K-beauty is synonymous with luminous, hydrated skin that appears almost poreless.
But chat about Korean scalp and hair care is also picking up volume.
According to brand performance software firm Launchmetrics, conversations around K-beauty hair care generated a total of US$4.1m in media impact value (MIV) between Q1 2025 and Q1 2026.
Moreover, MIV jumped from $23k in Q1 2025 to $1.2m in Q3 2025, demonstrating a surge in consumer interest in recent months, with COSRX and La’dor leading the charge. La’dor’s December 2025 announcement of BTS star Jimin as its global brand ambassador generated $1.2m in MIV in one week alone.
But what’s behind this obsession with K-hair care? Melody Yuan, founder of UK-based K-beauty retailer Skin Cupid, tells Cosmetics Business that hair care is a “natural next step” following the success of K-beauty skin care.
“UK consumers have spent the last few years becoming genuinely ingredient literate thanks to Korean skin care, and that same lens is now being applied to what they put on their scalp and hair,” Yuan says.
“The trust Korea has built as a category leader in skin innovation transfers directly and we are seeing that curiosity translate into real demand at Skin Cupid, particularly around the ‘skinification’ of scalp care.”
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