Global luxury beauty brands transform strategy with e-commerce push

Luxury beauty brands that once shunned Korean online retail are now rapidly expanding on local e-commerce platforms as changing consumer habits and the rise of K-beauty transform the cosmetics market.

Musinsa Beauty, a beauty platform run by Musinsa, most notably began selling products from the global beauty brand Nars, according to the retail industry on Tuesday. It also added items from MAC Cosmetics and Miu Miu to its lineup earlier this year. 

Naver Plus Store has also expanded its lineup of luxury beauty brands. Its high-end category recently added beauty products from Chanel, Prada and Burberry.

"Global luxury fragrance brands such as Bvlgari Parfums and Jo Malone London, which previously focused on offline channels such as department stores, have also joined the platform in large numbers," a Naver representative said.

Beauty Kurly, the beauty platform of e-commerce company Market Kurly, currently sells products from Estée Lauder, La Mer, Biotherm and Hermès Perfume & Beauty. CJ Olive Young introduced Lancôme to its online and offline platforms last year.

The growing presence of luxury beauty brands on the platforms reflects the increasingly essential role of online retail in Korea's cosmetics market.

E-commerce accounted for 60.8 percent of Korea's cosmetics market in 2024, up sharply from 39.1 percent in 2019, according to Korea Ratings. Over the same period, the share of offline channels, including department stores and drugstores, fell from 60.9 percent to 39.2 percent.

Data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics also showed that online cosmetics transactions reached 13.8 trillion won ($9.25 billion) last year, up 7.7 percent from a year earlier.

The weakening position of imported beauty brands in Korea has also contributed to the shift.

Korea's cosmetics exports rose 11.8 percent on year to $11.4 billion last year, while imports fell 2.3 percent to $1.29 billion, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

In the past, Korean consumers typically visited department stores to purchase luxury beauty products. But as more consumers, particularly those in their 20s and 30s, have become comfortable buying luxury goods online, overseas brands have increasingly embraced Korean e-commerce platforms.

Now, new products sometimes even make global debuts through Korean channels. 

"Korea is an extremely important market because consumers respond quickly to new products, making it a valuable testing ground for identifying global beauty trends and shaping business strategies," a source at a global beauty brand said. "However, the rapid growth of K-beauty has weakened brand loyalty toward overseas beauty brands, particularly among consumers in their 20s and 30s, making it necessary to secure new sales channels."

Intensifying competition in the luxury beauty market has also accelerated the trend. As more luxury fashion houses expand into beauty, brands are under greater pressure to diversify their distribution channels to attract new customers.

The arrival of luxury beauty brands has also financially boosted domestic e-commerce platforms.

Transaction value for luxury beauty brands on Naver platforms nearly doubled last month compared with the same period a year earlier, the company said. At Musinsa Beauty, a handful of newly launched products sold out shortly after release.

Industry observers say attracting global beauty brands not only brings in new customers but also strengthens the competitiveness of online retail platforms.

"The trend of overseas luxury beauty brands lowering barriers and expanding customer touchpoints on their own will continue to accelerate, particularly in the Korean market," said Lee Jong-woo, a professor of distribution marketing at Namseoul University.

BY LIM SUN-YOUNG [[email protected]]