01
Share, not size, is the story
Korea's share rose from 21.3% in 2024 to 23.8% in 2025 and 26.5% in 2026, January–July each year.
US Census Bureau, HS 3304 · Data through July 2026 · US K-beauty imports
The US K-Beauty Record · Market Intelligence
The independent record of what happens to Korean beauty brands in the US
We measure what Korean beauty costs, where it comes from, and how it reaches US shoppers — every day, with every figure dated and sourced.
+11.4% vs. 2025
$1.15B
US imports of Korean beauty, January–July 2026
+2.7 pts vs. 2025
26.5%
Korea's share of US beauty-preparation imports
Same product, same day
27.0%
Average price gap between the lowest and highest US-reachable retailer
Cross-border retailers
3 of 10
include import duty in the price a shopper sees
The Read · September 2026
Korea is winning share in a market that isn't growing.
US imports of beauty preparations have held near $4.34 billion for the first 7 months of each of the last 3 years. Korea's portion has grown every year.
Inside the US, the same Korean product still has no settled price. For most brands we measure, where a shopper buys matters as much as what they buy.
02
More product, lower declared value
Korean skin care imports changed +14.8% on last year. Declared value per kilogram moved from $24.46 to $19.47, with roughly 44% more weight shipped.
US Census Bureau, HS 3304 at 10 digits · Data through July 2026 · US K-beauty imports
03
One product, many prices
64% of compared products differ in price by more than 20%. 65 of 94 measured brands have an average spread above 30%.
K-Beauty Price Index, September 30, 2026 · Price Index
04
Duty is the hidden line item
Of 10 cross-border retailers with sourced duty policies, 3 include duty in the price, 4 collect it at checkout, and 2 may have it collected by the carrier.
Retailer policies, captured October 3, 2026 · Shipping & duty terms
Trade
Following Korean beauty into the US.
Monthly US imports from Korea
HS 3304 · January 2024 – July 2026 · US Census Bureau
202420252026
Every month, the US K-Beauty Record reads the US government's import data for Korean beauty and makeup — six customs categories, by value, weight and how it travelled.
Explore US K-beauty imports →What we measure
Four datasets. One record.
Each dataset keeps every past edition at a permanent address, with a download and a ready-made citation.
01
Prices
How much the same product's price varies across US-reachable retailers, recomputed daily.
27.0%
average gap · 5,802 products · September 30, 2026
Price Index →02
Imports
US import value from Korea and Korea's share, by customs category, monthly.
$1.15B
Jan–Jul 2026 · +11.4%
US K-beauty imports →03
Terms
What each retailer charges to deliver an order, and who pays the import duty, checked daily.
16 of 21
retailers with sourced terms · October 3, 2026
Shipping & duty →04
Method
How a listing qualifies for comparison — and every listing we left out, with the reason.
v1.3
public and versioned
Method & exclusions →Latest editions
The US K-Beauty Record in practice.
Price Index
The same K-beauty product costs 27.0% more at its highest-priced retailer.
September 30, 2026
Across 5,802 products carried by two or more retailers — $7.36 per product on average.
Read the editionUS imports
Korean beauty imports reach $1.15 billion through July.
Data through July 2026
Up 11.4% on the same months of 2025, while total US beauty imports held flat.
Read the editionShipping & duty
Who pays the import duty on a K-beauty order.
October 3, 2026
Sourced policies for 16 of 21 retailers, from 1,107 captures since August 30.
Read the editionKorea is taking share of a US beauty import market that isn't growingKorean skin care is shipping more product at a lower declared valueWho pays the import duty on a K-beauty order from abroad
All research notes →Why the US K-Beauty Record
Measured, not asserted.
K-beauty in the US moves faster than any annual report. The US K-Beauty Record combines government trade data with daily observation of real listings, so every claim can be checked against the figure behind it.
Independent
No brand or retailer pays to appear, to rank, or to change a figure.
Dated and sourced
Every number carries its date and names where it came from. Every edition keeps a permanent address.
Commercially useful
The same data powers the Brand Hub, where brands see their own prices and sellers and take dated evidence into retailer meetings.
94
Korean brands measured in the Price Index today. See where yours stands.
Put the Record to work
Looking for insight into your brand's US market?
Whether you are preparing a retailer pitch, setting a price floor, or tracking who sells you, the Brand Hub applies the US K-Beauty Record to your products.
View services & pricing →Press & analysts: how to cite the US K-Beauty Record →
Cite the US K-Beauty Record
The K-Beauty Plug, The US K-Beauty Record, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.kbeautyplug.com/record
Release schedule
Price Index — daily
Shipping & duty terms — daily
US imports — monthly, after each Census release
The Read — monthly