KB News Desk
Amazon’s biggest shopping event of the summer offered fresh proof of South Korea’s staying power in beauty, as K-beauty’s new and old guard, APR and Amorepacific, posted their strongest US and European sales yet.
APR said Friday its flagship brand, Medicube, recorded its highest-ever sales during Amazon Prime Day, which ran from June 23-26, becoming the most-searched brand across all product categories in the US.
Several Medicube products ranked among Amazon’s top beauty and personal care sellers, including a toner pad that finished first for a second consecutive year.
That momentum was not confined to the US. Medicube entered five new European markets within the past year, placed multiple products in national beauty rankings and topped beauty-related searches in Britain, Spain and Italy by the event’s final day.
“This year’s promotion reaffirmed Medicube’s popularity in the US while highlighting strong consumer demand across Europe,” an APR official said.
Amorepacific, the country’s largest cosmetics group, also reported record sales, with US revenue rising 20 percent from a year earlier, buoyed by established brands as well as newer exports.
Europe delivered equally strong results. Amorepacific’s regional sales climbed 22 percent during the promotion, with Cosrx’s sunscreen ranking first in its category and fourth overall in beauty and personal care.
The results coincide with a milestone for the broader industry. Korea’s cosmetics exports surpassed $7 billion in the first half of 2026, up 27.3 percent from a year earlier and the highest on record for the period, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
The US remained the industry’s largest overseas market with a 20.7 percent share, followed by China and Japan.
“We will continue helping exporters so that K-beauty can build an even stronger position worldwide,” a ministry official said, pointing to initiatives ranging from regulatory assistance to halal-certification consulting.
