How much K-beauty does the US import, and is Korea's share growing?
From January to July 2026, South Korea supplied 26.5% of US imports of beauty and skin-care preparations, up from 23.8% in the same months of 2025.
Korea imports, January–July 2026
$1.15 billion
+11.4% vs January–July 2025
Korea share, January–July 2026
26.5%
23.8% in January–July 2025
Korea imports, May 2026 – July 2026
$562.5 million
+9.2% vs same 3 months a year earlier
What Korea ships: US imports by product type
January–July 2026, US imports of beauty and skin-care preparations from South Korea, by US customs category.
| Product type | Imports from Korea (YTD) | Change vs same months last year | Korea's share of all US imports of this type | Customs value per kg | Share arriving by air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skin care and other beauty preparations | $877.2M | +14.8% | 29.3% | $19.47(last year $24.46) | 21.7%(last year 18.3%) |
| Lip make-up | $116.6M | -20.3% | 22.8% | $62.74(last year $63.61) | 29.6%(last year 30.7%) |
| Eye make-up | $70.4M | -2.0% | 15.8% | $54.95(last year $60.34) | 21.4%(last year 15.5%) |
| Petroleum jelly (retail)* | $66.0M | +164.4% | 81.3% | $16.58(last year $19.78) | 25.0%(last year 54.4%) |
| Face powder and blush | $12.1M | -12.8% | 5.2% | $34.38(last year $37.89) | 39.7%(last year 33.6%) |
| Nail preparations | $9.4M | -28.2% | 11.1% | $11.69(last year $12.92) | 7.4%(last year 2.9%) |
* Census label. At roughly $15–28 per kilogram, these imports are priced well above plain petroleum jelly, which suggests balms and ointments filed under this code. The rise since April 2026 comes straight from Census data; we have not confirmed its cause.
Customs value per kilogram is the declared import value divided by weight. It is not a shelf price and moves with the mix of products shipped. Air share is the share of import value that arrived by air. Categories are US customs (HTS) classifications. Source: US Census Bureau international trade data, HS 3304 at the 10-digit level.
Korea's share, rolling 3 months
Korea's share of US imports of HS 3304, each bar the 3 months ending that month, March 2024 – July 2026.
Context: US consumer prices for cosmetics changed +2.8% in the 12 months to August 2026 (CPI, US Bureau of Labor Statistics). This covers all cosmetics, perfume, bath and nail products — not K-beauty specifically.
How we measure this
We use official US Census Bureau import data for HS code 3304 (beauty, make-up and skin-care preparations), with South Korea as the country of origin. Values are general imports in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Monthly figures swing with shipment timing, so we lead with year-to-date and rolling 3-month totals. Data through July 2026, refreshed monthly. More on how we work is at method & exclusions.
Cite this page
The K-Beauty Plug. The US K-Beauty Record: US K-beauty imports & Korea's share. Edition of July 1, 2026. https://www.kbeautyplug.com/record/trade/2026-07-01. Accessed .
The US K-Beauty Record: K-Beauty Price Index · Shipping & duty terms · Method & exclusions
Past editions
Every edition keeps a permanent, dated address so a citation still points at the figure that was quoted. Editions are published only on days that pass our quality checks, so some dates have none.
- Jul 2026Current
- Jun 2026