Home > Business > Industry

K-beauty brands to get additional online push from Amazon program

Published: 18 Sep. 2025, 21:14 Updated: 19 Sep. 2025, 14:37

A foreign buyer examines products at the 2025 Seoul International Cosmetics & Beauty Industry Expo and International Health Industry Expo at Coex in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, in May. [YONHAP]

Global e-commerce giant Amazon is accelerating the growth of K-beauty brands, unveiling plans to discover new products and strengthen its beauty and health category.

Amazon Global Selling Korea, which supports local sellers on the platform, held a media briefing Thursday at its office in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, to announce its expanded "K-Beauty Go Big" strategy.

Launched in June 2024, the initiative helps Korean cosmetics companies with product development, launches and management, while also supporting Amazon-exclusive releases. Following the strong momentum of K-beauty sales, Amazon will expand the project into a three-year plan starting this year.

Melis Del Rey, vice president of Amazon U.S. Beauty and Health, said that beauty and health is the fastest-growing category on Amazon with significant growth potential. She noted that Amazon now has over 100 million beauty customers, with 15 million new beauty shoppers added in the past year alone.

Around 1,200 K-beauty brands are currently available on Amazon U.S., offering more than 20,000 products, according to Del Rey. Over the past year, 19 million American customers purchased K-beauty products, and about 20 percent of beauty-related searches on Amazon U.S. were linked to K-beauty.

Yuki Suita, head of Amazon Japan’s beauty category, speaks at Amazon Global Selling Korea’s headquarters in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Sept. 18. [YONHAP]

Japan is also seeing surging demand for K-beauty. Yuki Suita, head of Amazon Japan’s beauty category, pointed out that since 2023, Korea has overtaken France as the largest exporter of cosmetics to Japan. According to Suita, K-beauty sales on Amazon Japan have grown 50-fold over the past decade, with skincare products accounting for more than 50 percent of sales in the first half of this year.

Amazon Global Selling Korea plans to bolster support for K-beauty brands over the next three years. It will introduce artificial intelligence solutions to simplify product registration and catalog management for sellers. The company will also continue its "Vertical Integration Project," which connects manufacturers, brands and customer data to facilitate exclusive product launches.

New brands will receive tailored support, including advertising incentives and localized consulting. APR, a Korean beauty-tech company that received Amazon’s backing, recorded $22 million in sales during this year’s Amazon Prime Day event in July — 220 percent above its target.

Hannah Shin, CEO of Amazon Global Selling Korea, speaks at the company’s headquarters in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Sept. 18. [YONHAP]

APR CEO Kim Byung-hoon attributed the success to close collaboration with Amazon. "By working with Amazon Global Selling Korea, we were able to quickly identify local consumer needs and reflect them in product development and marketing," Kim said. APR’s market capitalization stood at 8.1 trillion won ($5.85 billion) as of Thursday’s closing price of 218,500 won per share.

Amazon Global Selling Korea CEO Hannah Shin emphasized that K-beauty has outpaced global competitors on the platform.

"Over the past year, sales of K-beauty products on Amazon rose about 70 percent, much faster than beauty products from other countries," Shin said. "Within three years, we aim to expand K-beauty skincare’s share on Amazon to 2.5 times its current level, solidifying its top position."

On concerns over U.S. tariffs on Korean cosmetics under President Donald Trump’s trade policies, Shin said the company is "closely monitoring the situation to ensure no impact on customers," without elaborating further.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY NOH YU-RIM [[email protected]]