Skincare is carrying K-beauty's record year

ÉDELSKIN Journal · Market Intelligence · 9 November 2026

New export figures from Korea show skincare doing almost all of the work in a record nine months, and Southeast Asian shoppers starting to buy beyond the face.

78.3%. That is the share of South Korea's cosmetics exports that came from skincare between January and September 2026.

The figure comes from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), which published its nine month export data for the biohealth sector on 27 October. It is one of the clearest signals this year of where consumer demand in beauty is heading, and it comes from a country whose skincare has shaped routines across Asia.

A record built on skincare

Korean cosmetics exports reached $11.13 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 31.0% year on year and a record for the period. Cosmetics were the largest part of Korea's biohealth exports, which rose 19.4% to a record $24.75 billion.

Skincare products alone came to $8.71 billion, up 37.7% year on year, also a record. Put simply, skincare grew faster than cosmetics overall, and it now accounts for close to four in every five dollars Korea earns from beauty exports.

That matters because skincare is a category shoppers stay with. A serum or a moisturiser earns a place in a daily routine, and a routine is repeated. When a whole national industry grows on that basis, it tells you what consumers in many markets are willing to keep buying.

Demand is travelling far from Seoul

KHIDI attributes the record to strong growth in skincare exports to the U.S., the world's largest cosmetics market, and to fast expanding demand in new markets in the West.

The numbers are striking. Skincare shipments to the U.S. rose 49.1% to $1.8 billion. Exports to the U.K. rose 210.5% to $400 million, which means they more than tripled. Canada was up 155.1% to $250 million.

Choi Young-im, director of the Biohealth Innovation Planning Department at KHIDI, said demand for skincare products in Western markets is expected to continue through the rest of the year, and that Korea's biohealth exports are expected to exceed $30 billion for the first time on an annual basis.

Southeast Asia is widening the basket

The Asia story sits one category over. Korean exports of personal cleansing products rose 30.6% to a record $550 million in the same nine months. Shipments to Vietnam rose 42.6% to $30 million, and exports to Indonesia rose 116.2% to $20 million.

The amounts are still small, and the growth rates show where demand is heading. Cosinkorea's report on the KHIDI data describes the category spreading from skincare into personal cleansing. Our reading: shoppers who trust Korean skincare are starting to add cleansers and body care from the same source.

The same pattern shows up in devices. Korean medical laser device exports rose 15.2% to a record $420 million, with exports to Thailand up 19.6% to $30 million and to Vietnam up 137.5% to $10 million. Korea Biomedical Review notes growing sales of aesthetic laser devices in Southeast Asia and Latin America behind that growth.

What this means for brands growing in China and Asia

Three things stand out.

First, skincare remains the engine. Brands with a strong skincare offer are working with the strongest current in beauty, and that current is now global.

Second, Asian shoppers set expectations. Korean skincare was built for some of the most demanding consumers in the world, people who compare ingredients, read reviews and expect to see results. Those habits are now spreading to other markets, and in China and across Asia they are simply the norm. Every brand on those platforms is judged against them.

Third, routines grow. The cleansing figures in Vietnam and Indonesia show that once trust is earned in one product, shoppers widen what they buy from the same source. A launch is the start of a relationship that can deepen over many purchases.

The ÉDELSKIN take

A record like this comes from steady daily work, done well across many markets. Clear product stories, consistent content, close reading of the data, and fast reactions to what shoppers say.

That is how we work. At ÉDELSKIN, a dedicated team handles marketing, social media, data-driven optimisation and daily operations for each brand. Brands see their first sales within 30 days, and the brand owns everything we build together.

How clearly does your product show its results to a shopper in Asia?

Planning your next step in China and Asia? Let's talk at edelskin.com.

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