K-Beauty... First Time Ranking No.1 in Japan, Surpassing France's 30-Year Dominance

Korean cosmetics have overtaken France, which had maintained dominance for 30 years, to become the number one imported cosmetics in Japan.

On the 4th, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported, citing statistics from the Japan Imported Cosmetics Association, that Korean cosmetics surpassed French products for the first time last year in the Japanese import market to claim the top spot. According to the Japan Imported Cosmetics Association statistics, the import value of Korean cosmetics (including perfumes and shampoos) to Japan in 2022 was 77.5 billion yen (approximately 706.8 billion won), surpassing French products at 76.4 billion yen.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

This is the first time Korean cosmetics have overtaken France in Japan. France, with luxury brands such as Lanc?me and Chanel, had held an unshakable number one position in the Japanese imported cosmetics market for nearly 30 years.

However, the import value of Korean cosmetics has increased nearly sixfold over the past decade, surpassing France.

According to Yomiuri, the popularity of Korean cosmetics is due to their affordable prices and high quality.

In the past, Korean cosmetics were regarded as low quality in Japan, but in 2007, the 'BB cream,' which combined sunblock and makeup functions, became a sensational hit, raising awareness of Korean cosmetics.

Since then, riding the Korean Wave, among young Japanese people, the perception spread that Korean cosmetics are inexpensive and used by their favorite celebrities, giving a boost to Korean cosmetics imports.

Recently, the popularity of Korean-style makeup, especially on social networking services (SNS), is also cited as a reason for increased interest in Korean cosmetics.

In fact, Korean cosmetics can be easily found in drugstores and general stores throughout Japan.

At Loft, a major Japanese general store, sales of Korean cosmetics in the second quarter of this year increased by about 60% compared to the previous year. Approximately 210 Korean brand products totaling over 2,000 items are sold at this store, with lipsticks and face masks being particularly popular.

Also, Lawson, a Japanese convenience store chain, partnered with the Korean cosmetics brand Rom&nd in March to jointly develop and launch lipsticks and other products, which sold out the two-month supply in just three days, gaining great popularity.

An executive from the Japan Imported Cosmetics Association told Yomiuri, "This is a major turning point in the imported cosmetics industry," adding, "The popularity of Korean cosmetics is not temporary but has reached a settling stage."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.