K-beauty has reigned supreme in recent years, becoming firmly established as one of the hottest categories in beauty thanks to viral moments, novel textures and next-generation ingredients.
The global online market for K-beauty reached US$15bn in 2025, according to research from analyst Euromonitor, up 24% from 2024 and driven by strong demand from the US and Europe, which accounted for 54% and 10% of global K-beauty sales, respectively.
It is no wonder then that US retailers have scrambled to add K-beauty brands to shelves this year, with Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Target and even Costco bringing hundreds of brands between them to bricks-and-mortar stores across the country this year.
Meanwhile, K-beauty’s reputation for innovation was put in the spotlight when grinding eyepatch packaging technology appeared in new products from Fenty Beauty, Glow Recipe and Huda Beauty, all at the same time.
But as K-beauty moves from hidden gem to everyday in people’s routines, and innovative packaging and ingredients such as PDRN enter the beauty mainstream, are we heading towards its peak?
Beauty industry experts share their thoughts with Cosmetics Business on whether we are nearing saturation point, and where K-beauty might be heading in 2027.
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