Who would have thought serums infused with snail mucin - the sticky substance they secrete - would become a part of skincare routines around the world? Well, it's happened - and the gooey elasticity is key, according to a viral TikTok challenge promoting the serum. It made its manufacturer, the small South Korean label CosRX, go global. It is now owned by Amorepacific, the country's biggest cosmetics company.
The rapid spread of that sticky serum tells you just how wildly successful K-beauty has become. Fuelled by viral content and trends, it is one of the biggest industries in South Korea, where the pressure to look almost flawless has always been huge in a highly competitive society.
The domestic market alone was valued at about $13bn (£9.6bn) in 2024, with sales of some products expected to grow at double-digit rates. And the rest of the world is just as obsessed with K-beauty - which is perhaps unsurprising given it's part of the Hallyu, or Korean Wave, which has made K-Pop and K-dramas a global phenomenon.
K-beauty brands now occupy whole sections at global retailers - from Sephora to Boots to Walmart. In the first half of 2025, South Korea overtook France, the birthplace of modern cosmetics, to become the world's second-largest exporter of beauty products, after the United States.
Search for Korean skincare on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube and you'll be met with a deluge of content from influencers, some of whom have hundreds of millions of followers. They dissect ingredient lists, film unboxings and record Get Ready With Me videos built around ideas such as glass skin, sheet masks and, of course, snail mucin.
There are so many products and brands, and a lot of times you're exposed to millions of them as a consumer - it's highly saturated and competitive, said Liah Yoo, a beauty influencer and founder of the US-based K-beauty brand Krave Beauty.
At the heart of K-beauty's rise is a relentless pace of innovation. New formulations appear every few months, often designed to spark the next online obsession. Ten-step skincare routines, overnight water sleeping masks and headline-grabbing ingredients such as salmon sperm were once viewed as niche or unappealing. Today, many are staples in bathroom cabinets from London to Los Angeles.
Social media has been central to this shift. Products launched in Seoul are on TikTok and Instagram feeds in the US, UK, India and Australia instantly. There are however growing concerns about the social impact of beauty ideals, particularly on young people. Experts warn that constant exposure to skincare content online can fuel anxiety and excessive spending.
We are fully aware that excessive use or misuse of social media can lead to backlash, said Kim Seung-hwan, Amorepacific's chief executive, adding that brands must strike a careful balance in how they use online platforms.
L'Oréal acquired a South Korean conglomerate which included the brand Dr.G in late 2024, saying the deal would help meet rising demand for effective yet affordable K-beauty products. Other global firms are increasingly incorporating popular ingredients associated with Korean brands such as centella asiatica and rice water into their own lines.
In 2024, Amorepacific sold about $6.2bn of products. Exports rose 15% in the first half of 2025 to a record $5.5bn, largely driven by strong sales in the US and Europe, putting the country on track to surpass $10bn in annual beauty exports. As competition intensifies, brands face growing pressure to be more transparent, and to focus on ingredients and the effectiveness of their products rather than celebrity endorsements.
The rapid spread of that sticky serum tells you just how wildly successful K-beauty has become. Fuelled by viral content and trends, it is one of the biggest industries in South Korea, where the pressure to look almost flawless has always been huge in a highly competitive society.
The domestic market alone was valued at about $13bn (£9.6bn) in 2024, with sales of some products expected to grow at double-digit rates. And the rest of the world is just as obsessed with K-beauty - which is perhaps unsurprising given it's part of the Hallyu, or Korean Wave, which has made K-Pop and K-dramas a global phenomenon.
K-beauty brands now occupy whole sections at global retailers - from Sephora to Boots to Walmart. In the first half of 2025, South Korea overtook France, the birthplace of modern cosmetics, to become the world's second-largest exporter of beauty products, after the United States.
Search for Korean skincare on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube and you'll be met with a deluge of content from influencers, some of whom have hundreds of millions of followers. They dissect ingredient lists, film unboxings and record Get Ready With Me videos built around ideas such as glass skin, sheet masks and, of course, snail mucin.
There are so many products and brands, and a lot of times you're exposed to millions of them as a consumer - it's highly saturated and competitive, said Liah Yoo, a beauty influencer and founder of the US-based K-beauty brand Krave Beauty.
At the heart of K-beauty's rise is a relentless pace of innovation. New formulations appear every few months, often designed to spark the next online obsession. Ten-step skincare routines, overnight water sleeping masks and headline-grabbing ingredients such as salmon sperm were once viewed as niche or unappealing. Today, many are staples in bathroom cabinets from London to Los Angeles.
Social media has been central to this shift. Products launched in Seoul are on TikTok and Instagram feeds in the US, UK, India and Australia instantly. There are however growing concerns about the social impact of beauty ideals, particularly on young people. Experts warn that constant exposure to skincare content online can fuel anxiety and excessive spending.
We are fully aware that excessive use or misuse of social media can lead to backlash, said Kim Seung-hwan, Amorepacific's chief executive, adding that brands must strike a careful balance in how they use online platforms.
L'Oréal acquired a South Korean conglomerate which included the brand Dr.G in late 2024, saying the deal would help meet rising demand for effective yet affordable K-beauty products. Other global firms are increasingly incorporating popular ingredients associated with Korean brands such as centella asiatica and rice water into their own lines.
In 2024, Amorepacific sold about $6.2bn of products. Exports rose 15% in the first half of 2025 to a record $5.5bn, largely driven by strong sales in the US and Europe, putting the country on track to surpass $10bn in annual beauty exports. As competition intensifies, brands face growing pressure to be more transparent, and to focus on ingredients and the effectiveness of their products rather than celebrity endorsements.
