New NIQ data shows K-Beauty value sales rose 53% year-over-year and 131% over two years, underscoring how regional beauty trends, social commerce and ingredient-led innovation are reshaping global beauty growth.
CHICAGO, July 15, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NIQ (NYSE: NIQ), a global leader in consumer intelligence, today released new findings showing K-Beauty has become a rapidly growing global beauty segment, with value sales up 53% year-over-year and 131% over the past two years. The data points to a broader shift in beauty growth, as regional innovation, social commerce and digitally driven consumer demand increasingly shape what scales globally.
In its latest report, K-Beauty Goes Global, NIQ shows how Korean beauty is reshaping consumer expectations, accelerating innovation cycles and redefining competitive dynamics across the global beauty market. What began as a culturally driven trend now offers a broader signal about the future of beauty: regional trends are increasingly driving global opportunity, and brands need timely intelligence to know which signals will scale next.
Key findings
Global growth: K-Beauty value sales rose 53% year-over-year and 131% over two years, underscoring rapid international expansion.
Social commerce acceleration: According to data published by TikTok Shop, searches for K-Beauty on the platform increased by 125% in the UK in 2025. Across the UK, US, Spain, and Germany, value sales for K-Beauty brands on TikTok Shop rose by 430% year-over-year, highlighting the role of discovery-to-purchase platforms.
Latin America: Brazil and Mexico delivered 135% value growth, signaling emerging momentum in the region.
North America: E-commerce represents 76% of K-Beauty sales, with Canada reaching $164 million in 2025, up 57% year-over-year.
Western Europe: Value growth reached 58% year-over-year. Korean brands now account for around 10% of European online skincare sales, rising to 15–20% in leading markets including Italy, Spain and France.
K-Beauty's rise reflects a broader change in how beauty growth is created and scaled. Formats such as sheet masks, acne patches, essences, serums and ampoules have moved from niche routines into everyday habits, while ingredient-led innovation including snail mucin, centella asiatica and PDRN illustrates how some Korean beauty concepts have expanded beyond specialist audiences. At the same time, K-Beauty is raising the bar for affordable, high-performance products, faster innovation cycles and commerce models that connect discovery to purchase more seamlessly.