From TikTok trends to specialty retailers, K-beauty has become a mainstay of the global beauty conversation. UC San Diego economist Munseob Lee can explain how this tariff shock ripples through supply chains, consumer behavior and what it reveals about the everyday impact of trade policy. He is an associate professor at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy who studies macroeconomics and is director of the school’s Korea-Pacific Program. For small startups and niche retailers, tariffs pose a much bigger challenge. Lee: The K-beauty story shows that trade policy is not abstract.