge Pur Couture 52 -- have sold out at most cosmetics shops, including at overseas duty-free shops.

“Asian customers from Korea and China ask for very specific products. But we have none in stock right now,” said a sales person at Frankfurt Airport. “Their popularity also helps the sales of the same color products of other brands.”

The problem is, Jun Ji-hyun, the actress who starred in the drama, had not actually used YSL lipstick.

A mistake that occurred when she attended a promotional event for the drama caused consumers to believe that Jun had used YSL’s lipstick products. This misinformation then spread like wildfire online.

“The color of her lips (during the show) cannot be produced by a single product. The make-up artist mixed up a number of different (products), and YSL was not one of them,” said an industry source.

At the center of this case of mistaken identity is AmorePacific, Korea’s largest beauty company, which spent millions to promote its brands, including Hanyul, advertised by Jun.

Moreover, AmorePacific was an official sponsor of “My Love from The Star.” YSL was not.

“AmorePacific had considered filing a lawsuit against YSL, which is choosing to remain silent on whether Jun is using their products,” said another industry source.

Despite the tension between the two cosmetics rivals, the popularity of the YSL products is showing no signs of waning, as the show has gone on to become a megahit in other Asian countries, especially in China.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)