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Where Global Buyers Meet the Next Wave of K-Beauty: Trends, Brands & Supplier Insights

Trendier AI

13 Jan 2026 — 6 min read

Sneak Peek into the 2025 K-Beauty Trend Summit 🔎

As interest in K-Beauty grows worldwide, staying ahead of emerging trends and finding reliable potential partners has never felt more essential.

With so much noise in the market, global buyers are increasingly looking for clearer signals — grounded in data, not just hype. That’s where the K-Beauty Trend Summit has offered real value: a space for buyers across 100+ countries to explore where K-Beauty is headed, and which brands are truly resonating.

So what exactly is the K-Beauty Trend Summit, and why did it attract so many global buyers so quickly? Designed as a digital-first platform, the summit offers a fresh way to support faster, smarter decision-making for buyers. It’s not just a showcase — it’s a strategic tool that helps track market shifts, identify brand opportunities, and connect directly with partners. From real-time trend insights to AI-powered sourcing tools, buyers gain the context they need — all in one place.

Here’s what you’ll get at the K-Beauty Trend Summit:

✨ Data-verified – Discover K-Beauty brands, manufacturers, and innovations backed by verified data.

📈 Trend-based – Access trend-driven, pitch-ready content in one place to inform your next move.

🌍 Global network – Join the same buyer network used by teams from Amazon, TikTok Shop, Walgreens, and more.

🤖 AI-powered – Use smart tools to identify and connect with the most relevant product partners.

All in one streamlined experience — from discovery to connection. (>>See the Official Page)

Over 22,000 buyers joined the K-Beauty Trend Summit in just four weeks — all without ads, driven entirely by word of mouth across the industry. Designed to help buyers decide, not just browse, the summit offered data-backed brand profiles that highlighted growth signals, market relevance, and category potential. This gave buyers the clarity to evaluate opportunities more strategically, leading to targeted outreach from major global retailers and opening the door to long-term partnerships.

The format resonated with global retail leaders, who valued the ability to assess both brands and suppliers with data-driven clarity. Here’s what a few buyers and brands had to say:

“Thanks to the AI-driven data, I was able to assess not just the brands, but also the manufacturers' capabilities.” – Angela, Senior Manager, Chalhoub Group

“It provided valuable insights into evolving trends, innovations, and brand strategies across the K-beauty market.” – Milk Li, Senior Brand Executive, Watsons International

“It was a great opportunity to connect with various brands and potential clients. Highly recommended for brands looking to expand globally.” – Anna Dato, Asia Pacific CMO, Intercos Group

Some of the key trends introduced last year included the global rise of “skin flooding” routines, the surge in demand for natural ingredient toners like rice, heartleaf, and ginseng, and Gen Z-driven interest in multi-use and on-the-go beauty. These trends were backed by strong data and paired with real product examples from leading manufacturers and top-performing brands. In this way, the K-Beauty Trend Summit didn’t just spotlight trend keywords — it provided buyers with a clear, insight-driven overview of the evolving K-beauty landscape.

Must-See K-Beauty Exhibitors You Shouldn’t Miss ⭐️

A wide range of K-Beauty brands and manufacturers took part in the summit, presenting their products to global buyers with the support of real-time trend data. These teams didn’t just showcase — they positioned their offerings within the broader market shifts buyers are tracking today. You can explore the full lineup on our official event page.

Next, we highlight four standout brands that sparked strong interest from buyers across regions!

📈 THOME: From Newcomer to Breakout Brand with 3,300% Sales Growth

Launched just ahead of the K-Beauty Trend Summit, THOME quickly captured buyer attention with its clear visual branding and messaging centered on trending skincare goals like #GlassSkin, #GlazedSkin, and premium home care. With rising U.S. interest in “glass skin” and “exfoliating” — keywords also trending in Sephora reviews — THOME’s content strategy aligned perfectly with buyer demand. Their standout product thumbnails and strategic keyword use helped the brand rank #1 in page views among all summit participants. Momentum continued post-event, with viral traction on TikTok, a 3,300% increase in Q4 sales, and successful launches on Olive Young and Amazon.

🚀 ONGREDIENTS: Skincare Simplicity That Resonated with Global Buyers

ONGREDIENTS stood out at the K-Beauty Trend Summit with its Skin Barrier Calming Lotion, positioned around trending themes like #InnerGlow and #MakeupReadySkin. The brand’s summit page showcased not only the lotion’s makeup-friendly texture but also its growing momentum in Korea, including a surge in positive reviews and consistently high rankings in Olive Young’s lotion category. By weaving in authentic user feedback—highlighting phrases like “absorbs well without dryness” and “great before makeup”—ONGREDIENTS built credibility and connection with global buyers. The result: #2 in page views, successful retail expansion into Nordstrom (North America), and a 200% year-over-year sales increase.

👑 COSMAX: Leading with Data, Not Just Scale

As a globally recognized OEM/ODM manufacturer, COSMAX used the K-Beauty Trend Summit to go beyond factory credentials — and instead spotlight its market responsiveness through data. Co-sponsoring the event with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, COSMAX showcased its position as the top manufacturer behind the most-reviewed skincare and makeup products on Olive Young, emphasizing its role in powering fast-growing, consumer-loved brands. This data-driven presentation earned them the highest page views among all participants. Backed by this credibility and a sharp global expansion strategy, COSMAX also reported record-breaking Q1 earnings and continued growth across Southeast Asia and the U.S. markets.

🔥 GREENCOS: Portfolio-Driven Growth with Local Ingredient Insight

Unlike larger-scale manufacturers, GREENCOS took a focused, strategic path at the K-Beauty Trend Summit — emphasizing successful product portfolios over scale. A long-time Trendier partner, GREENCOS used data to showcase the growth and consumer satisfaction of brands like Beauty of Joseon, Beplain, and SOME BY MI, aligning them with ingredient-led trends such as #Ginseng, #Rice, and functional categories like #BackAcne and #NoBreakout. Their clear presentation of product performance, trend alignment, and manufacturing capability resonated with buyers. The result: explosive business growth — from ₩50 billion to ₩80 billion in revenue and a 93% increase in operating profit, cementing their position as a key player in K-beauty manufacturing.

These cases offer a snapshot of how the K-Beauty Trend Summit is helping reshape the global landscape—where brands are positioned through data, and buyers make decisions grounded in insight. By creating a more transparent and trustworthy environment for discovery and connection, the summit empowers buyers to identify breakout brands, anticipate 2025 trend shifts, and connect directly with high-performing manufacturers and suppliers.

Register now to secure your VIP Buyer pass before July — and get early entry to exclusive content and buyer-only experiences: