Propelled by interest in all things South Korea, Amorepacific, the cosmetics giant, is expanding its reach into the United States. But so are many of its competitors.
Korean brands are reaching a global audience, who are drawn to beauty products featuring unique ingredients and technological breakthroughs at an attainable price. Credit... Video by Tina Hsu
Daisuke Wakabayashi and Jin Yu Young visited a ginseng farm near the border of North Korea, a Sephora shop in Manhattan and a Sulwhasoo store in Seoul.
In 1991, four years after joining Amorepacific, his family's South Korean beauty conglomerate, Suh Kyungbae traveled to France to figure out why the company's skin care line was selling so poorly there.
"I realized that having a brand that is recognized in the market is very important," said Mr. Suh, 62, now the chairman of Amorepacific. "At that time, Korean brands weren't strong enough."
Those days are long gone. Riding the cultural wave of South Korean music, movies and television shows, even food, the country's beauty products are thriving. South Korean beauty trends — including glass skin , multistep skin care routines and snail mucin serum — are online fodder.
South Korea surpassed the United States to become the world's second-largest cosmetics exporter, after France, in the first half of 2025. Cosmetics exports surged 15 percent in the six-month period, to a record $5.5 billion, fueled by growth in the United States and Europe, according to data from the South Korean government.
Amorepacific is being transformed from domestic stalwart to export powerhouse. Last year, the company's sales to the West, which includes North America and Europe, more than doubled.
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