Sales of K-Beauty surges in US e-commerce

The popularity of South Korean cosmetics in the US has increased, with sales of the products growing at four to five times the rate of the market as a whole. 
 
According to Samsung Securities on Tuesday, sales of South Korean basic cosmetics on Amazon in the US surged 122% year over year in the third quarter of last year. 

During the same period, overall sales of basic cosmetics on Amazon increased by 29%. The increase in sales of South Korean beauty (K-beauty) products was more than four times that of the total. 

In the US e-commerce market as a whole, including Amazon, the growth rate of South Korean cosmetics sales in the third quarter of last year was 79%, more than five times higher than the overall growth rate (14%).

85% of K-beauty sales in the US e-commerce market came from basic cosmetics, including Cosrx, Laneige, Noir, and Beauty of Joseon.

As the popularity of K-beauty products has increased, overseas brands have also emerged. SeoulCeuticals, an American cosmetics brand, is a representative example. 

SeoulCeuticals, headquartered in Florida, is an American company not directly related to South Korea, but it uses the word “Seoul” in South Korea in its brand name and all of its products.

Write to Hyung-Joo Oh at ohj@hankyung.com