beauty expands in South America, Middle East

South Korean beauty brands are accelerating their expansion into South America and the Middle East after reducing their reliance on China and achieving strong growth in the United States.

Urbanization is increasing cosmetics demand across South America, while the popularity of Korean music and television has helped improve perceptions of Korean products in both regions.

Major cosmetics brands including medicube, SKIN1004, Beauty of Joseon, AMUSE, AGE20’S and LUNA, along with hair-care brands such as UNOVE, Dr.FORHAIR and Kerasys, are entering physical stores and holding marketing events across the two regions, industry officials said Sunday.

Skincare, makeup and hair brands target South America

Medicube, a cosmetics brand operated by APR, will enter Sephora stores in Brazil next month. It also began supplying products to Saudi Arabia’s Nahdi Pharmacy during the first half.

APR held a product-experience event in Dubai in July in collaboration with Ulta Beauty, allowing local consumers to try its medicube AGE-R beauty devices. It held another medicube experience event in Ecuador in August and operated a medicube pop-up store in Israel that month.

SKIN1004 recently entered about 400 Raia Drogasil stores in Brazil. The company plans to run outdoor advertising campaigns in major areas of Chile in October and November.

Beauty of Joseon joined Namshi, the Middle East’s largest fashion and beauty platform, last year. It plans to expand its presence in physical stores while monitoring regional developments, including the U.S.-Iran war.

Color cosmetics brand AMUSE has entered Gold Apple and Watsons stores in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia as it steps up its push into the region.

Aekyung Industrial plans to operate a booth at Beautyworld Middle East 2026 in Dubai next month to promote its AGE20’S and LUNA brands.

#HANHYUNJAE, a cosmetics brand created by makeup artist Han Hyun-jae, is working to secure export certifications for Chile and other South American markets, with initial shipments expected before year-end.

Hair-care brands are also beginning to expand in South America.

Dr.FORHAIR entered Raia Drogasil this month and aims to supply products to about 40 Sephora stores in Brazil by the end of the year. It is also pursuing sales through Amazon, Mercado Livre and Shopee in Brazil.

Aekyung Industrial’s Kerasys recently began supplying products to about 1,500 Raia Drogasil locations.

Retailers and salons follow abroad

Korean beauty distributors are also accelerating their expansion into South America.

Silicon2, a major Korean cosmetics distributor, plans to establish a Brazilian subsidiary before year-end and use the country as a base for expansion across the continent.

Korean hair salon chain Riahn Hair is also targeting the Middle East, with plans to open its first salons in Jordan and Dubai this year.

Brazil’s cosmetics market was valued at $31.1 billion last year, making it the world’s third largest after the United States and China, according to Euromonitor.

The Middle East has also become increasingly attractive to Korean beauty companies as demand for K-beauty products has grown over the past two to three years.

Markets such as Dubai can support mid- to high-priced cosmetics, while the region’s proximity to Africa and Europe makes it a potential base for broader expansion.

“Securing an early lead in the Middle East would create a strong chance to dominate the African and Indian markets as well,” said Kim Sung-woon, CEO of Silicon2.