AMOREPACIFIC's Global Expansion: Navigating the Dynamic Beauty Market
Strategic Export and E-commerce Initiatives Propel Korean Cosmetics Leader in Diverse International Landscapes
- AMOREPACIFIC
- e-commerce
- export strategies
- global market
- beauty industry
이보람 기자
Korean cosmetics, one of the nation's top export items, surpassed $10 billion in exports last year, achieving a record-breaking milestone. In response, Health Kyunghyang explored the government’s export promotion policies and covered the dynamic global activities of Korea’s leading cosmetics companies. Efforts from both the government and the industry continue to address increasingly strict export regulations around the world.<Editor’s Note>
■ Table of Contents
① Beyond China to the World: K-Beauty Takes Flight Again
② [Interview] Junsoo Shin, Director General of Biopharmaceuticals & Herbal Medicine, MFDS
③ AMOREPACIFIC
④ COSMAX
⑤ HanKook Kolmar
Marking its 80th anniversary, AMOREPACIFIC is implementing country-specific export strategies to capture the hearts of global consumers. In particular, as the global distribution landscape has rapidly changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is now focusing on diversifying its distribution channels.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. consumers have increasingly turned to e-commerce platforms like Amazon to purchase beauty products, while significant changes have also occurred in offline retail. There is now a growing preference for multi-brand stores, where customers can compare and try out various products in one place.
In response, AMOREPACIFIC streamlined its existing single-brand store channels in the U.S. and shifted its focus toward investing in e-commerce platforms such as Amazon. The company also strengthened its digital content strategy by increasing collaborations with beauty influencers. As a result, during last year’s Amazon Prime Day online shopping event, AMOREPACIFIC products ranked first to third in the Beauty & Personal Care category based on sales volume.
China remains a key market for AMOREPACIFIC, and recent developments—such as a return to profitability in Chinese sales—signal positive momentum. This year, the company plans to focus on improving the overall profitability structure of its Chinese operations while strengthening the competitiveness of its core brands in the market, Sulwhasoo and RYO. In the e-commerce space, AMOREPACIFIC is actively marketing through platforms like Dǒuyīn and Kwaishou, and is also exploring new offline retail channels as potential growth opportunities.
AMOREPACIFIC also views the European market as a key growth axis and is strengthening partnerships with local distribution channels. The company is diversifying exports, particularly focusing on LANEIGE and COSRX, which enjoy strong brand preference in Europe. Its strategy is to first build brand recognition in the U.K.—the market where U.S. beauty trends tend to arrive the fastest—and then expand across the broader European region. Notably, after entering the U.K. last year, LANEIGE saw its lip and skincare product sales double.
India is one of the fastest-growing beauty markets, and AMOREPACIFIC has been active there since 2013, performing well in the premium brand segment. The company is now focusing on expanding its distribution network through emerging retail platforms such as Nykaa—often referred to as the "Olive Young of India"—as well as Tira and Sephora.
In Japan, AMOREPACIFIC had previously focused on the market through single-brand stores centered around ETUDE and Innisfree. However, over the past two years, the company has shifted its strategy toward multi-brand stores and e-commerce to open new avenues for growth. New brands such as LANEIGE, AESTURA, HERA, and primera have also entered the market. This year, AMOREPACIFIC plans to significantly expand customer engagement by strengthening partnerships with major Japanese distributors.
