C-Beauty Rising: China Cosmetics Export Growth Challenges K-Beauty in 2025

Once the biggest fans of K-beauty, Chinese brands are now becoming its toughest rivals. In the first 11 months of 2025, China's cosmetics exports hit $3.99 billion, signaling a significant shift in the global beauty landscape. While South Korea remains a powerhouse, the gap's narrowing as Chinese firms leverage their massive domestic scale to push overseas.

China Cosmetics Export Growth: Closing the K-Beauty Gap

According to customs data, China's exports rose by 8.7% compared to the previous year. Although this still trails South Korea's record-breaking $10.3 billion (an 11.8% increase), the underlying trends are telling. China's cosmetics imports fell by 3.4% to $11.63 billion, which indicates that local consumers are increasingly swapping foreign brands for homegrown alternatives.

Scale and Strategy: The Advantage of C-Beauty

The sheer scale of local demand provides a structural advantage that few other markets can match. Chloe Zhu, a consultant at Euromonitor International, noted that Chinese beauty brands may already exceed K-beauty in consumer reach. While South Korea is currently the world's second-largest exporter behind France, the aggressive overseas push by Chinese firms is creating a more competitive environment in markets like Southeast Asia and beyond.