The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS, Minister OH Youngju) and Korea International Exhibition Co., Ltd. (CEO MUN Youngsu) announced that “COSMOBEAUTY Seoul X K-Beauty Festa” will be held for three days from Wednesday, May 28 to Friday, May 30 at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul.

This year, the event will be hosted by the private sector and supported by the government, making it the largest exhibition to date through public-private collaboration. The number of participating overseas buyers has doubled compared to 2024, with 161 companies from 51 countries including the United States, Europe, and China.

A total of 441 K-beauty companies will participate in the exhibition and consultation booths located in COEX Hall A and the lobby area. A special zone will showcase products from 14 outstanding beauty companies awarded in the “Rookie of the Year” awards. Group pavilions will also be operated by Bucheon Industry Promotion Agency, Jeju Technopark, and Incheon Technopark. In addition, the beauty platform company ‘Hwahae’ will run a promotional and experience zone to maximize publicity for small K-beauty brands.

In particular, during the exhibition, approximately 1,800 B2B consultation sessions will be supported through pre-matching between overseas buyers, such as Yes Sales Inc. (a major beauty distributor in the Americas) and Superdrug of the UK’s Watsons Group, and the participating companies, aiming to boost exports and overseas expansion of small K-beauty enterprises.

Furthermore, private expert organizations such as The K Beauty Science and Cosin Korea will also participate during the event, hosting seminars on various topics including global trends in the cosmetics industry, overseas certification systems, and marketing strategies, to share information and provide networking opportunities. In addition, events for the general public will include global creators’ makeup demonstrations and prize giveaways.

Minister OH Youngju, who attended the opening ceremony, stated, “In 2024, cosmetics exports reached USD 6.8 billion, making it the top export item among SMEs,” and emphasized, “This achievement was made possible by a robust private ecosystem where anyone with innovative ideas and marketing capabilities can easily enter the market.”

She further added, “As the rapidly growing K-beauty industry must set new standards in the global market through innovations combined with advanced technologies such as AI, bio, and eco-friendly materials.” She pledged, “MSS will continue to support the expansion of the K-beauty ecosystem through tailored assistance such as technology development and ESG management support, enabling export-driven SMEs to enhance their competitiveness regardless of global environmental changes.”