Fans of K-beauty stock up in US

When Esther Lee, a 32-year-old marketing agency owner from Los Angeles, heard that US tariffs would soon hit South Korea, she and her husband jumped online to buy a year’s worth of Korean eyeliners and sunscreens. It was triple their usual haul and cost hundreds of dollars.

- JIN YU YOUNG

The couple is among swarms of K-beauty consumers in the United States who have stocked up to brace for a potential price hike on their favourite cosmetic and skincare products.

Influencers have shared their bulk shopping hauls on social media.

"The future is uncertain, but there is one thing I am certain about," Taylor Bosman Teague said to her 500,000 TikTok followers in May while unboxing bottles of toner and moisturisers. "I am not willing to lose certain Korean skincare products."

The panic buying began in April, when President Donald Trump announced plans for sweeping tariffs on South Korea's exports to the United States, but then suspended them to allow for negotiations. In early July, he threatened to impose a 25% tariff on almost all South Korean and Japanese goods if an agreement could not be made before Aug 1.

This has caused ripples in the K-beauty industry, which has been booming, along with the rise of K-pop and K-dramas more broadly, and had record-high exports in the first half of the year.

South Korean cosmetic exports reached a record $5.5 billion in the first half of this year, nearly 15% higher than the first half of 2024, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Amorepacific, Korea's largest beauty company, reported a 40% increase in overseas sales in the past year.