Nina Jobst
Research expert covering South Korea
Popularity of South Korean beauty products worldwide - Statistics & Facts
The South Korean beauty market is driven by the country’s high standards in beauty. In order to meet those standards, customers are constantly looking for new ways of improving their skin-care routine. The famous 10 step skin care routine is a good example for the willingness of South Koreans to spend money on multiple beauty products at the same time. Therefore, the market is constantly innovating and developing new products. Combined with the Korean wave, also known as Hallyu, Korean Beauty products are gaining attention and popularity around the globe. In a survey conducted in countries around the world, a large share of surveyed stated that the positive effects and good quality of Korean beauty products were the main positive aspects for consumers. While more than a quarter of a survey saw no downside to K-beauty, other named the excessive advertisement and the high price as the main negative aspects.
How is K-beauty reaching international audiences?
Korean Beauty products got attention in Asian countries first, but popularity and availability in Western countries is growing. While the endorsement of beauty influencers is pushing sales, another reason for the widespread recognition for Korean beauty products is Hallyu, the Korean wave. Many fans get introduced to the South Korean beauty market through the pop-culture based phenomenon, since many celebrities are endorsing K-beauty products. Worldwide, the social media accounts of beauty influencers are popular among various platforms, reaching a large audience. Through this exposure and recommendations many consumers are willing to try Korean skin care. Additionally, given that Korean TV shows and music videos rely on looks heavily, fans often get interested in how to improve their appearance.
K-beauty - a trend here to stay
Although the novelty of K-beauty is starting to wear off, the value of exports of beauty, make up and skin care preparations has been growing by around 6 billion U.S. dollars during the last decade. At the same time, the volume of those exports grew by almost 200 percent in the same period. Until a few years ago, users of Korean beauty products had to order them from overseas or go to specialized stores. Nowadays, even mainstream drugstores around the world have started to offer a Korean beauty selectionof varying sizes, and shopping from Korea-based stores has been made easily accessible. With an increasing availability of big Korean brands in the Western market, the reach of those products grows beyond the number of Korean culture fans and is slowly becoming mainstream.
