Driven by the popularity of K-Beauty, cosmetics exports reached an all-time high in the first half of this year.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced today (July 2) that cosmetics exports for the first half of the year totaled $7 billion (provisional, approximately 11 trillion won), a 27.3% increase compared to the same period last year and the highest figure ever recorded for a first-half period.
For the first half of the year, cosmetics exports hovered in the $4 billion range in 2022, 2023, and 2024, before jumping to $5.5 billion last year and expanding to $7 billion this year.
Cosmetics exports in the second quarter of this year reached $3.9 billion, a 25.8% increase compared to the first quarter ($3.1 billion).
By country, exports to the United States were the highest, totaling $1.45 billion (20.7% of total exports).
Exports to the U.S. increased by $430 million compared to the same period last year.
This was followed by exports to China at $1.01 billion (14.4%) and Japan at $580 million (8.3%).
By product type, basic skincare products accounted for the largest share of exports at $5.48 billion, followed by color cosmetics at $720 million and body cleansing products at $340 million.
(Photo: Yonhap News)