Biohealth Exports Up 14% in Q1... Cosmetics Achieve Record Quarterly Growth at 21%

In the first quarter of this year, exports from the biohealth industry reached USD 7.3 billion, up 14.4% compared to the same period last year. Cosmetics recorded the highest-ever quarterly performance with growth of over 21%, while both pharmaceuticals and medical devices continued their stable upward trends.

Quarterly and Industry-wise Export Amount Trends. Korea Health Industry Development Institute

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The Korea Health Industry Development Institute announced on April 27, 2026, that exports from the biohealth industry-including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and cosmetics-totaled USD 7.3 billion in the first quarter. This was an increase of USD 910 million from the same period last year (USD 6.39 billion).

Cosmetics exports reached USD 3.13 billion, an increase of 21.5%, setting a new all-time quarterly record. Basic skincare products accounted for USD 2.43 billion, representing 77.6% of all cosmetics exports. Notably, exports to the United States rose by 49.1% to USD 470 million, while the United Kingdom and the Netherlands saw surges of 190.7% and 212.6%, respectively. However, exports of makeup products, the mainstay export category, fell by 8.7% due to weak demand from Japan and China.

Exports of pharmaceuticals grew by 11.7% to USD 2.71 billion. Biopharmaceuticals, which account for 64.7% of total pharmaceutical exports, led the growth with a 14.7% increase to USD 1.75 billion. Exports to Switzerland jumped by 70.3% to USD 340 million, and Italy saw a surge of 102.8% to USD 120 million, indicating that European markets are driving demand growth. Meanwhile, exports of toxoids and toxoid derivatives also soared by 49.4% to USD 120 million.

Medical device exports rose by 5.6% to USD 1.46 billion. Exports of ultrasound imaging devices climbed by 9.1% to USD 230 million, while electric medical devices increased by 20.4% to USD 170 million.

Lee Byungkwan, Head of the Biohealth Innovation Planning Division at the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, stated, "Despite the seasonal slowdown in exports at the beginning of the year, the biohealth industry achieved USD 7 billion in quarterly exports. As uncertainties in the global trade environment persist, we will continue to maintain a monitoring system to ensure that external volatility does not hinder export growth."

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