SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – 20 JULY: in-cosmetics Korea returned to the spiritual home of cosmetics innovation last week, recording its largest and most international attendance since its inception in 2015.

Coming to a close in Seoul, South Korea on 14 July, the event attracted 10,823 unique visitors – a 27% increase on the previous year – for three days of unrivalled knowledge sharing, ingredient sourcing, and networking with industry pioneers and experts.

Sarah Gibson, Exhibition Director at in-cosmetics Korea said: “Our events are built on science-backed research, the latest market insights, and industry-wide analysis. This year’s show floor and event programme directly reflected the Korean, Japanese, and clean beauty trends shaping global markets, ensuring that our visitors remain at the forefront of this rapidly evolving industry.

“Each theatre, zone, and corner of the event were packed with enthused visitors in a way like never before, and the diversity reflected in attendees and scientific offerings is testament to the meticulous, laser-sharp focus the show has in APAC cosmetic ingredient trends. With 95% of next year’s exhibition space sold already, in-cosmetics Korea is showing no signs of slowing – and we look forward to returning next year with even more scientific knowledge and innovation.”

The most diverse show yet

Demonstrating the event’s global focus, 56% of the 281 ingredient suppliers and manufacturers and one in 10 visitors (13%) to the event had travelled from outside Korea.

Laura Bertrand, Business Development Manager at Microphyt, a new exhibitor to the Natural Extract Zone hailing from France, said: “We came here to discover the Korean market and seek a local partner. From the high quality and quantity of visitors, in-cosmetics Korea has been an incredibly positive experience for us.”

May Yuan, from China-based Suzhou Sunland Pharmatech, added: “This year’s show far exceeded my expectations and has presented us with a myriad of new projects and opportunities that have great potential for us. It’s all been very exciting and could not have been better.”

What’s trending?

The K-Beauty Inspiration Zone and Natural Extract Zone provided the perfect platforms for formulators and cosmetic scientists to identify the most prominent trends. The former shone a spotlight on K-Beauty innovations, featuring 21 new Korean products launched in the APAC region in the last two years. Attendees found cutting edge products and formulations from the likes of Clio and Dr. Jart. which inspired visitors with their unique ingredients and novel packaging. Importantly, they allowed R&D teams to easily identify the hero ingredients that will enable them to make their finished product a true success.

The latter premiered this year, honing in on sustainability against the backdrop of rising clean and green beauty trends. As more brands and consumers alike look to replace synthetic ingredients with natural variants, the zone welcomed suppliers from across the South Korean market and beyond, including Shebah Biotech, Metrochem Co. SIDBIO, Florihana, and more.

Pranchalee Khaja, visitor and co-founder of Thailand-based Friends of Busabar, said: “For us, Korean beauty products are some of the best in the industry, so naturally, we come here to learn from the best in the world and the K-Beauty Inspiration Zone surpassed our expectations. The show is incredibly impressive and professional, and we did not expect to walk away with so many new suppliers and partners!

Danitza Irahola, CEO of Braver Beauty in Chile, said: “[in-cosmetics Korea] is a great melting pot of information, knowledge, and inspiration of the cosmetic world. We work with some of the top products in Korea, so the K-Beauty Inspiration Zone was a great place to get to know these much better.”

The Marketing Trends and Regulation Seminars brought together leaders in the space, including Euromonitor International, Shiseido, and Mintel which presented their latest data on global consumer trends. The former identified the top 20 emerging and fast-moving consumer trends expected to gain traction in the coming year, while Mintel provided a deep dive into Japanese beauty trends.

BASF also presented an extremely valuable and well-attended technical seminar on bioactives introducing its research capabilities and vast portfolio of bioactive ingredients, as well as its special innovation focus on peptides.

An afternoon to remember

To celebrate the abundance of cutting-edge ingredients and formulations on display at the event, the in-cosmetics Korea Best Ingredient Awards returned for a show-stopping awards ceremony. The esteemed panel of judges awarded GATTEFOSSÉ with the Functional Category Winner accolade for its Emulium Demolea MB, a versatile ingredient that reduces skin stress and promotes long-term soothing.

In the Active Category, Givaudan took home the Gold Award for its PrimalHyal™ Hydra[+], an ingredient which presents an innovative way to bring the popular hyaluronic acid into rinse-off skincare. Silver was awarded to RAHN-Group’s PERFELINE®-FIT, a biomimetic way to strengthen the micro-vessels in human skin.

The Bronze Award was presented to joint winners; Vytrus Biotech for PHOTOBIOME™ – the microbiota photoprotector, and TriBeaute Inc., for its RedoxySense™ W. The full list of this year’s winners and product information can be seen here.

in-cosmetics Korea will return next year from 24-26 July at the Coex Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul, South Korea. For more information and to register to attend, visit here. For more information on exhibiting next year, visit here.