ILLIT’s Unique Album Release: How ‘MAMIHLAPINATAPAI’ Blends Beauty Trends for Gen Z

Photo=Belift Lab

[Sports Today reporter Yoon Hye-young] ILLIT is targeting teens and twenty-somethings with an unconventional release that blends music and beauty trends.

On April 1, HYBE Music Group label Belift Lab announced that ILLIT (Yoona, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, Iroha) will release a gua sha–inspired ceramic object merch bundle to accompany their fourth mini-album, MAMIHLAPINATAPAI.

The bundle features a sculptural object modeled on a gua sha, plus a pouch, a mini CD, a lyric booklet, and photo cards. Gua sha has become one of the beauty industry’s hottest massage tools. Rather than simply reproducing the tool’s function, ILLIT translated its silhouette into the group’s signature kitschy, endearing aesthetic.

Belift Lab said the object was designed to connect directly with the album’s concept. \”We wanted an item that would more intuitively communicate the ‘getting ready’ moment in ‘GRWM (Get Ready With Me),’ and the gua sha form—which evokes a self-care routine—fit that idea best,\” the label said. \”We added a dog silhouette to echo the mood of another track, ‘paw, paw!,’ which centers on pets.\”

Photo=Belift Lab

When preorders opened on March 31 and the album’s packshot was released, international fans responded enthusiastically. Comments included, \”The design caught my eye—it’s cute and practical,\” \”ILLIT’s albums are always fresh,\” and \”their ‘gam-da-sal’ moments (that vivid, full-of-life energy) never fail to amaze.\”

True to their reputation as trendsetters, ILLIT has extended its influence from music and fashion into beauty. The group previously rolled out inventive album tie-ins—such as in-ear earbuds for \”bomb\” and a Little Mimi character keychain for \”NOT CUTE ANYMORE\”—that appealed beyond the fandom to a wider audience who value individuality. Those items sold out quickly, prompting additional production and underscoring the group’s commercial pull.

ILLIT’s fourth mini-album, MAMIHLAPINATAPAI, is due April 30. The title, drawn from the Yaghan language of South America, describes the standoff when both people want the same thing but neither makes the first move. The record explores how deepening relationships prompt introspection and an embrace of complex emotions.

[Sports Today reporter Yoon Hye-young ent@stoo.com]
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