Seoul Beauty Week Has Tripled in Five Years — Here Are the Numbers
Seoul Beauty Week 2026 drew 147 companies and buyers from 48 countries — up from 52 and 18 in 2022 — with Kolmar Korea as official partner for a fifth year.
TL;DR — Seoul Beauty Week 2026 ran August 23–25 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza with 147 participating companies and buyers from 48 countries — up from 52 companies and 18 countries in 2022 — with Kolmar Korea serving as official partner for a fifth year.
K-beauty’s global run is usually told through brands. The trade show numbers tell you about the factories behind them.
The numbers
Seoul Beauty Week 2026 ran August 23–25 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Participation has grown sharply over five years, and Kolmar Korea served as official partner for a fifth consecutive year.
| 2022 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Participating companies | 52 | 147 |
| Buyer countries represented | 18 | 48 |
Last year’s export consultations at the event totalled approximately $30 million. Kolmar’s booth, themed "Every Moment of Your Day, Kolmar," spanned three zones built around its Dermafit micro-needle hyaluronic-acid delivery technology, UV-camera sun-care diagnostics and skin-analysis cleansing technology.
The details
Coverage attributes the following to an unnamed Kolmar Korea official — a company statement rather than a named individual, and reported as such here:
"K-beauty’s competitiveness comes not only from strong brands but from an industry ecosystem built together by R&D and manufacturing companies, distributors and platforms that support them."
Why it matters
- ODM is the real moat. Korea’s manufacturing and R&D base is what lets small brands launch fast and scale globally.
- Buyer diversity is the growth signal. Going from 18 to 48 represented countries matters more than raw exhibitor count.
- Technology, not just formulation. Micro-needle delivery and diagnostic tools are how manufacturers now differentiate.
FAQ
How much has Seoul Beauty Week grown?
Participating companies rose from 52 in 2022 to 147 in 2026, and represented buyer countries from 18 to 48. Last year’s export consultations at the event totalled approximately $30 million.
What is Kolmar Korea’s role?
Kolmar Korea served as the official partner of Seoul Beauty Week for a fifth consecutive year in 2026, showcasing its Dermafit micro-needle hyaluronic-acid delivery technology, UV-camera sun-care diagnostics and skin-analysis cleansing technology across three booth zones.
Sources
- Korea Biomed Review — Kolmar Korea at Seoul Beauty Week 2026
- Asia Economy Daily — Seoul Beauty Week 2026
Image: “Dongdaemun Design Plaza at night, Seoul, Korea” by Eugene Lim, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
← Back to all posts