Yoon Sang-hyun, vice chairman of Kolmar Group, said he is "100% positive about K-beauty's potential for continued growth," adding that "Korea has a beauty industry ecosystem unmatched anywhere else in the world."
Speaking on the 27th at the InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Seoul's Gangnam district, Yoon told the Amazon Beauty in Seoul 2026 event that Korea is "the best country in the world to launch a cosmetics brand or run a related business." The event, hosted by Amazon Global Selling Korea with Kolmar Korea (161890.KS) as its sole manufacturing sponsor, drew about 10,000 cosmetics industry participants to share strategies for succeeding in global markets and to explore concrete opportunities for collaboration.
In a lecture titled "Is K-Beauty Sustainable?" Yoon pointed to an industrial ecosystem that organically links brands, distribution and manufacturing as the driver of K-beauty's success. Competitive new brands emerge continuously, he said, while manufacturers and distribution platforms at home and abroad provide the supporting structure behind them.
"If you have a good idea, an ODM company like Kolmar Korea will make the product, and a global platform like Amazon will connect you with consumers worldwide," he said. "Success in the Korean market is now translating directly into success in global markets."
Sustaining K-beauty's edge in global markets will also require concentrated investment in the convergence of artificial intelligence and health care, he said. Yoon cited the Scar Beauty Device, an AI-based scar care beauty device developed by Kolmar Korea, as an example, adding that the convergence of beauty technology and biotechnology could become a new growth engine for K-beauty.
Separately, Shin Hwa-sook, head of Amazon Global Selling Korea, used the event to unveil four projects aimed at expanding K-beauty globally: Million, Titan, Silk Road and Autobahn. Shin set out specific targets, including $1 million in first-year sales on Amazon's U.S. store for 50 new sellers next year, the establishment of global expansion models with seven leading brands, and the onboarding of 50 new sellers in hair care and wellness along with 200 new products.
Beauty product sales by Korean sellers on Amazon nearly doubled in the first nine months of this year from a year earlier, marking steep growth, according to Amazon. "The question is no longer how long the K-beauty trend will last, but how we decide to grow the market further," Shin said. "Amazon will support K-beauty in strengthening its global leadership and leading global beauty trends."