On-line influencers, Ulta Magnificence officers and wonder publication editors attend Vacation Glow Evening, a program organized by Touchdown Worldwide’s curation undertaking, Ok-Magnificence World, in West Hollywood, Calif., Dec. 18, 2025. Courtesy of Touchdown Worldwide
A significant Korean magnificence product vendor in the USA has predicted 2026 because the “GOLDEN period” for Ok-beauty, citing the diversification of standard product classes and growth into key U.S. offline retail chains. The acronym GOLDEN stands for Progress of the market, Omnichannel, Legacy, Gadget, Expertise and New face, highlighting the sector’s multifaceted potential, the corporate mentioned.
Los Angeles-based Touchdown Worldwide, which has launched greater than 1,000 magnificence merchandise from 200 Korean manufacturers into U.S. retailers together with Ulta Magnificence, Goal and Walmart since 2013, mentioned the market is anticipating its strongest increase but this yr. As Ulta Magnificence’s unique vendor, the corporate emphasised that Korean corporations will want localized methods to maintain development and absolutely capitalize on the GOLDEN period.
Touchdown Worldwide confirmed that, as of the third quarter of 2025, the USA accounted for greater than 51 % of Ok-beauty’s world on-line gross sales, surpassing China to grow to be the world’s largest e-commerce market within the sector. The corporate cited a CNBC report displaying that gross sales of Korean merchandise within the U.S. jumped 37 % from the earlier yr.
Touchdown Worldwide mentioned Ok-beauty’s market development is multifaceted, pushed partly by the broader availability of merchandise throughout main offline retailers, which stay the first channel for U.S. magnificence shoppers. The corporate famous a specific surge amongst younger shoppers of their 20s, who usually uncover viral merchandise on-line after which flock to buy them at bodily shops.
Commercial for APR’s magnificence gadgets and beauty merchandise below its signature model, Medicube. APR’s gross sales in the USA throughout final yr’s Black Friday interval from November to December tripled from the earlier yr. Courtesy of APR
To cater to offline demand, Touchdown Worldwide launched a preview of the brand new Ok-Magnificence World class on Ulta Magnificence’s on-line platform final July and later rolled it out full-scale on the distributor’s offline shops.
“Some 95 % of Ulta Magnificence customers come again to the retailer’s offline shops or on-line channels for extra buying. At offline shops, many American guests are nonetheless unfamiliar with Ok-beauty. Korean manufacturers should promote themselves offline as properly, like by way of pop-up shops the place guests can expertise merchandise earlier than shopping for. Over 80 % of the U.S. magnificence market are offline channels like Ulta Magnificence, Costco and Goal,” a Touchdown official mentioned.
“Some 95 % of Ulta Magnificence customers return to the retailer’s offline shops or on-line channels for extra buying. At offline shops, many American guests are nonetheless unfamiliar with Ok-beauty,” they added.
“Korean manufacturers should promote themselves offline as properly, for instance by way of pop-up shops the place guests can expertise merchandise earlier than shopping for. Over 80 % of the U.S. magnificence market consists of offline channels like Ulta Magnificence, Costco and Goal.”
Diversification of Ok-beauty is one other market development within the U.S. Classes now embody not solely shade cosmetics and skincare but in addition hair care, scalp care, physique care and self-care gadgets geared up with modern applied sciences, which drew consideration on the CES 2026 tech honest in Las Vegas final week.
“New faces have emerged within the U.S. magnificence business, reminiscent of hair care and physique care merchandise, giving rise to buzzwords like ‘skinification,’” the Touchdown Worldwide official mentioned. “The machine market can also be anticipated to extend in worth from $14 billion in 2022 to $90 billion by 2030, in accordance with the Samil PwC Enterprise Analysis Institute. The sector is more likely to see rising demand and a bigger shopper base within the U.S.”
