Minister visits Kolmar Korea as small brands raise counterfeit and packaging-cost concerns
The Asia Business Daily reported on 18 October that the SME minister toured Kolmar Korea's Sejong plant; its CEO said 20 to 30 of 10,000 brands stand out.
Published
2 November 2026 — The Asia Business Daily reported on 18 October that Minister of SMEs and Startups Lee Soyoung had toured Kolmar Korea's Sejong plant on 16 October and met executives, including CEO Choi Hyun-kyu, to discuss strengthening K-beauty. The plant produces 890 million cosmetics products a year, and Kolmar Korea was the country's first cosmetics original design manufacturer.
What was raised
The report said imitations of Korean cosmetics from China and other Asian countries are spreading and making it harder for independent brands to market abroad. Packaging costs have also risen with oil prices amid Middle East instability, and smaller brands are bearing part of the increase. Differing national rules add another hurdle; the report noted that the United States treats sunscreen as an over-the-counter drug rather than a general cosmetic.
SME cosmetics exports reached USD 5.07 billion in the first half of 2026, up 30.7 per cent from a year earlier, making cosmetics the top export category for small and mid-sized companies. The CEO said only 20 to 30 of every 10,000 brands stand out in global markets and proposed joint efforts with the ministry to nurture them.
THE CAST shopping perspective
If only a few brands in thousands stand out, a long list is not the same as a good list. THE CAST keeps its range small and explains each brand because selection is the service. We do not claim that every excellent Korean brand is here, only that each brand we list gets a page that tells you what the product is and how to order it.