Newest information on Ok-beauty exports, Olive Younger, Mediheal and ANUA

Shifts and future steps for Ok-beauty exports

South Korean cosmetics exports hit a brand new excessive final 12 months, in response to statistics from the Ministry of Meals and Drug Security (MFDS).

Cosmetics exports in 2025 exceeded USD11.43bn, a 12.3% improve from the earlier 12 months’s USD10.18bn, with the most important export vacation spot shifting from China to the US.

Since rising to second place in 2021, the share of Ok-beauty exports to the US has steadily elevated. Final 12 months, exports to the US reached USD2.186bn, a 15.1% improve from the earlier 12 months and accounted for 19.1% of complete cosmetics exports.

Exports to China fell 19.2% to USD2.014bn whereas Japan remained in third place, with exports growing 5% to USD1.087bn.

Notably, the variety of export locations elevated by 30 to 202 international locations from 2024 to 2025. Particularly, exports elevated in Europe, the Center East, and Latin America.

For instance, France’s exports rose 73.6% and the UK by 54.7%. The UAE and Poland noticed will increase of 69.7% and 111.7% respectively, newly becoming a member of the highest 10 exporting international locations.

By way of product class, primary cosmetics made up the most important share (USD8.54bn), accounting for 74.7% of complete exports. Color cosmetics elevated by 12% and private care merchandise by 27.3%. In the meantime, fragrances noticed the very best development, rising by 46.2% year-on-year.

Contemplating the rising demand for security assessments in main markets just like the US and China, the MFDS will regularly introduce a security evaluation system in Korea, ranging from 2028.

Moreover, native manufacturing and high quality management requirements will likely be aligned with ISO 22716, the worldwide customary for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for cosmetics.

The AI Cosbot, a chatbot that gives info comparable to native and overseas beauty rules and prohibited components utilizing generative AI expertise, can even be enhanced to strengthen the worldwide competitiveness of Ok-beauty.

The MFDS stated that it’s going to broaden cooperation with abroad regulatory businesses and proceed communication with the trade to help the secure distribution of home cosmetics in overseas markets.

Olive Younger joins arms with Sephora

South Korea’s main magnificence and wellness retailer CJ Olive Younger has introduced a strategic partnership with Sephora, as a part of its broader efforts to help the worldwide growth of high-potential Ok-beauty manufacturers and elevate its presence as a world retail platform.

Via the partnership, Olive Younger will collaborate with Sephora to curate devoted Ok-beauty zones, which will likely be rolled out throughout each offline and on-line channels. This idea is ready to replicate Olive Younger’s experience in model incubation, trend-driven curation, and data-backed merchandising.

Ranging from the second half of 2026, these Olive Younger-curated Ok-beauty zones will likely be launched at Sephora shops throughout North America (US and Canada) and key world markets together with Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Hong Kong.

Growth into the Center East, the UK, and Australia is predicted to happen in 2027.

The partnership represents an necessary milestone in Olive Younger’s long-term world technique, because it prepares to open its first bodily retailer in Los Angeles this Might.

Past retail growth, the corporate appears to be like to proceed positioning itself as a platform that identifies, nurtures, and scales manufacturers, connecting their home success with rising world client demand.

The Ok-beauty zones will current Olive Younger’s perspective on Ok-beauty to a broader viewers, whereas creating scalable pathways for Korean manufacturers to ascertain a sustainable presence throughout worldwide markets.

Restructuring yields outcomes for Mediheal

Dermacosmetic model Mediheal has been named the highest model in complete gross sales at Olive Younger for a second consecutive 12 months (2024-2025), beating greater than 3,000 manufacturers and changing into the primary to realize this twice because the retailer’s founding in 1999.

Touted because the Korean equal of Ulta and Sephora, performing properly at Olive Younger is seen as a powerful indicator of worldwide relevance and long-term client belief.

“Success at Olive Younger is particularly significant as a result of it’s the place customers uncover Ok-beauty tendencies first. The efficiency of our Madecassoside line validates our product technique as we look forward to 2026, and reinforces our deal with scaling confirmed innovation from Korea to the US and different world markets,” stated Johanna Kim, CEO and inventive director of Mediheal.

Since 2009, Mediheal’s core product traces, together with toner pads, serums and sheet masks, have pushed its development within the US and throughout the globe. So far, the model has offered greater than 3.3bn sheet masks and over 32m toner pads worldwide.

In the course of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday interval, its Retinol Collagen Eye Patch ranked first in Amazon’s “Movers & Shakers in Magnificence & Private Care” class, a designation that highlights the fastest-rising merchandise based mostly on sharp positive factors inside a 24-hour interval.

These outcomes have been attributed to a company-wide model transformation and organisational restructuring over the previous three years, pushed by new management and a renewed deal with agility.

Particularly, Mediheal has boosted its means to reply to fast market adjustments with progressive product growth, data-driven and nimble advertising and marketing methods, and a disciplined, strategic strategy to distribution.

ANUA enters KPop Demon Hunters’ universe

As KPop Demon Hunters expands past the display screen, ANUA beforehand teased about an upcoming collaboration — a year-long, multi-phased marketing campaign — with the favored Netflix present.

It contains the launch of a collection of merchandise, comprising collagen sheet masks, pimples patch and sunscreens, which will likely be progressively launched ranging from February 1.

This partnership is ready to discover emotional storytelling, world youth tradition, character-inspired ideas, bringing immersive touchpoints and wonder experiences to customers all over the world.

Impressed by the movie’s iconic moments, the marketing campaign reframes skincare as each safety and empowerment.

In accordance with ANUA, this challenge affords followers of the sequence new methods to attach with the characters and themes they love, bridging fandom and skincare in a approach that “has by no means been seen earlier than”.

“KPop Demon Hunters has ignited a cultural wave that continues to rise throughout the globe. At ANUA, we imagine magnificence is most significant when it connects to inside stability and emotional awakening.

“This collaboration permits us to merge these values with a universe that resonates deeply with followers in every single place. We can’t wait to share what we’ve been constructing,” stated Seon Hyeong Yi, CEO of ANUA.