KB News Desk
Amorepacific, APR, Goodai Global and Silicon2 eye retail expansion amid closer regulatory ties
South Korea’s top beauty executives are accompanying President Lee Jae Myung on his state visit to Brazil through Wednesday, as K-beauty makes its deepest inroads yet into Latin America’s booming cosmetics market, industry sources said Monday.
The CEOs of the beauty delegation — Amorepacific Holdings’ Lee Sang-mok, APR’s Kim Byung-hoon, Goodai Global’s Cheun Ju-hyuk and Silicon2’s Kim Sung-woon — are set to attend a Korea-Brazil business roundtable Tuesday, alongside executives from other sectors, to discuss cooperation on expansion into the Latin American market.
Beauty executives rarely join presidential trade delegations, industry sources said, taking note of K-beauty’s rising economic weight in one of the world’s fastest-growing beauty markets.
Brazil’s cosmetics market is projected to hit $34.1 billion this year, third-largest globally behind the US and China, according to Euromonitor International.
Although Brazil ranks just 32nd among Korea’s 207 export destinations, with cosmetics exports totaling $54.3 million in 2025, growth has been steep, surging more than tenfold over the past five years.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva even credited Korean cosmetics for his own good looks in a speech last year. During his state visit to Korea in February, President Lee gave him cosmetics from LG Household & Health Care and Amorepacific as gifts.
The relationship has deepened at the regulatory level as well. In February, Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety signed a cooperation agreement with Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency, expanding their regulatory cooperation to include cosmetics for the first time.
Industry watchers see the roundtable as a turning point for K-beauty’s full-fledged foray into Latin America, given the region’s young population and heavy social media use.
“Brazil’s strong consumer appetite for beauty makes it the top gateway for global beauty brands entering Latin America,” one industry official said.
Despite being in its early stages, Korean beauty companies are digging in across the region.
Amorepacific entered Latin America in 2023 with skincare in Mexico and haircare in Brazil, later expanding its skincare line to Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Peru. APR has expanded to 14 South American countries, entering drugstores and specialty retailers in Brazil since last year and major chains in Mexico, Argentina and Ecuador.
Starting July, Goodai Global began selling its flagship brands through Sephora Brazil, while Silicon2 began full-scale operations of its Mexican subsidiary in June, with plans for a local subsidiary in Brazil this year.
“K-beauty exports to Latin America have just crossed $200 million, and the market is growing fast,” an official from Silicon2 said. “We intend to ride that momentum, clear local logistics and customs hurdles, and build a dominant position there.”
