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Rapid Growth in the UK

K-beauty is growing rapidly in the UK market. With a sharp increase in sales through offline distribution channels and a strong performance on online platforms, analysts say the likelihood is rising that the UK will serve as a springboard for expansion across Europe.

On the 13th, foreigners are browsing cosmetics in front of a cosmetics shop in Myeong-dong, Seoul. Photo by Heo Younghan

In a recent report titled "K-Beauty, Charge into the UK Cosmetics Market!", Kyobo Securities researcher Kwon Woojeong stated, "As the influence of K-beauty is rapidly expanding within the UK cosmetics market, key K-beauty ingredients such as PDRN, Centella, and exosomes have already gone mainstream and become part of consumers' daily routines," adding, "UK consumers' interest is also growing in new categories such as K-fragrance, K-haircare, and K-pharmacy."

Clear growth both online and offline

He said that K-beauty sales at Boots, the largest drugstore chain in the UK, have increased more than fivefold in just one year. He added, "In particular, since the launch of K-haircare, new customers have been coming in, and the customer-attraction power of K-beauty brands is drawing attention." Currently, within Boots' top-tier skincare category, "Korean skincare" has established itself as an independent section, and around 400 out of roughly 4,059 total skincare SKUs are K-beauty products. There are 36 listed brands, including Medicube, Anua, Laneige, Innisfree, Biodance, Beauty of Joseon, COSRX, and Mediheal. Boots directly discovered the Mediheal brand through store visits and artificial intelligence (AI) trend analysis, and is expanding its sourcing of K-beauty brands by supporting packaging, marketing, and distribution. Mediheal completed rapid onboarding by entering 100 stores between its launch in October 2025 and December.

The growth trend is also clear in online channels. Last year, sales in the beauty category on TikTok Shop UK increased 60% year-on-year, making it the fourth-largest retailer after Amazon, Boots, and Lookfantastic. TikTok cited K-beauty as a key driver behind this high growth. Search volume for K-beauty on TikTok UK rose 125% year-on-year, ranking third. For example, Medicube's "Zero Pore Pad" grew more than 400% year-on-year in the UK. Since launching on Amazon UK and TikTok Shop in November last year, Medicube has been posting strong results on both platforms even without any separate local marketing. Dr. Melaxin has also been a hit, ranking first on TikTok Shop UK, and is scheduled to enter Boots in April.

"A bridgehead for expansion into Europe beyond the US"

Export indicators support this trend. In 2025, cosmetics exports to the UK totaled 4.95 billion dollars (about 7.18245 trillion won), up 41% from the previous year. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the past three and five years came to 49% and 33%, respectively. In January 2026, exports reached 22.5 million dollars, a 117% increase year-on-year, and as of February 10, cumulative exports stood at 5.9 million dollars, up 85% from a year earlier. Observers say the growth rate is accelerating. Researcher Kwon analyzed, "These are meaningful results, given that K-beauty brands have yet to embark on full-scale marketing."

The market expects that, starting from the UK, expansion into major European countries such as France, Germany, and Spain is now within reach. The size of the European cosmetics market is assessed to be at a similar level to that of the United States.