bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Kimberly Lim

Jean Iau

Aidan Jones

By the time she was 21, Singaporean Regina Yeo had the sharper jaw and higher nasal bridge that she’d craved throughout her teens.
Self-avowedly “young, broke and desperate”, she still managed to scrape together the few hundred dollars needed for treatment at an unlicensed clinic staffed by women from Vietnam in Singapore’s Lavender district.
Looking back, the beauty blogger – now 25 – has no regrets.
In fact, she said the fear and “piercing pain” of that first, high-risk foray into changing her appearance jump-started the never-ending quest to improve her looks.
“Growing up, I wasn’t very attractive and there were some things about my appearance that I wanted to improve,” she told This Week in Asia.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t like my face, but there were just things I wanted to work towards – much like how I go to the gym.”
For Yeo, and the millions of young Southeast Asians like her, the end results are worth both the financial cost and the risks associated with aesthetic treatments.
This craving for physical change drives a multibillion-dollar global beauty industry that peddles supposed elixirs of youth – from stem cell and placenta therapies to vitamin injections, botox and cosmetics – at ever lower prices to reach a mass market.
It’s supported by a constellation of influencers, and the algorithms they rely on, who relentlessly promote concepts like ‘looksmaxxing’, ‘fox eyes’ and ‘glowing up’ to their impressionable young audience.

In Asia, beauty-obsessed South Korea remains the destination-of-choice for higher-end plastic surgery. But Thailand’s Bangkok, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City and Indonesia’s Jakarta are increasingly emerging as hubs for the less invasive – and more affordable – treatments that young people crave.
Young bargain hunters flock to these Southeast Asian cities in search of fillers for their foreheads and lips, surgery for their eyelids and vitamin injections to fend off signs of ageing, despite their youth.
Of course, the desire to defy ageing is nothing new. What has changed, according to industry insiders, is the new-found affordability and accessibility of these treatments, which has lowered the price – and consequently age – of entry.
And members of Gen Z, unlike past generations, no longer seem to feel the need to hide their physical enhancements. As the stigma fades, they proudly share their transformations online.
In her blog, Yeo does not advocate for the use of unlicensed clinics. But she justified her choice to embrace the associated risks with a simple “Yolo” (you only live once).
“I don’t regret anything,” she said. “The procedures made me feel more self-love, if anything.”

Glow-up getaways
It’s this insatiable demand for cosmetic treatments among the young that led Singapore-based Adabelle Lam to launch her Barbiefied Beauty Concierge business last year.
The 25-year-old offers a personalised service, directing clients to get their botox and fillers done in Jakarta, where jawline injections, for example, can cost about half of the S$600 to S$800 (US$450-US$600) that they do in Singapore.
“I was around 17 when I first met someone who had undergone plastic surgery and multiple invasive beauty procedures – she was only a few years older than me,” Lam told This Week in Asia. “From that point on, it felt like almost everyone I knew, especially girls, wanted to have something done.”
To bridge the affordability gap, she offers payment plans tailored towards clients in their 20s on limited incomes.
Minimally invasive procedures, such as fillers and botox, top the wish list, she says, closely followed by double-eyelid surgery, which reshapes the skin around the eye to create a crease in the upper eyelid.
Algorithms have ingrained anti-ageing and other beauty trends in the minds of a cohort weaned on what Lam calls the “unattainable” aesthetics of K-pop, while the mantra of “self-care” has helped to normalise cosmetic procedures.

“It’s about conformity to beauty standards shaped by social media and society. Beauty filters definitely play a role in creating insecurities, making people more self-conscious,” she said.
“I wouldn’t say it’s outright peer pressure, but more like seeing people around you getting procedures done – it naturally makes you consider them, too.”
Singapore’s beauty and personal care market has been steadily growing over the past decade, generating revenues of US$1.24 billion in 2024, according to data-gathering platform Statista. This year, it’s projected to generate revenues of US$1.29 billion in the city state and US$36.14bn across Southeast Asia as a whole.
On the supply side, meanwhile, the cost of being beautiful just keeps shrinking.
In Thailand, forehead botox shots at licensed clinics start at 1,000 to 1,500 baht (US$30-US$45). Injections to remedy saggy calves and armpits costs 8,000 baht to 15,000 baht and “rejuvenating” skin lasers, purportedly effective at eliminating dead cells, cost around 3,000 baht.
“When something is that affordable, you don’t always stop to think, ‘Do I really need this?’” Lam said.
‘’It becomes an impulse decision – just trying it out because why not? This shift in mindset makes it feel more like a natural choice, rather than an extravagant one.”
For Amelia*, a 27-year-old Singaporean who travels to Thailand and Vietnam each year for low-cost botox and fillers, such trips have become routine.

To research clinics and find how-to guides, she simply looks online – with social media also providing a platform to show off the latest work she’s had done. But the risks are ever present.
“There are a lot of trends going around – and some people get things done that are irreversible,” she said. “It then becomes twice as costly to get it fixed.”
In Thailand, cosmetic horror stories abound. Some are worn on the faces of those who were given fake fillers and counterfeit botox, or underwent unlicensed procedures administered by self-taught beauticians – many without formal training – and illegal practitioners known as “box doctors”.
But beauty seekers appear undeterred by the tales of disfiguring infections, scarring and deaths caused by botulism.
Jang*, a practitioner in this underground industry, says her clients are getting younger. She’s even seen 18- and 19-year-olds seeking treatments, accompanied by their parents.
“Gen Zers who support themselves often use social media as a platform to launch their career or maintain their popularity,” Jang told This Week in Asia.
“It’s a very competitive space, so they have to keep upgrading their looks. That’s why they come to me. I have someone in their twenties who’s addicted to having ‘glowy skin’, so she comes to get a vitamin boost shot with me every week.”
Echo chamber ‘doom loops’
Beauty brands are cashing in on the growing demand to look good, with make-up and skincare tutorials on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Douyin boosting revenue for major market players.
Sephora, the LVMH-owned retailer allows customers to try on make-up, lip glosses and skincare products in store, making their “prestige beauty” shelves instantly Instagrammable. The company says that in most of Southeast Asia, customers have to be 18 to create an account, while Thailand imposes an age threshold of 20. But this doesn’t deter teenagers from buzzing around its shops, even if they cannot join its loyalty programmes.
Jenny Cheah, managing director for Sephora Southeast Asia, Oceania and India, said that an emphasis on “self-expression, confidence and self-acceptance” had intertwined with social media, connecting young consumers with brands and influencers.
Sephora is on track to achieve global revenue of €16 billion (US$17.5 billion) this year, according to Bloomberg. But while sales in Asia are surging, they must increase further if the retailer hopes to meet its revenue target of €20 billion within the next three years.

And it’s not the only one hoping to grow its market share. Other big beauty brands like KraveBeauty are likewise seeking to reach a savvier young audience through affiliate programmes, social media influencers and word of mouth. Gen Z buyers have realised “that they can have multi-benefit items from just one product,” a spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, the impact of algorithms on the self-esteem and self-perception of young people has increasingly come under scrutiny. Tech giants have been accused of pushing beauty industry content onto the region’s body-conscious youth in their scramble for advertising revenue.
“By repeatedly exposing users to certain beauty ideals and procedures – and the outcomes of those procedures – algorithms can increase or reinforce the desire for these enhancements,’’ said Jeremy Sng, a researcher from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore who specialises in the psychological and behavioural outcomes of media use.
There is a need to look attractive on social media and this digital identity is important to many young people’s self esteem
Adrian Wang, psychiatrist
This algorithm-driven “echo chamber’’ further normalises aesthetic procedures and “perceived social norms”, he said.
Experts warn that this can create a “doom loop” of unhappiness with one’s appearance, feelings that young people then try to fend off with a flurry of beauty treatments that often fail to address underlying self-esteem issues.
Dr Lena Fan, a medical director at Veritas Medical Aesthetics, said she had noticed a trend towards more “preventative aesthetic treatments” that promise to delay – or even prevent – the onset of ageing, with the age of those seeking such treatments dropping to the “mid-twenties” from the mid-thirties a decade ago.
“There is a need to look attractive on social media and this digital identity is important to many young people’s self esteem,’’ said Singapore-based psychiatrist Adrian Wang.
“I occasionally see people whose mental-health issues are related to a real or perceived physical defect – such as short height, being overweight, or hair loss – which leads them to spend a lot on beauty treatments.’’ Unhappiness with the outcomes “often heightens their anxiety”, he said.


This year, Instagram started applying “teen account” settings by default to all its underage users in Asia, limiting their access to mature content, including promotional material for cosmetic procedures.
But the dangers of chasing cosmetic trends remain. What’s considered “hot” today may be “not” tomorrow and reversing the work done can be less seamless than advertised, warned Yeo, the beauty blogger.
Just a few years ago, a slim face and sharp jaw were considered desirable. Now, a more “baby-like” appearance with fuller cheeks has become the latest trend, she explained.
“I did fat melting in my face because I didn’t like being chubby. But I regret it now because I feel like I lost my baby fat and now my face looks sunken in.’’
*Names changed at interviewees’ request


Ong Beng Seng to step down from Singapore property firm amid Iswaran scandal

Singapore braces for US-China trade war fallout with growth outlook downgrade

What Hong Kong needs from its leader in a time of tariff turmoil

US-China trade war to fuel shift to alternative assets as stock markets tumble: experts

Singapore

Cosmetic cravings: Asia’s Gen Z risk it all for cut-price ‘glow-ups’

Gen Z beauty seekers appear undeterred by harrowing tales of disfiguring infections, scarring and deaths caused by botulism. Photo: Shutterstock

In the hunt for affordable cosmetic enhancements, Gen Z Asians have been turning to risky treatments at unlicensed clinics. Photo: Shutterstock

A woman checks her appearance after undergoing cosmetic surgery at a clinic in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: AFP

Minimally invasive procedures, such as fillers and botox, top young Southeast Asian’s anti-ageing wish list. Photo: Reuters

Southeast Asia’s Gen Z are increasingly packing their bags and travelling overseas in search of cheap cosmetic treatments. Photo: Shutterstock

A Sephora outlet in Thailand. The LVMH-owned retailer, allows customers to try on make-up, lip glosses and skincare products in store. Photo: Aidan Jones

Young Thais reject dark skin stigma as beauty norms evolve

Miss Thailand Anna Sueangam-Iam 2022 walks onstage at a Miss Universe contest. While some beauty pageants now celebrate more diverse aesthetics, Thailand’s most popular television shows still star fair-skinned leads. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

Thai singer Rasmee said her compatriots should reject “someone else’s ideas of perfection”. Photo: Wiroon Noohoung

Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra waves as he walks out of a beauty salon in Bangkok last year. Photo: AFP

Matana Charoenwong, associate professor of information and communication technology at Silpakorn University. Photo: Weerayut Lertbamrungsuk

Advertisements for plastic surgery clinics are seen at a subway station in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: AFP

Thai influencer Kanthamath “Meen” Probprakhon. Photo: Facebook/Burirum Pai Nai Dee

Miss Brazil 2017 Monalysa Alcântara at a beauty pageant in Las Vegas. Some question why Thailand has yet to have a similar reckoning over skin colour as Brazil. Photo: Matt Petit/The Miss Universe Organisation/AFP

Beauty beyond borders: the rise and rise of South Korea’s plastic surgery empire

A South Korean woman walking past a street billboard advertising double-jaw surgery at a subway station in Seoul. Photo: AFP

Actresses Jang Yoon-ju (left) and Jeon Jong-seo are featured on an ad on Gangnam Unni, South Korea’s leading beauty and medical information platform. Photo: Handout

A woman consults a surgeon at a plastic surgery clinic before undergoing nose plastic surgery in 2020. Photo: Reuters

(From left) Choi Woo-shik, Song Kang-ho, Jang Hye-jin and Park So-dam in a still from “Parasite”. Photo: CJ Entertainment

Anna Oh and a surgeon in a clinic in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Anna Oh

A sign in downtown Seoul on a modern building advertising life plastic surgery. Photo: Shutterstock

Are Chinese-made skincare brands downplaying their origins to appeal to Southeast Asians?

Skintific uses local brand ambassadors like actor Nicholas Saputra in Indonesia. Photo: Aisyah Llewellyn

Local beauty brands like Wardah and Somethinc are halal certified. Photo: Aisyah Llewellyn

Lavojoy products have a “Made in PRC” printed on them. Photo: Aisyah Llewellyn

Indonesia’s Wardah, which is owned by Indonesian firm Paragon Technology and Innovation, was created in 1995 and helped to pioneer halal skincare and make-up for the Muslim market at low prices. Photo: Aisyah Llewellyn

Asia’s addiction to whiter skin runs deep – but the backlash has begun

A World Health Organisation survey found that nearly 40 per cent of women polled in nations including China, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea said they regularly used whitening products. Photo: Shutterstock

Manila billboards advertising skin whitening. Photo: Ben O’Rourke

From L’Oreal to Chinese copycats, here’s why everyone wants a piece of the K-beauty pie

Photo: Instagram

K-beauty has become a sensation across Asia and beyond. Photo: Alamy

This Week in Asia

Lifestyle & Culture

Health & Environment

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

Young Southeast Asians are running a gauntlet of bootleg botox, fake fillers and clandestine clinics in their quest to defy ageing


Young Southeast Asians are running a gauntlet of bootleg botox, fake fillers and clandestine clinics in their quest to defy ageing.


Cosmetic cravings: Asia’s Gen Z risk it all for cut-price ‘glow-ups’

Young Southeast Asians are running a gauntlet of bootleg botox, fake fillers and clandestine clinics in their quest to defy ageing

nproxy.org