K-Beauty Expands to the US, Thanks to BTS!

Beginner | June 11, 2025

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K-Beauty’s Retail Expansion

Do you like Korean beauty products, called K-beauty? Good news! Many Korean makeup and skincare brands want to sell their products in big stores in the United States. Right now, many people buy these products online. But soon, you might see them at places like Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Costco, and Target.

Why Now? The Timing Behind the Move

Why are they doing this now? K-beauty is already very popular online in the US. Companies see this success and want more people to buy their products easily. They are talking with large American stores to make this happen this summer and later this year.

Dealing with Tariffs and Getting a Little Help

The Challenge of Rising Costs

There is a challenge, though. The US has extra costs, called tariffs, on some products from South Korea. There is already a 10% extra cost, and it might go up to 25% in July. This could make the products more expensive for shoppers.

Confidence in Quality and Value

But K-beauty companies are not stopping. They believe their products are good quality and have fair prices. They hope that people will still want to buy them, even with the extra cost. Some companies might have to raise prices a little bit if the tariffs get higher.

The Power of Korean Pop Culture

And guess what helps K-beauty a lot? Korean pop culture! Things like BTS music, Korean dramas, and movies make people around the world interested in South Korea and its products. This excitement, sometimes called the “BTS effect,” helps people discover and want to try K-beauty. This cultural wave makes it easier for brands to become popular in the US.

K-Beauty Overtakes France

South Korea is doing very well in sending beauty products to the US. In fact, in 2024, South Korea sent more beauty products to the US than France did! This shows how much people in America like K-beauty now. The companies hope their popularity and smart business ideas will help them keep growing, even with tariffs.

Vocabulary

Target (noun): A large store where you can buy many different things.
- Example: We need to go to Target to buy some groceries.
Online (adverb/adjective): On the internet.
- Example: I buy many things online because it is easy.
Physical stores (noun phrase): Real buildings where you go to buy things, not online.
- Example: The company sells clothes online and in physical stores.
Tariffs (noun): Extra taxes or costs on products coming from another country.
- Example: New tariffs made imported cars more expensive.
Challenges (noun): Difficult things or problems.
- Example: Learning a new language can have many challenges.
Popularity (noun): When many people like something.
- Example: The singer has a lot of popularity around the world.
Quality (noun): How good or bad something is.
- Example: This bag is very good quality; it will last a long time.
Affordability (noun): When something is not too expensive; easy to pay for.
- Example: The affordability of the clothes made them very popular.
Influence (noun): The power to change how someone thinks or acts.
- Example: His teacher had a big influence on his life.
Paved the way (idiomatic phrase): To make it easier for something else to happen later.
- Example: The first scientists paved the way for new discoveries.

Discussion Questions (About the Article)

Where do K-beauty brands want to sell their products in the US besides online?
What is one challenge K-beauty companies face when selling in the US?
How does Korean pop culture, like BTS, help K-beauty brands?
Did South Korea send more beauty products to the US than France in 2024?
Why do K-beauty companies think they can manage the tariff costs?

Discussion Questions (About the Topic)

Do you use any K-beauty products? Why or why not?
Why do you think K-beauty is so popular around the world?
How does culture (like music or movies) change what products people want to buy?
Is it important for companies to have physical stores, or is online selling enough?
What are the good and bad things about tariffs on products from other countries?

Related Idiom

“Ride the wave”

Meaning: To use the success of something popular to help your own success.
Example: The new restaurant is trying to ride the wave of popularity of the downtown area.

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This article was inspired by: Reuters, June 5, 2025