152 K-beauty firms to gather at DDP for Seoul Beauty Week

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Friday that it will hold the 2026 Seoul Beauty Week at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Jung-gu from Aug. 22 through Aug. 25. The city said the event is designed to showcase the products and technology of small and emerging cosmetics companies to global markets and create growth opportunities for them.

Now in its fifth edition since launching in 2022, Seoul Beauty Week brings together Seoul-based companies with domestic and international buyers, investors and distributors to explore business opportunities, while offering residents and tourists a chance to experience the latest K-beauty trends.

South Korea recorded $11.4 billion in cosmetics exports last year, making it the world's second-largest cosmetics exporter. The event is expected to affirm that standing.

This year's Seoul Beauty Week will feature 152 participating companies — the largest exhibition in the event's history. Art Hall 1 will host a "Beauty Zone" where 127 cosmetic and beauty-tech firms display their products and technology, while Art Hall 2's "Medical Beauty Zone" will feature 17 medical aesthetics companies.

The Art Hall lobby's "Inner Beauty Zone" will feature four inner-beauty companies dealing in products such as ingestible collagen and PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide), while four lifestyle companies will set up in Eoulim Plaza.

The Beauty Trade Show will bring 115 overseas buyers together with Korean companies for one-on-one export consultations. A Business Meetup Pitching Competition, organized in partnership with the city government, the Seoul Small and Venture Business Agency and Shopee Korea, will offer consultations on retail, investment, exports and store placement, and identify promising companies.

A new addition this year is the Seoul Beauty Forum, which will discuss how K-beauty's growth can move beyond a short-term trend and develop into a sustainable industry.

The forum will feature a keynote address by Joyce Ryu, chief digital marketing officer of L'Oréal Korea, along with presentations from domestic and international experts.

A hands-on program called "K-Beauty Styling," where residents and tourists can try products and technology firsthand, will also run at Eoulim Plaza and Be the B.

All exhibitions and programs are free to attend. Visitors can pre-register through the official website through Friday, or register on-site.

"We will develop Seoul Beauty Week into a business opportunity for companies to enter global markets, and into Seoul's signature beauty festival where residents and tourists can experience the latest K-beauty firsthand," said Jo Hye-jeong, the city government's director of creative industry planning.