How Many Cosmetics Companies in Korea? 28,412 Sellers
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Bottom line: at the end of 2025 Korea had 28,412 registered cosmetics responsible sellers, 4.4 times the 6,422 of 2015, and 4,158 manufacturers; but only 15,342 responsible sellers (54.0%) actually reported production that year.
So how many cosmetics companies are in Korea? The answer depends on which register you count. This article uses two tables from the 2025 cosmetics production, export and import statistics published by Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) on 22 May 2026.
Under Article 2 of Korea’s Cosmetics Act, a responsible seller is a business that “manages the quality and safety” of the cosmetics it handles while distributing and selling them, and a manufacturer is a business that makes all or part of a cosmetic. Both must register with MFDS under Article 3.
How many cosmetics companies in Korea, 2015–2025
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
| Year | Manufacturers | Responsible sellers | Customised cosmetics sellers | Responsible sellers reporting production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2,017 | 6,422 | - | 3,840 |
| 2016 | 2,033 | 8,175 | - | 4,961 |
| 2017 | 2,069 | 10,079 | - | 5,829 |
| 2018 | 2,328 | 12,673 | - | 6,487 |
| 2019 | 2,911 | 15,707 | - | 7,580 |
| 2020 | 4,071 | 19,769 | 112 | 8,942 |
| 2021 | 4,428 | 22,716 | 185 | 9,359 |
| 2022 | 4,548 | 28,015 | 217 | 10,119 |
| 2023 | 4,567 | 31,524 | 231 | 11,861 |
| 2024 | 4,439 | 27,932 | 221 | 13,976 |
| 2025 | 4,158 | 28,412 | 210 | 15,342 |
Registered Korean cosmetics businesses · 2015–2025 · Source: MFDS, cosmetics production, export and import statistics, released 2026-05-22 · ACCESSED 2026-10-16 · businesses
Definitions, sources and access date
- Scope: MFDS table 12, “Status of cosmetics businesses” (manufacturers and responsible sellers from the MFDS nedrug business database as of 31 December 2025). The customised cosmetics seller system took effect on 14 March 2020, so counts start in 2020.
- Companies reporting production: company count in MFDS table 2, “Cosmetics production by year” (responsible sellers that reported production).
- 54.0% is 15,342 reporting companies divided by 28,412 registered responsible sellers; 4.4 times is 28,412 ÷ 6,422.
- Sources: MFDS press release, 22 May 2026: https://www.mfds.go.kr/brd/m_99/view.do?seq=50010 · MFDS nedrug: https://nedrug.mfds.go.kr/ · Cosmetics Act (Korea Law Information Center): https://www.law.go.kr/법령/화장품법
- Data accessed: 16 October 2026
Why there are so many brands, and what it means for buyers
Far more sellers than factories. In 2025 there were about 6.8 responsible sellers for every manufacturer, which means many brands have their products made by a manufacturer rather than producing them themselves. The same MFDS release puts 2025 production by original development manufacturers (ODM) at KRW 5.26 trillion, 29.3% of total production of KRW 17.94 trillion.
Registered is not the same as active. Registered responsible sellers peaked at 31,524 in 2023, fell to 27,932 in 2024 and stood at 28,412 in 2025. The number reporting production, by contrast, has risen every year since 2015 to 15,342 in 2025. Roughly half of registered sellers reported production that year.
Manufacturers have declined since 2023. Manufacturers jumped by 1,160 in 2020 alone to 4,071, peaked at 4,567 in 2023 and fell to 4,158 in 2025.
For an importer, a large and fast-changing pool of brands means more choice, and more reason to check who you are dealing with: who the responsible seller of a brand is, whether that company has an actual record of production and distribution, and whether your supplier can document a genuine supply chain.
Related reading: Korean cosmetics industry statistics · Counterfeit cosmetics seizures in Korea · Korean cosmetics exports by country
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