From snail mucin and mugwort to Centella asiatica and rice water, K-Beauty ingredients, despite their perhaps at first unconventional nature, have captured the hearts and minds of consumers the world over.

A quick search of #kbeauty on TikTok yields more than 654,000 posts, where users have shared their beauty product finds, skincare and makeup routines, and personal care practices in ode of Korean beauty.

The success that Korean brands like Glow Recipe, COSRX, Laneige, Dr. Jart, Beauty of Joseon, ISNTREE, plus many others have experienced in the West demonstrates the power of the Korean beauty market.

Earlier this year, South Korea’s Customs Department[1] revealed that the country’s total cosmetics exports have reached a new high of $2.3 billion,[2] with the US, France, and Canada as leading recipients. According to Jing Daily, K-beauty brands have shifted their focus from China to the global market and the results speak for themselves.

In 2023, the sales of Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops amounted to an eyewatering $300m, while Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF50+ PA++++ and COSRX’s Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence saw similar success, driven by a cult of Gen Z followers on TikTok.