Ministry of Food and Drug Safety headquarters in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province / Yonhap

Korea's cosmetics trade surplus reached $10.1 billion in 2025, surpassing the $10 billion threshold for the first time and rising 13.5 percent from 2024, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Friday.

Exports hit a record $11.4 billion, up 11.8 percent year-on-year, while imports edged down 2.3 percent to $1.29 billion. Korea's cosmetics exports ranked second globally in 2025, overtaking the United States. France led with $24.3 billion, followed by Korea at $11.4 billion and the United States at $10.8 billion.

The cosmetics trade surplus of $10.1 billion accounted for 12.9 percent of Korea's total trade surplus of $78 billion last year, making the sector one of the country's leading contributors to the overall balance.

Skin care products led export categories at $8.53 billion, or 74.7 percent of total exports, followed by color cosmetics at $1.51 billion, or 13.2 percent. Together they accounted for 87.9 percent of all cosmetics exports.

By destination, the United States ranked first among individual export markets at $2.2 billion, topping China for the first time. China came second at $2 billion, a 19 percent decline year-on-year, while Japan ranked third at $1.1 billion. Korea exported to 202 countries in 2025, up from 172 in 2024. Among the fastest-growing markets, Poland surged 115 percent to rank ninth, and the United Arab Emirates rose 70.6 percent to rank eighth.

Domestic cosmetics production reached a record 17.94 trillion won in 2025, up 2.3 percent from the previous year. Among the sales companies responsible, LG H&H led with 3.92 trillion won in production, followed by Amorepacific with 3.03 trillion won. Among original design manufacturers, Cosmax topped the category at 1.61 trillion won, followed by Kolmar Korea at 1.3 trillion won.

The ministry said it plans to hold the inaugural Global Cosmetics Regulatory Authority Summit in September, expanding its existing Asia-focused regulatory forum to include the Middle East and South America. The agency is also launching a halal cosmetics certification support program to help Korean brands access growing Muslim markets worldwide.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

Source: Korea Times News