Cosmax Joins UN "WEPs" to Nurture Female Talent, the Core Customers of Cosmetics

Female Managers Exceed 50 Percent
Building a Culture of Work-Life Balance

Cosmax, a global cosmetics original design manufacturer (ODM), announced on April 21 that it has joined and officially declared its support for the United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs). The company plans to establish effective strategies for utilizing female talent and to expand a corporate culture that guarantees diversity in order to nurture the next generation of K-beauty leadership.

The WEPs is an initiative jointly launched in 2010 by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and UN Women. Based on seven core principles?including building gender-equal leadership, respecting human rights, and eliminating discrimination?it provides guidelines and implementation strategies for companies seeking to promote gender equality and strengthen women's competitiveness. As of this month, approximately 11,000 companies worldwide have joined, with about 90 companies from South Korea.

Earlier this month, Cosmax officially joined the initiative by submitting a letter of support pledging to implement the principles throughout its management to promote gender equality and women's empowerment. Given the high level of interest from investors and clients regarding diversity in the cosmetics industry, the company operates a systematic program for nurturing female talent across all stages, from recruitment to leadership development.

As of last year, women accounted for approximately 48.2% of Cosmax's total employees, representing nearly half of the workforce. Among them, women in managerial positions at the level of manager or above made up 51.6%, exceeding half of all managers.

Cosmax is also leading efforts to create a culture where work and family life can coexist, in order to retain outstanding female talent. Examples include a childbirth incentive program, an automatic parental leave system, and a paid "childcare leave" policy. In the second half of last year, the company introduced the industry's most generous childbirth incentive program to help address the low birthrate crisis. Since the introduction of this program, 35 employees have received benefits as of March this year.

At its shareholders' meeting in March, Cosmax further expanded its ESG management based on diversity by appointing Lee Yunhee, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy at Seoul National University, as an outside director.

Previously, at the end of last year, Cosmax appointed a total of seven new female executives in its regular 2025 executive appointments. Notably, among the newly appointed executive directors, three were born in the 1980s, and they are enhancing the company's professionalism and diversity through flexible communication.

Going forward, Cosmax plans to implement WEPs-related diversity enhancement tasks and to systematize educational programs for women's empowerment, thereby strengthening female leadership. Cosmax CEO Choi Kyung stated, "As the world's leading cosmetics ODM company, Cosmax is committed to ensuring that everyone can enjoy a beautiful and healthy life based on diversity and inclusion. With our participation in the WEPs, we will take the lead in securing and nurturing outstanding female talent, while further expanding our environmental and social contribution initiatives."