A girl applies lipstick at a cosmetics store at a shopping center in Beijing on this February 2024 picture. AFP-Yonhap
HONG KONG — Like lots of her classmates, Xie Roumei, a 28-year-old accountant from China’s Fujian province, began utilizing Korean cosmetics in highschool — a choice she carried into her 20s.
A lot of the eye make-up and wonder merchandise she makes use of are nonetheless Korean, Xie mentioned. Such loyalty has helped flip the nation’s cosmetics business into a worldwide powerhouse, with exports rivaling these of semiconductors and vehicles.
Fueled by the worldwide attraction of Okay-pop, Okay-dramas and the “glass pores and skin” splendid, the business has logged report development lately, making Korea the world’s second-largest cosmetics exporter behind France.
However it might nonetheless be too early to pop the champagne. Current knowledge and evaluation counsel that China is quietly increasing its personal footprint in international markets, supported by sturdy home demand within the sector and a extra aggressive push abroad.
In line with customs knowledge, China’s cosmetics exports totaled $3.99 billion within the first 11 months of 2025, an 8.7 p.c improve from a 12 months earlier.
That also trailed Korea, whose exports reached a report $10.3 billion over the identical interval, up 11.8 p.c from a 12 months earlier, based on official knowledge, however the hole has narrowed. China’s cosmetics imports fell 3.4 p.c to $11.63 billion, an indication that home manufacturers are capturing extra market share at dwelling.
“Chinese language magnificence manufacturers could arguably already exceed Okay-beauty in absolute worth and shopper attain,” mentioned Chloe Zhu, a marketing consultant at Euromonitor Worldwide. “The dimensions of native demand offers a structural benefit that few different markets can match.”
Whereas market watchers anticipate one other report 12 months for Korea’s cosmetics business, whose exports are projected to achieve greater than 200 international locations, Chinese language development is accelerating. Between 2020 and 2024, Korean magnificence, make-up and skincare exports rose about 6 p.c yearly, properly beneath China’s 18 p.c annual improve, based on the Worldwide Commerce Centre.
“Korean cosmetics are nonetheless extremely popular in China, however the texture and coloration payoff really feel fairly comparable,” Xie mentioned. “I don’t suppose there’s an enormous distinction anymore.”
Clients store at an obligation free shopping center in Sanya, Hainan province, in southern China, November 2025. Xinhua-Yonhap
From patriotic shopping for to international push
The rise of Chinese language cosmetics might be traced to the phenomenon of “guochao,” a wave of patriotic consumption that emerged within the late 2010s when customers gravitated in the direction of merchandise rooted in home heritage and aesthetics.
By 2024, native magnificence corporations accounted for 55.7 p.c of home market share, based on the Korea Commerce-Funding Promotion Company — a shift that got here on the expense of international manufacturers.
Korea was hit notably laborious. Following the 2016 deployment of the U.S.-backed Terminal Excessive Altitude Space Protection system, an unofficial ban on South Korean cultural exports and shopper merchandise compelled a partial retreat from the Chinese language market.
As soon as the biggest vacation spot for Korean cosmetics exports, China’s share plunged from 69 p.c to 23 p.c between 2022 and 2025, based on Euromonitor knowledge.
But as home consumption slows and competitors intensifies at dwelling, China’s cosmetics business is now getting into a second section: fast growth abroad.
In March final 12 months, Ushopal Group accomplished its acquisition of Payot, a French skincare model with greater than a century of historical past and a presence in additional than 70 markets.
Mao Geping, a high-end cosmetics model identified for incorporating conventional Chinese language aesthetics, has additionally introduced plans to increase internationally via division retailer counters and on-line channels.
In October, Flower Is aware of — a Chinese language magnificence model identified for its princess-style packaging — opened its first pop-up retailer in Seoul and launched an official on-line mall, marking a notable step into the Korean market.
Rising shopper belief is permitting Chinese language manufacturers to maneuver into premium segments, difficult the notion that they compete solely on value, analysts mentioned. The technique mirrors a well-recognized Chinese language playbook: Corporations maintain costs aggressive whereas quickly narrowing gaps in product high quality and performance — an strategy that has helped companies achieve floor in lots of the world’s best export sectors.
“Solely a handful of manufacturers can realistically compete with the pace and scale at which native Chinese language manufacturers are investing and responding to the market immediately,” mentioned a China-based official at a number one Korean cosmetics firm, who spoke on situation of anonymity.
Commerce Minister Yeo Han-koo, middle, talks with officers from a Korean cosmetics firm in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, November 2025. Courtesy of the Ministry of Commerce, Business and Assets
Partial rivalry?
Regardless of the rise of Chinese language manufacturers, the 2 international locations are usually not fairly competing face to face. Skincare continues to dominate Korea’s exports, whereas Chinese language companies have discovered early success in coloration cosmetics — a class that usually calls for much less model loyalty and appeals to trend-driven customers.
“I might strive new types at comparatively low costs by shopping for Chinese language merchandise like eyeshadow and false eyelashes via platforms resembling Temu and AliExpress,” mentioned Hong Ju-mi, a theatrical make-up artist based mostly in Seoul.
However she mentioned she stays hesitant to strive new skincare merchandise from abroad, as she is unsure about their long-term results.
That story is a well-recognized one to Chinese language manufacturers like Good Diary and Florasis. These companies have gained market share however proceed to battle to draw comparable visitors within the dearer skincare and premium classes, mentioned Catherine Lim, a senior fairness analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence who makes a speciality of China’s retail and e-commerce sectors.
Breaking into these segments, she added, would require sustained shopper belief — a degree echoed by Vincentia Vania Natasha, who works in abroad gross sales and advertising at a Korean magnificence firm.
“At present, Korean and Chinese language cosmetics are in a really comparable value vary, so value is now not the important thing differentiator,” she mentioned. “What really units Korean skincare aside is its long-term presence within the international market over 15 years of amassed belief.”
Korean manufacturers additionally possess different distinct benefits, with business insiders citing sturdy model identification, cultural attraction and international distribution networks.
Korean corporations have already achieved vital success in prosperous Western markets and, lately, have diversified exports to ascertain stronger footholds within the Center East and South America.
The worldwide recognition of Korean cultural exports has created a halo impact for the business, strengthened by a rising inflow of worldwide guests looking for aesthetic and skincare therapies. Analysts mentioned this might bolster long-term export demand by strengthening model recognition overseas.
Improved bilateral relations might additionally enhance the prospects of a Korean comeback within the Chinese language market. First girl Kim Hea Kyung attended a magnificence occasion in Shanghai on Jan. 7, selling Korean cosmetics on the sidelines of President Lee Jae Myung’s journey to the nation.
First girl Kim Hea Kyung, left, applies Korean beauty merchandise to Cao Lu, a former Okay-pop idol, at a Okay-beauty promotion occasion in Shanghai, Jan. 7. Joint Press Corps
Turning tradition into commerce?
As South Korean manufacturers lean on fame and international belief, Chinese language companies have adopted daring advertising methods and attention-grabbing packaging. Platforms like Douyin and TikTok serve the business by amplifying dramatic, doll-like make-up appears grounded in distinctly Chinese language aesthetics for international audiences.
That success is most evident abroad in Southeast Asia, the place youthful demographics and rising disposable revenue are fueling demand for inexpensive magnificence merchandise.
Throughout six regional markets — Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines — Chinese language manufacturers recorded compound annual development charges of 115 p.c in mass-market skincare and 111 p.c in facial care between 2019 and 2024, based on Euromonitor knowledge.
Laura Pageault, a graduate pupil in France, first found Chinese language cosmetics throughout a latest journey to Southeast Asia. What started with a single product has since developed into a complete skincare routine — from moisturizer and retinol serum to make-up remover and clay masks — solely utilizing Chinese language manufacturers.
“I’m nonetheless observing their effectiveness over the long run, however thus far I’ve been fairly happy with the merchandise,” she mentioned.
To really compete on the worldwide stage, nevertheless, Chinese language manufacturers should determine a “cultural service” that enhances international model recognition, corresponding to the likes of Okay-pop, mentioned Xu Tianchen, senior economist on the Economist Intelligence Unit.
He pointed to China’s micro dramas — which run for only a few minutes per episode, with fast-paced storylines and frequent plot twists — as one doable avenue. The business reached an viewers of 662 million in China in 2024, rivaling movie and tv, and the brief sequence have gained traction internationally.
“If actresses in fashionable dramas put on Chinese language make-up, it may benefit these Chinese language manufacturers commercially,” he mentioned.
Extra reporting by Ji Siqi from the South China Morning Publish.
