Seoul City to Support 'K-Beauty' in the Middle East

Opening a 'K-Beauty' Pop-up Store in Dubai
Supporting Middle East Expansion... Recruiting 30 SMEs
Including Export Consulting... Influencer-Linked Marketing

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 22nd that it will recruit 30 promising small and medium-sized beauty companies in Seoul to open a 'K-Beauty Pop-up Store' in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Selected companies will also receive export consulting related to entering the Middle Eastern market.

The recruitment fields include ▲general cosmetics ▲halal and vegan cosmetics ▲inner beauty ▲beauty tech, totaling four categories. Through a preliminary online consultation, buyer preferences will be identified, followed by support for sample shipment and product certification processes. The goal is to support products with export competitiveness to successfully enter the store.

Earlier this month, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon promoted Seoul's appeal in beauty, wellness, and branding during his business trip to the UAE in Dubai. According to data from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, South Korea's cosmetics exports to the UAE have significantly increased from $17 million in 2019 to $89 million in 2023.

This 'K-Beauty Pop-up Store' will be structured to allow product display and sales, operating for 3 to 5 days at an event hall within a Dubai shopping mall in the second half of this year. Local promotion and marketing support will be provided using famous influencers on social media. Export consulting for Middle Eastern market entry, certification-related education, and product consultations tailored to Middle Eastern cultural zones (halal and vegan) will also be conducted regularly. The consulting will analyze characteristics of the Middle Eastern cosmetics market and purchasing data by gender and age, providing customized marketing consulting based on this analysis.

In the company selection process, Seoul City plans to give additional points to excellent companies with various certifications, early-stage startups, and companies realizing social values (such as eco-friendly and non-animal testing), supporting companies that represent K-Beauty to establish themselves in overseas markets.

Companies wishing to enter the Middle Eastern market can apply from the 23rd of this month until the 12th of next month. After evaluations by experts in beauty industry, distribution and export, halal, and Middle Eastern market entry, the final 30 selected companies will be announced in June. Kwon So-hyun, head of the Beauty and Fashion Industry Division at Seoul City, said, "We will discover our small and medium-sized beauty brands with export competitiveness and support long-term overseas marketing that enables them to settle and grow in overseas markets through accurate market analysis considering Middle Eastern cultures such as halal and vegan. We will continue to nurture promising small and medium-sized enterprises so that they can leap forward as global representative K-Beauty brands."