Foreign Investors Favor K-Beauty Firms With Fast Overseas Growth
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Despite a strong year for K-beauty globally, foreign investment in listed Korean beauty companies has concentrated on a few firms with proven overseas sales growth. Of 14 listed K-beauty brands, only APR, iFamilySC (아이패밀리에스씨), and Able C&C (에이블씨엔씨) saw foreign ownership rise year‑over‑year. APR’s foreign share jumped from 14.04% to 27.68%, while new entrant Dalba Global (달바글로벌), listed in May, saw foreign holdings grow from 0.12% at IPO to 16.08%. Both APR and Dalba have rapidly expanded overseas revenue—APR’s cumulative overseas sales reached 76.9% year‑to‑date with the U.S. now its largest market, and Dalba’s overseas ratio rose to 61.6%—helping drive foreign buying. Established leaders Amorepacific and LG Household & Health Care saw foreign ownership decline. Higher U.S. demand, strong Black Friday e‑commerce performance, and broader geographic sales helped lift cosmetics exports 15.4% year‑to‑date, with the U.S. overtaking China as Korea’s top cosmetics market. (Black Friday: major U.S. shopping event)
