Beauty export value from South Korea 2023, by destination

In 2023, the value of beauty, make-up and skin care preparations exported from South Korea was the highest for China, valued at around 2.38 billion U.S. dollars. Despite having successful domestic beauty markets in C-beauty and J-beauty, China and Japan made up two of the three leading export destinations for K-beauty. The United States placed between them, with an export value of more than one trillion dollars. 

K-beauty popularity boom

South Korean beauty products have gained great popularity during the last years and, with that, a large consumer base. At this point, K-beauty receives praise not only by experts and consumers in South Korea but also by users globally. Thanks to Hallyu, the Korean wave, various Korean content, such as K-pop and K-dramas, have become somewhat mainstream. Additionally, social media beauty influencers have done a great deal to popularize Korean skin care and make-up products to audiences all over the world. The greatest factor for this positive perception lies in the perceived efficacy of South Korean beauty, especially for its comparably low price point. (1018286) 

What are the most exported K-beauty products?

Skin care is the base of Korean beauty. South Koreans believe that taking care of the skin first is more important to a flawless appearance and youthful look than applying make-up. This emphasis on skin care is also apparent in beauty exports as skin care recorded strong exports from South Korea throughout the years. In fact, skin care alone made up more than half of all Korean beauty exports.