K-beauty drives surge in South Korea air cargo volumes

South Korea has flown 57,000 tonnes of beauty and personal care products abroad so far in 2026, up 47% year-on-year, according to a new report by aviation and logistics strategy consultancy Aevean. Europe has now overtaken Asia as the largest air market for Korean beauty products.

Aevean’s data shows growth coming mainly from the US and Europe. Europe leads, with volumes up 104% to about 19,000 tonnes, putting it ahead of Asia Pacific. North America is the second growth engine, up 65% and driven mainly by the US. Asia Pacific remains a large market but is close to flat, up just 9%, while Latin America, though small, more than doubled with growth of 124%.

K-beauty was one of the niche trends in the market insights package Aevean sent to customers last week.

Korean Air’s second-quarter results point the same way. Cargo revenue for the quarter totalled KRW 1.5419 trillion ($1 billion), up KRW 486.5 billion (US$329 million) year-on-year. The airline said the surge in air cargo demand was driven primarily by global AI investments and “strong K-beauty exports”. “The airline achieved profitability through flexible route operations, including deployment of non-scheduled charter flights and securing high-yield cargo,” Korean Air said.

The air cargo numbers reflect a category that is booming. South Korea exported $11.4 billion worth of cosmetics in 2025, a record high, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). That put it second globally behind France at $24.3 billion, and ahead of the US at $10.8 billion. Momentum has continued into 2026, with beauty exports reaching $7 billion in the first half, up 27.3% year-on-year. Skincare is the backbone of the trade. Skincare accounted for $8.54 billion of 2025 exports, nearly 75% of the total. Colour cosmetics added $1.5 billion.

The destination map is shifting, in line with Aevean’s regional picture. The US became Korea’s top cosmetics export destination in 2025, with sales rising 15% to $2.2 billion. The US overtook China, whose imports of Korean cosmetics fell 11.7% in the third quarter. Japan has also been a major market, taking about US$1 billion in 2024, and Korean products held the largest share of Japan’s cosmetics imports in the first three quarters of that year.

Europe and the Middle East are the fast risers. Among the top 10 destinations in 2025, exports to Poland surged 111.7% and exports to the UAE 67.2%. US demand has held up despite the 15% tariff imposed on Korean imports last year, which covers some cosmetics.