Korean cosmetics exports exceed US$5.6 billion in five months

SEOUL, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 07th Jun, 2026) Korean outbound shipments of cosmetics jumped sharply from a year earlier in the first five months of the year, making beauty products the country's top consumer export item, government data showed Sunday.

Combined outbound shipments of Korean beauty products came to US$5.6 billion during the January-May period, up from $4.6 billion recorded a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.

Yonhap news Agency quoted the ministry as saying that demand for Korean cosmetics has continued to expand in Europe and the United States despite a decline in exports to China, traditionally one of the Republic of Korea's largest overseas markets.

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Cosmetics became the top export category among the Republic of Korea's five major consumer goods sectors, which include agricultural and fishery products, cosmetics, fashion apparel, household goods and pharmaceuticals.

Over the past three years, agricultural and fishery products had consistently ranked as the largest export category among the five consumer goods sectors.

Korean cosmetic exports surpassed the $10 billion mark for the first time in 2024, before reaching an all-time high of $11.4 billion in 2025.