Global Beauty Buyers Head to Hong Kong as Korean Exports Surge

Hong Kong will again become the meeting point of the Asia-Pacific beauty industry this November, when Cosmopack Asia 2026 and Cosmoprof Asia 2026 return for a 29th edition spread across two venues in the city.
Organized by Cosmoprof Asia Ltd, a joint venture between BolognaFiere Group and Informa Markets, the event is expected to cover more than 120,000 square meters and host upwards of 2,900 exhibitors alongside 78,000 trade attendees.

Two venues for one value chain
The format separates the upstream supply chain from finished goods. Cosmopack Asia 2026 opens first, running from November 10 to 12 at AsiaWorld-Expo with ingredients, packaging, machinery, labeling and contract manufacturing all on display.
Cosmoprof Asia 2026 follows a day later, from November 11 to 13 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where branded cosmetics, perfumery, hair care, nail products and professional salon and spa lines take the floor.

International participation is anchored by 21 country and group pavilions. Italy serves as Country of Honour, with a national presence across both venues organized by the Italian Trade Agency together with Cosmetica Italia and the foreign ministry.
South Korea also fields large integrated pavilions at both sites, coordinated by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency and the Korea Exhibition Company. Finished skincare and cosmetics appear at the convention centre, while manufacturers and packaging specialists gather at AsiaWorld-Expo.

Programs built around fragrance and knowledge
The direction of this edition was set at a preview conference on September 8, where organizers unveiled the campaign theme WANTED. It orients matchmaking, panels and showcase zones around differentiation, technical innovation and evolving consumer requirements.

Fragrance is a central pillar. A renewed partnership with the Milan event Esxence brings the Explorer by Esxence zone, linking independent Asia-Pacific perfumers with international stockists, while a Scent Museum developed with Xuelei highlights raw aromatic materials.
On the supply side, the CosmoLab project run by Xuelei, Baralan and CPL Aromas will demonstrate a working production line in real time, taking visitors through compounding, bottling and packaging design on the show floor.
Education is concentrated in the CosmoTalks series and the Beauty Ingredients and Formulation Asia Symposium, which together gather more than 80 international specialists to examine supply chain optimization, international compliance and changing retail models.
Commercial activity runs through the Buyer Programme, which coordinates itineraries for more than 400 pre-qualified international buyers, including delegations from Central Asia and the Middle East. Meetings are scheduled through the AI-driven Match&Meet system.

Korean beauty exports reach new highs
The scale of the Korean presence reflects a sector in rapid expansion. South Korean cosmetics exports rose 12.2 percent in 2025 to USD 11.42 billion, lifting the trade surplus above USD 10 billion for the first time.
That performance moved the country past the United States to become the second-largest cosmetics exporter in the world, behind only France, according to official trade data compiled by the Korea International Trade Association.
Growth has accelerated this year. Exports reached a record USD 7.00 billion in the first half and USD 11.10 billion over the nine months to September, up 31.1 percent year-on-year and equal to roughly 97 percent of the 2025 total.
The geography of demand has shifted as well. China accounted for 52.9 percent of Korean beauty shipments in 2021, yet its share fell to just 14.2 percent across the first three quarters of 2026.
The United States is now the largest destination, with a 21.1 percent share through September. Shipments to Poland, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates also grew strongly in 2025, and products now reach more than 200 countries.

Skincare and manufacturing drive momentum
Skincare is the engine of this growth. Cumulative skincare shipments reached USD 8.72 billion by the end of the third quarter, a 45.1 percent rise, while color cosmetics contracted 3.6 percent to USD 1.11 billion.
Product development has moved from multi-step routines toward streamlined, high-potency regimens centered on the skin barrier. The ingredient PDRN, once confined to clinical use in Korean dermatology centers, now appears in retail serums, ampoules and creams.
Independent brands that scale through digital platforms such as TikTok and Amazon work closely with contract manufacturers led by Cosmax, Kolmar Korea and Cosmecca Korea, which handle research, clinical trials, regulatory compliance and scalable production.
For buyers arriving in Hong Kong, the two exhibitions offer a clear view of both sides of this trade, with Korean brands seeking wider international distribution at one venue and Korean manufacturers supplying formulation and packaging expertise at the other.

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