Maybelline New York exited South Korea, the world's 8th-largest beauty market

Maybelline New York, the mass-market cosmetics brand owned by L'Oréal, exited the South Korean market in the first half of 2025. The brand began winding down its operations in early 2025 and closed all remaining retail points by mid-year. Maybelline had maintained a presence in Korea for over two decades through department store counters, drugstores, and online channels.

The exit was driven by several factors: the dominance of local Korean beauty (K-beauty) brands such as Amorepacific's Laneige and Sulwhasoo, LG Household & Health Care's The Face Shop, and a wave of indie K-beauty labels that captured consumer loyalty; the rising popularity of high-end luxury cosmetics that eroded the mid-market segment; and changing Korean consumer preferences toward skincare over color cosmetics, which was Maybelline's core category.

Maybelline's departure was part of a broader pattern of international mass-market beauty brands struggling in Korea. The Korean beauty market, the 8th largest globally, had become increasingly polarized between affordable local brands and premium luxury imports, leaving mid-range foreign brands squeezed from both sides. Several other global cosmetics brands also reduced or ended their Korean operations during the same period.