A Study on the Development of Beauty-Related Services for the Elderly (60 Years and Older) in Korean Society

Purpose: This study systematically explored research on beauty and massage services provided and utilized by seniors aged 60 and older in Korean society through a scoping review to map research trends and key issues. Specifically, the study aimed to comprehensively identify the need and significance of beauty services in older adults, perceptions and attitudes toward appearance management, usage patterns, and supply and delivery sys-tems. These systems include market, welfare, long-term care, and home-based services. Furthermore, the study aimed to suggest future directions for policy, education, and service model development. Specifically, this study sought to highlight older adults not only as welfare recipients but also as active users and consumers who pursue self-care, social participation, and an improved quality of life through appearance management. Method: This study employed a scoping review design to comprehensively summarize the scope and charac-teristics of the literature on beauty services for older adults. Based on the PCC framework, inclusion and exclusion criteria were established and domestic academic papers and reviews were selected. The PCC framework com-prises the following components: Participants were elderly individuals aged 60 years or older. The concept en-compasses beauty services, including hair, skin care and aesthetics, makeup, nail and foot care, massage, and manual therapy. The context encompasses local communities, private markets, welfare institutions, long -term care facilities, and home-visiting services within Korean society. Results: Research on domestic elderly beauty services was categorized into seven themes. Specifically, first, concerns about appearance and the perception and meaning of beauty in old age were identified. Second, ap-pearance management behaviors and service use characteristics were identified. These service use characteris-tics included frequency, expenditure, decision-making, and location of use. Third, service quality and related fac-tors, satisfaction, and intention to continue use were identified. Fourth, psychological and emotional effects were identified. These psychological and emotional effects included reduced depression, improved self-esteem, and improved life satisfaction. Fifth, physiological and functional effects and the diversification of measurement in-dicators were identified. Sixth, gaps in access to the local community, market, welfare, long-term care, home-visiting delivery systems were identified. Gaps in access included information insufficient, the presence of local systems, and mobility restrictions. Seventh, the research was organized into policy, education, standardization, and service model innovation, including public-private partnerships and technology-based customized care. Conclusion: The results of this comprehensive exploration of research on beauty services for seniors aged 60 and older in Korean society confirmed that they are justified by multifaceted needs, and expectations of profes-sionalism were prominent in usage patterns and selection factors. Furthermore, beauty welfare services target-ing vulnerable groups were strongly characterized by public nature, linked to the care system. This study presents practical implications that integrate the public and market aspects of beauty services for seniors. However, causal inference and cross-study comparability are limited due to the female-dominated sample, cross-sectional design bias, and heterogeneity in outcome indicators and measurement.