More and more Koreans in their 40s and 50s are aspiring to look younger, dressing in "younger" clothes and paying more attention to their appearance, and this phenomenon is boosting sales at department stores.

In the casual clothing section of Lotte Department Store, the purchasing ratio by those in their 40s and up to total sales grew from 22 percent in the first half of 2006 to 26.9 percent in the first half of this year. At Hyundai Department Store, total sales in the women's casual wear section increased a meager three percent over the same period, but purchasing by shoppers in their 40s grew 13 percent and those in their 50s by eight percent.

Sales of youth-oriented clothing sections including casual wear, where the main target is people in their 20s and 30s, are contributing to an increasing share of department stores' total sales. At Shinsegae Department Store, for example, first half of the year sales figures for departments targeting young shoppers increased compared to a year earlier, with sales of casual wear rising 11.6 percent on-year and jeans 13.7 percent. Meanwhile items traditionally targeting middle-aged shoppers performed poorly, with sales of women's business attire falling 7.8 percent, menswear 6.8 percent, and golf wear 0.5 percent.

The desire to look young is also affecting the health supplements section, prompting a focus away from health and longevity products to beauty and diet goods. At Shinsegae Department Store, sales of red ginseng fell to less than 60 percent of total sales in the health supplements section this year. The ratio had been over 70 percent until last year. Meanwhile, the sales ratio of products with skin care ingredients including gamma-linolenic acid, Omega-3, and vitamin increased twofold from 20 percent to 40 percent.