K-Beauty and Food Riding the Korean Wave Aim for Japan's High-End Consumer Segment

KOTRA to Host Korea-US-Food Partnering with Marriott on the 19th

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Pyeonghwa] Riding the wave of the Korean Wave's popularity, K-beauty and food products are entering Japan's luxury hotels.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) will hold the 'Han·Mi·Sik (Korean·American·Food) Partnering with Marriott' event on the 19th at the Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel, a global hotel chain in Japan. This event is co-hosted with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Nagoya to promote Korean cosmetics and food products.

The Marriott Hotel is hosting the event to allow local high-end customers to sample traditional Korean cuisine amid the spread of the Korean Wave in Japan. KOTRA will showcase premium products in the fields of ▲cosmetics ▲processed foods ▲daily consumer goods. About 40 products from 15 domestic companies will be exhibited and sold, targeting Japan's luxury consumer segment.

According to KOTRA, Korea's cosmetics exports to Japan reached $787 million (about 1.0348 trillion KRW) in 2021, surpassing 1 trillion KRW for the first time ever. The popularity of Korean products, once considered exclusive to women over 40, is spreading across all age groups. According to Japanese market research firm Testee, 68.0% of women in their teens, 64.3% in their twenties, and 50.9% in their thirties in Japan responded that they currently use or have experience using Korean cosmetics. KOTRA explains that the popularity of Korean content through online video services (OTT) is expanding local demand for Korean consumer goods beyond cosmetics to food, leisure, and fashion.

Norimatsu Kaoru, CEO of Mirgate, participating as an import vendor in this event, said, “Korean consumer goods are sold through mid-range distribution channels such as drugstores and select shops. Since this event targets Marriott Hotel's own high-end service purchasing customers, it will help pioneer the high-end consumer market in the Chubu region of Japan.”

Nam Woo-seok, head of KOTRA Nagoya Trade Center, stated, “As interest in Korean products is high recently in Japanese hotels and department stores, we will actively support the development of premium distribution channels for domestic consumer goods.”