The 39th edition of Cosmobeauty Seoul, held on May 28-30 2025, attracted record numbers of exhibitors. Almost all of the +400 beauty companies participating in the event were from Korea, with just a smattering of Chinese companies who were primarily located in the packaging/OEM section of the show.
1. Functional beauty
As with most Asian beauty trade shows, anti-ageing products, and especially the ingredients-led functional beauty category were the most prominent trends amongst skin care launches at Cosmobeauty Seoul 2025.
The stand-out ingredients this year were glutathione and PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide), either as lead ingredients or combined with other trending actives (most often niacinamide) and usually prominently highlighted in product names and/or on pack visuals. Make:Prem’s new moisturising Glutathione Glow Cream, for example, contains rice-based PDRN as well as carrot oil and extract and niacinamide for an extra dose of antioxidant protection. The 6-sku Niathione range by Another Face, a brand launched in October 2024, offers a blend of niacinamide and gluthatione, as does Raume’s new Glutathione 3% Niacinamide Bright Toning Ampoule.
2. Vegan alternatives
With “vegan” continuing as one of the most important claims in the Korean beauty market, manufacturers are increasingly introducing plant-based versions of trending actives.
PDRN, for example, is traditionally made from salmon sperm. Examples include: Yse’s Revitalising Calming Ampoule; Ryoan’s Pearl Whitening Serum; and TomTitTot’s Niacinamide 20% Bright Shot Ampoule. In response, several exhibitors presented products manufactured with vegan PDRN, such as Deardot’s new Dangyuja VitaGlow sheet mask which is formulated with PDRN derived from fermented dangyuja extract, or From Zero’s new Glow Cream which contains broccoli-based PDRN.
Exosomes also continued to be popular in cosmetic formulations, usually combined with other ingredients, such as niacinamide, azulene, cica (centella asiatica) or heartleaf extract. Cica exosomes were particularly prominent.
Evie Korea, for example, launched a plant version of its popular Reglory+ exosome scalp serum which contains cica exosomes, while Reve:am’s moisturising Cica-Some Calming Water Gel Cream is also formulated with cica exosomes.
3. Traditional foods
Besides that mainstay of Korean beauty, cica, the prevalence of herbal extracts amongst new launches at the show highlights the continuing importance of traditional plants in Korean beauty.
One of the most popular ranges of GenZ favourite Mixsoon is built around soybean and mung bean extracts. Amongst the brand’s recent launches is the Soybean Milk Serum and the Bean Balancing Ampoule Mist.
Rice beauty brand Midha extended its popular cleansing oil with three further cleansing oil variants, each of which featuring a different type of rice. Similarly, Kocostar’s new brand launch Amaholic is highlighting flaxseed oil/extract as a key botanical in its line-up of skin and hair care products.
4. Prickling beauty
Microneedle beauty (also called “spicule beauty” or “microshot beauty”) was another leading trend at Cosmobeauty Seoul 2025. Wati for Skin’s 50+ line-up of actives-led face care, for instance, offers some 20 microneedle beauty products across serums, moisturising creams and eyecreams.
Microneedle technology also plays a key role in AC (Acne Care) beauty, especially pimple patches. In these products, the patches are manufactured with tiny (usually self-dissolving) spikes and infused with a serum. When the patch is applied to the skin and pressed down, spikes pierce the skin so the anti-pimple serum is absorbed quickly into the skin.
Several pimple patch manufacturer use magnesium as a spike ingredient in their patches, such as Snow2Plus, and further combine their patches with other skin care technologies such as LED or iontophoresis (microcurrents) to boost the performance of products. Upcoming Snow2Plus launches include a magnesium-based patch with an integrated LED battery and a single-use iontophoresis patch that amplifies the effects of anti-pimple serums.
5. Color diversity and multipurpose makeup
Like many East Asian beauty markets, the Korean foundation/face makeup category tends to focus on lighter shades within a narrow color spectrum. However, some brands are actively expanding their choice of colors, such as foundation brand Tfit which offers one of the most diverse color line-up in the Korean makeup market.
At Cosmobeauty Seoul, Tfit presented its new Spatula Foundation range of buildable color which comes in 20 different shades. In addition, the brand’s iconic Radiance Fit Serum Foundation is now available in 30 shades and while the majority of colors fits within the fair to medium skin range the line-up also offers a some darker shades.
The majority of new makeup launches at the show, however, were cheek or lip colors. Indeed, the lip color category has been growing strongly in South Korea, with a market size estimated to have reached USD 730.7 million in 2024 and a projected CAGR growth of over 2% from 2025 to 2030.
The most recent launch of makeup brand Moolda Korea, for instance, is the vegan Moisture Veil Blush, a range of 15 multipurpose fluffy creamy blushes that can also be used for contouring, to shape the hairline or as an eye or lip color product.
For its part, skin care range Beigic recently brought out the Flush Lip & Cheek Balm which was developed in collaboration with makeup artist Honghyun Goong. The shimmery blush creams offer six different shades that can be used all over the face for contouring, highlighting or as lip color.
Eventually, botanical face and body care brand Scenearth recently branched out into the hybrid makeup category with the new vegan lip balm range Moment of Me. Five twist-up balm sticks offer medium-pigmented shimmery-hydrating color.
The next editions of Cosmobeauty Seoul + K-Beauty Festa will take place from 27th to 29th May 2026.
