Largest-ever ‘K Beauty Expo Korea’… Beauty tech, data, and derma present the future of the beauty industry
K Beauty, which has built a strong position in the global market based on powerful OEM·ODM manufacturing capabilities, is now expanding into smart beauty and derma cosmetics. In particular, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a new competitive driver and accelerating the pace of industry change. The scope of AI application is expanding across the board, from developing functional products that address skin concerns to data-based skin diagnosis, hyper-personalized solutions, and analysis of consumer demand by country.
Held on October 15 at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, ‘K Beauty Expo Korea 2026’ was the largest stage for confirming this wave of industry transformation. Marking its 18th edition this year, the event brought together 679 companies from 15 countries across 1,088 booths. This represents a 1.3-fold increase in participating companies and a 1.4-fold expansion in exhibition area compared with the previous year. Overseas exhibitors also increased to 82 companies, strengthening the event’s position as a leading global business platform representing Asia.
Beyond a simple exhibition, the event featured a wide range of programs designed to generate practical business results, including export consultations and consultations with merchandisers from distribution companies. Along with 1:1 export consultations involving 220 overseas buyers, consultations with merchandisers from major distributors and store entry briefing sessions were also held, serving as a bridgehead to support domestic beauty companies in entering the global market.
The rise of derma cosmetics specialized for skin concerns
In the skincare sector, high-performance derma brands focused on resolving skin concerns appeared in large numbers and led the trend. Many companies introduced products that go beyond simple moisturizing to emphasize specific benefits such as strengthening the skin barrier and improving elasticity, aligning with the recent global beauty market boom in biotech-based ingredients.
Brands developed with the participation of dermatologists and plastic surgeons stood out in particular, while ingredients specialized for skin recovery and elasticity care, such as PDRN, bakuchiol, and collagen, received strong attention. Rather than discovering entirely new ingredients, companies are now focusing on how precisely they can connect familiar functional ingredients with customers’ skin concerns.
This reflects a strategic shift in the industry toward encouraging actual purchases through customized efficacy tailored to consumer pain points, rather than relying on the novelty of the product itself.
Combining AI-based smart beauty and data marketing
The combination of beauty and technology, including AI skin analysis and hyper-personalized product recommendations, has now entered consumers’ everyday care routines. At the event venue, AI analysis platforms and 3D skin analyzers were presented as key tools that support expert consultations and visualize customers’ skin conditions in three dimensions.
Marketing strategy development using market data is also becoming more sophisticated. Moving beyond simply following trends, a data-centric approach that analyzes global e-commerce data to proactively read the direction of market change and use it as a clue for planning the next product has become an essential capability for companies.
As a future business platform for the beauty industry
K Beauty Expo is now evolving beyond a space that simply displays products into a business platform that combines future technologies and data in the beauty industry. The ability to connect technology adoption and data-based decision making to tangible business results will determine competitiveness in the global market going forward.
The derma cosmetics and data-based makeup solutions confirmed through this expo will become key drivers leading the global market in the future. Yuricos will keep pace with these innovative beauty trends and present more professional and practical marketing strategies to customers.
