K-beauty took the top spot in Japan’s imported cosmetics market for the 12th consecutive quarter. In the first quarter of 2025, it recorded year-on-year growth of more than 20 percent, further widening the gap with second-place France.

According to the latest first-quarter 2025 cosmetics import data released by the Cosmetics Importers Association of Japan (CIAJ), K-beauty claimed the top spot with a 32.6 percent share of Japan’s total cosmetics imports.

Imports from K-beauty totaled 36.04 billion yen (approximately $248.7 million), up 22.9 percent year-on-year. In the first quarter of 2025, Japan’s total cosmetics imports rose 10.3 percent year-on-year to 110.48 billion yen, with K-beauty showing an even more pronounced increase.

The gap with second-place France widened. In the first quarter, imports of French products totaled 23.47 billion yen, down 4.3 percent year-on-year. France held a 21.2 percent share, putting the gap between the two countries at 11.4 percentage points — an increase of 5.5 points from the previous year.

K-beauty saw steady growth in both skincare and color makeup.

The skincare and base makeup segment totaled 49.9 billion yen, up 10.9 percent year-on-year. The top-ranked country held a 44.3 percent share, with imports rising 16.8 percent year-on-year to 21.73 billion yen. This marked a 2.9 percentage point increase from its 41.4 percent share in the fourth quarter of last year.

In contrast, second-ranked France saw a 6.4 percent year-on-year decline, widening the gap. French imports totaled 11.34 billion yen (approximately $108.8 million), with a 23.2 percent share.

The United States, in third place, posted a 1.8 percent increase to 4.76 billion yen. Fourth-ranked China surged 38.7 percent to 2.06 billion yen, while fifth-ranked Italy jumped 76.7 percent to 2.05 billion yen. Despite the sharp growth in imports from China and Italy, their totals still amounted to less than one-tenth of the leader’s.

In the color makeup segment, eye and nail products declined, but lip makeup remained strong. Japan’s total imports of color makeup cosmetics in the first quarter reached 18.24 billion yen, up 11 percent year-on-year.

The leading country ranked first with imports totaling 8.76 billion yen, a 56.3 percent increase from the previous year. Its share reached 48 percent — nearly half of all color makeup imports. France, in second place, saw a 27.3 percent year-on-year drop to 3.23 billion yen, while third-ranked China declined 13.2 percent to 3.12 billion yen, further widening the gap with the leader.

The United States, in fourth place, posted a 1.8 percent increase to 1.18 billion yen, and fifth-ranked Italy rose 47.6 percent to 1.1 billion yen.

Breaking it down, imports of lip makeup products totaled 10.75 billion yen, up 32.9 percent year-on-year. This growth was largely driven by K-beauty. Imports of lip makeup products from the leader reached 6.89 billion yen, a 93.9 percent increase from the previous year — nearly double the growth rate of France. In contrast, second-ranked France saw a 28.2 percent decline to 2.15 billion yen, while third-ranked China fell 22.8 percent to 570 million yen.

Despite K-beauty’s overall strength in Japan’s import market, it has yet to establish a significant presence in the fragrance and haircare sectors. France continues to dominate the perfume segment. The value of perfume imports rose 20.4 percent year-on-year to 11.72 billion yen, with France accounting for 62.8 percent, or 7.37 billion yen. The United States, ranked second, also posted strong growth, with imports up 51.6 percent year-on-year to 860 million yen. Third-ranked Italy saw a 14.8 percent increase to 750 million yen.

In the hair care category, K-beauty ranked fifth, with total imports amounting to 15.55 billion yen, up 9.4 percent year-on-year. In the shampoo and conditioner segment, Thailand remains the clear leader. Imports of shampoo from Thailand rose 7.6 percent year-on-year to 2.48 billion yen, while conditioner imports increased 16.9 percent to 4.58 billion yen, accounting for 54.2 percent and 42.2 percent of total imports in their respective segments. The United States ranked second, with imports up 46.6 percent year-on-year to 1.93 billion yen. Meanwhile, imports from France and China, ranked third and fourth, respectively, saw slight year-on-year declines. The leader closely follows China, having surpassed the 1 billion yen mark.

This article is a collaboration between Korea Biomedical Review and Beautynury, a Korean cosmetics industry news media (beautynury.com). -- Ed.