Cosmetics industry market size South Korea 2014-2021

In 2021, the market size of the cosmetics industry in South Korea amounted to around 7.64 trillion South Korean won. Figures saw a marked drop from 2019. As K-beauty products gained global popularity, the production and exports of Korean cosmetic products had significantly grown from 2014 to 2021.

Key players

The South Korean cosmetics industry has been dominated by local products. Based on sales revenue, the leading domestic companies were LG Household & Health Care and the Amorepacific Group. Both have a number of sub-brands, for instance, the Face Shop, O Hui, Sum, and Belif under the former; Sulwhasoo, Laneige, Innisfree, IOPE, Hera, Etude House, and Mamonde belong to the latter. Another key player, Korea Kolmar, is mainly engaged in the original development and design manufacturing (ODM) and original equipment manufacturing (OEM) of cosmetics.

Korean cosmetics in the global market

Global companies are increasingly interested in the Korean cosmetics market. L'Oreal, the world's largest cosmetics company, has acquired a Korean cosmetics company “Style Nanda”. Style Nanda originally started with an online fashion mall and now it is more well-known for its cosmetics brand 3CE. In addition, AHC, which is famous for its eye cream, was acquired by Unilever, and Have&Be, which owns the Dr.Jart brand, was acquired by Estee Lauder.