20 April: in-cosmetics Korea, the only exhibition dedicated to personal care ingredients in South Korea, is set to return to Seoul this year for what is expected to be the biggest and most international event yet.

The highly anticipated show, taking place in Hall C, at Coex in Seoul, South Korea from 12-14 July, is set to welcome more than 200 leading personal care ingredient suppliers, including ProCell Therapeutics, Nanjing Cosmos and Samkwang Chem Corp and over 9,000 attendees from South Korea and across the world.

Furthermore, with all-new exciting initiatives including the Natural Extract Zone, and a Country Focus on Japan, the show will provide a perfect platform for R&D professionals, chemists, researchers, scientists, and marketing experts to collaborate, network, and learn about future industry trends.

Widely regarded as the bedrock of global beauty trends, South Korea is recognised for its dynamic and highly influential cosmetics and personal care market. And, despite challenging market conditions in recent years, research published by GlobalData anticipates the South Korean skincare market is projected to expand from KRW9.7 trillion ($8.5 billion) in 2021 to KRW12.8 trillion ($11.4 billion) by 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6%^[1]. Meanwhile, the country holds its position as the world’s third-largest cosmetics exporter with its trade surplus exceeding $6 billion for the first time in 2020^[2].

Demonstrating how it continues to lead the global cosmetic and personal care industry, in-cosmetics Korea 2023 will bring the entire ingredients supply chain together, placing an emphasis on interactivity and new formulation techniques through the show’s exciting line-up of local suppliers, its carefully curated educational programme, and interactive areas.

New for 2023: Country focus – Japan

As Asia Pacific (APAC) holds its position at the forefront of the world’s beauty innovation, this year’s show will take a deep dive into what Japan and the growing J-Beauty market has to offer. Attendees will have the unrivalled opportunity to meet Japanese suppliers face-to-face and explore their ingredients, formulations, and trends.

From live ingredient demonstrations in the dedicated Japanese Pavilion, an exclusive keynote session from Shiseido Japan, and dedicated Technical Seminars – where leaders in J-Beauty including Nikko Group, Ajinomoto Health Supply, Seiwa Kasei, TriBeaute and more are set to host sessions – the country focus on Japan will both inspire and educate.

Over in the Exhibitor’s Recommendation area of the K-Beauty Inspiration Zone, Japanese ingredients, especially for the use in products on the Korean market, will be presented by Vitamin C60, Nippon Fine Chemical, and many others.

Natural Extract Zone

Another new feature for 2023 will see a focus on clean beauty and sustainability. The new Natural Extract Zone will demonstrate how natural ingredients play a key role in these trends, as brands and consumers look to replace synthetic ingredients with natural variants. The zone will welcome natural extract and essential oil suppliers from across the South Korea market and beyond, including Shebah Biotech, Metrochem Co. SIDBIO, Micophyt, Plantus, JC Buck and Florihana.

Finding inspiration from local trends

Since its launch in 2019, the K-Beauty Inspiration Zone has been an iconic focal point of the show, with Korean and international researchers gathering to get the latest and most unique insights into K-Beauty. This year, the popular show area will be split into two dedicated zones: the Product Showcase and the Open Theatre.

In this year’s Product Showcase, attendees can test and try the top 21 most innovative K-Beauty products, carefully selected and analysed by Mintel. The isolated hero ingredients of each product will be highlighted by the show’s Technical Advisor, Lorna Radford, and made available to visitors to test and try on stand. Meanwhile, the Open Theatre will host multiple sessions where exhibitors will be invited to demonstrate their formulations in a lab setting – offering visitors an interactive way to learn directly from expert formulators.

Innovation Zone

Another long-awaited area at the show, the Innovation Zone will return as a pivotal hub for R&D professionals to learn and be inspired by newly launched ingredients, while the Marketing Trends & Regulations Seminars will offer a deep dive into the hottest marketing trends, with specialist talks presented by industry experts Mintel Japan, Shiseido Japan, and Euromonitor. Elsewhere, Technical Seminars will also welcome BASF, ACTIVON, and Daebong Life Science amongst others to share insights into the latest product formulations and innovative solutions.

Speaking about this year’s event, Sarah Gibson, Exhibition Director, in-cosmetics Korea, said: “Asa Korean cosmetic products and K-Beauty continue to rise in popularity amongst consumers worldwide, in-cosmetics Korea has an advantageous position to highlight the cutting-edge innovations happening behind the scenes.

“With a special country focus on Japan’s historic progress in this space, and the lifting of travel restrictions, we look forward to introducing this year’s show which is anticipated to be our biggest year – 34% up on 2022 and growing! We can’t wait to welcome attendees from South Korea and beyond to the thriving city of Seoul to celebrate excellence in the field of ingredient innovation.”

in-cosmetics Korea will take place from 12-14 July 2023 at the Coex Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul, South Korea. For more information and to register to attend, visit here.

ENDS

[1] https://www.globaldata.com/media/consumer/south-koreas-skincare-market-will-reach-11-4-billion-value-2026-driven-easing-covid-19-restrictions-says-globaldata/

[2] https://www.cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/Article/2021/06/28/South-Korea-s-cosmetics-exports-soar-to-make-it-the-world-s-third-largest-cosmetics-exporter