South Korea pushes K-beauty into Saudi Arabia with new SME support program

South Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Seoul announced Monday they are accepting applications from companies seeking to join the "K-Beauty Saudi Arabia Market Entry Support" program.

Saudi Arabia has drawn growing attention as a high-potential market following the country's active push toward economic openness. Demand for premium beauty products has risen alongside the expansion of women's economic participation, fueling increased interest in K-beauty. However, limited market information, weak local networks and stringent regulations have made it difficult for small and medium-sized cosmetics brands to enter the market independently.

The program is designed to address those barriers by partnering with local Saudi distributors that already have established retail networks in the country. Small and medium-sized brands selected for support will visit local retail stores and government agencies in Saudi Arabia, receiving assistance with online and offline store placement, product promotion and regulatory compliance consultations.

More than 20 local distributors have expressed willingness to participate, including Whites, Saudi Arabia's largest beauty and wellness distribution network. Once applications close, those distributors will visit South Korea to review documents and conduct interviews with applicant brands, then directly select the companies they will support.

Small and medium-sized enterprises holding a cosmetics responsible sales business registration certificate or a cosmetics manufacturing business registration certificate are eligible to apply. The application period runs through July 23.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said it hopes the program will help domestic small cosmetics companies use Saudi Arabia as a springboard to expand into the broader Middle East market. "We hope this support for entering the Saudi market will serve as a foundation for spreading the K-beauty wave across the entire Middle East region," said Shim Jae-yun, the ministry's director general for global growth policy.