Skincare vs Makeup Exports from Korea: Shares and Trends
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Bottom line: in skincare vs makeup exports from Korea, skincare took 74.7% and make-up 13.2% of 2025 cosmetics exports on the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) type classification, and within make-up, lip products (HS 3304.10) grew fastest, from USD 46 million in 2015 to USD 608 million in 2025, 13.1 times as much.
We used two datasets: MFDS export results by cosmetic type under Korea’s Cosmetics Act for 2024 and 2025, and eleven years of Korea’s exports by HS 3304 six-digit subheading as reported to UN Comtrade. The two classify products differently, so their figures should not be added to or subtracted from each other directly.
Skincare vs makeup exports: MFDS export results by type
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| Type | 2024 (USD thousand) | Share | 2025 (USD thousand) | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skincare (basic) | 7,653,680 | 75.2% | 8,532,021 | 74.7% | +11.5% |
| Make-up (colour) | 1,344,706 | 13.2% | 1,505,132 | 13.2% | +11.9% |
| Hair | 461,411 | 4.5% | 586,939 | 5.1% | +27.2% |
| Body cleansing | 413,805 | 4.1% | 479,391 | 4.2% | +15.8% |
| Eye make-up | 194,512 | 1.9% | 196,514 | 1.7% | +1.0% |
| Total | 10,177,312 | 100% | 11,417,570 | 100% | +12.2% |
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| Year | 3304.10 lip (USD m) | 3304.20 eye (USD m) | 3304.30 nail (USD m) | 3304.91 powders (USD m) | 3304.99 other (USD m) | 3304.10–91 share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 46.3 | 102.7 | 16.3 | 28.4 | 2,245.6 | 7.9% |
| 2017 | 126.2 | 140.1 | 15.9 | 30.8 | 3,594.1 | 8.0% |
| 2019 | 167.9 | 178.0 | 15.7 | 42.0 | 4,918.6 | 7.6% |
| 2021 | 171.2 | 215.5 | 30.3 | 44.4 | 7,199.3 | 6.0% |
| 2023 | 356.3 | 203.1 | 23.8 | 71.2 | 6,527.5 | 9.1% |
| 2024 | 492.8 | 194.5 | 24.8 | 77.8 | 7,776.7 | 9.2% |
| 2025 | 607.7 | 196.5 | 31.8 | 67.4 | 8,521.5 | 9.6% |
HS 3304.10 (lip make-up) and 3304.20 (eye make-up) exports · Korea, 2015–2025 · Source: UN Comtrade · ACCESSED 2026-10-16 · USD million
Definitions, sources and access date
- MFDS table: attachment 9, “Cosmetics exports by type”, in the release on 2025 cosmetics production, exports and imports (USD thousand). The five largest types are shown; smaller types (baby, nail, fragrance and others) are left out.
- UN Comtrade table: reporter Korea, exports, partner World, HS 330410, 330420, 330430, 330491 and 330499, annual FOB value rounded to USD million. For space, odd years plus the latest three are shown; the chart uses all eleven years. “3304.10–91 share” is the four make-up-specific subheadings divided by total HS 3304.
- How the two relate: MFDS eye make-up (USD 196,514 thousand) matches HS 330420 (USD 196,514,246), and MFDS nail products (USD 31,763 thousand) match HS 330430. MFDS make-up (USD 1.51 billion), however, is larger than HS 330410 plus 330491 (USD 0.68 billion), which shows that HS 3304.99 “other” contains a sizeable amount of make-up as well as skincare. So 3304.99 should not be read as “skincare”.
- Sources: MFDS press release, 22 May 2026: https://www.mfds.go.kr/brd/m_99/view.do?seq=50010 · UN Comtrade https://comtradeplus.un.org/ (example API query: https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=410&period=2025&cmdCode=330410,330420,330430,330491,330499&flowCode=X&partnerCode=0 )
- Data accessed: 16 October 2026
What the numbers say
Three-quarters of exports are skincare. On the MFDS measure, skincare’s share barely moved, from 75.2% in 2024 to 74.7% in 2025, and make-up held at 13.2% in both years. Hair products grew fastest (+27.2%).
Lip products are the make-up growth story. HS 3304.10 exports rose from USD 171 million in 2021 to USD 608 million in 2025, 3.5 times in four years, lifting their share of HS 3304 from 1.9% in 2015 to 6.4% in 2025. Eye make-up (3304.20), by contrast, peaked at USD 226 million in 2022 and has stayed around USD 190–200 million since.
Make-up-specific subheadings are edging up. Their combined share rose from 6.0% in 2021 to 9.6% in 2025, mostly because of lip products.
For a buyer planning a Korean range, skincare is still the core of what Korea exports, but fast-growing niches such as lip products are worth watching alongside it.
Related reading: Korean cosmetics industry statistics · Korean cosmetics export trend · Korean cosmetics exports by country
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