How South Korea's K-beauty industry is being hit by Trump tariffs

South Korea is well known for exporting cars and smartphones, but its beauty industry, known as K-beauty, has become a global sensation. K-beauty refers to a wide range of skincare, makeup, and cosmetic products from South Korea. These products are praised for their high quality, unique ingredients, and affordable prices. The worldwide popularity of South Korean culture, including music and TV shows, has helped K-beauty become even more popular. In the United States, many people have switched to using K-beauty products. For example, Pearl Mak, a graphic designer living in the US, says that almost all of her skincare products are from South Korea because they are gentler on her skin compared to some Western brands. In 2024, Americans spent about 1. 7 billion dollars on K-beauty products, which is more than 50 percent higher than the previous year.

K-beauty products are often cheaper than Western brands and use special ingredients like heartleaf and snail mucin, which are not common in the US. However, things are changing because US President Donald Trump has put a new 15 percent tariff on products from South Korea, including K-beauty items. This is less than the 25 percent he first suggested, but it is still causing concern among shoppers and sellers. After the announcement, some K-beauty retailers in the US, like Santé Brand, saw a big increase in orders as customers tried to buy products before prices went up. Cheyenne Ware, the founder of Santé Brand, said that customers are planning ahead because they are worried about the future. Another retailer, Senti Senti, has also been buying more products to prepare for the new tariffs. Their manager, Winnie Zhong, said that suppliers are warning stores to stock up before the tariffs start.

The new tariffs are expected to make K-beauty products more expensive, especially for small businesses that sell on platforms like Amazon and have small profit margins. Economist Munseob Lee from the University of California San Diego says that while some casual buyers might stop buying K-beauty because of higher prices, true fans will keep buying because there are no easy substitutes. Winnie Zhong agrees, saying that customers may buy fewer items, but they will still want K-beauty products. Pearl Mak says she is willing to pay more for her favorite products, depending on how much prices increase. Larger K-beauty companies are better able to handle the new tariffs because they have higher profit margins, but smaller companies may struggle to keep prices down. The global popularity of K-beauty is likely to keep demand high, even with higher prices. President Trump has also made similar deals with Japan and the European Union, so their beauty products will face the same tariffs. His goal is to encourage more products to be made in America, but many K-beauty fans say they have not found American products that work as well. For now, it looks like K-beauty will remain popular in the US, even if it becomes more expensive.