APR, d'Alba Global and other emerging K-beauty corporations are increasing both headcount and pay on the back of rapid growth. Building on the fruits of that growth, they are moving aggressively to secure talent while also expanding compensation for employees and executives.
On the 25th, business reports from each company showed APR's headcount rose 18.6% (103 people), from 554 in 2024 (482 regular, 72 contract) to 657 in 2025 (557 regular, 100 contract). Over the same period, the average annual salary climbed 67.3%, from 55 million won to 92 million won.
d'Alba Global's headcount last year was 203 (168 regular, 35 contract), up 48.2% (66 people) from the prior year's 137. The average annual salary also rose 18.4%, from 125 million won in 2024 to 148 million won in 2025.
Both companies are improving in scale and profitability thanks to overseas market expansion and brand popularity. On this basis, they are seen accelerating talent acquisition. APR posted 1.5273 trillion won in revenue and 365.4 billion won in operating profit last year, up 111.3% and 197.9%, respectively, from the prior year. d'Alba Global reported 519.8 billion won in revenue and 101.1 billion won in operating profit last year, increases of 8.2% and 68.9%, respectively, from the year before.
APR, following the second half of last year, has recently begun hiring entry-level staff for global beauty marketer roles. It plans to recruit a large number of influencer marketing and online MD personnel across 10 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, the UAE, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. During hiring, it also specified a starting salary for new university graduates of 45 million won (performance bonus separate).
By contrast, the mood at traditional large beauty corporations is somewhat different. Amorepacific Co.'s headcount stayed about the same, from 4,722 in 2024 (4,407 regular, 315 contract) to 4,748 in 2025 (4,431 regular, 317 contract). However, the average annual salary rose 17%, from 88 million won to 103 million won.
Amorepacific Co. recorded 4.2528 trillion won in revenue and 335.8 billion won in operating profit last year. Revenue increased 9.5% and operating profit 52.3% from the prior year. This is interpreted as raising compensation levels within stable workforce management rather than adding staff.
LG H&H's headcount fell 8.4%, from 4,381 in 2024 (4,333 regular, 48 contract) to 4,013 in 2025 (4,001 regular, 12 contract). Over the same period, the average annual salary rose 7.4%, from 81 million won to 87 million won.
LG H&H carried out voluntary retirement focused on sales positions in the beauty division in Oct. last year, and also implemented voluntary retirement at year-end for Coca-Cola sales, logistics and staff departments. This appears to have reduced headcount.
LG H&H's results last year were 6.3555 trillion won in revenue and 170.7 billion won in operating profit, down 6.7% and 62.8%, respectively, from the prior year. In particular, revenue in its core cosmetics division came to 2.35 trillion won, down 16.5% from the prior year, and it swung to a loss with an operating loss of 97.6 billion won. LG H&H had delivered results in China led by its high-end cosmetics brand THE WHOO, but preference for luxury beauty in China has recently been declining.
Meanwhile, jobs in Korea's cosmetics industry are steadily increasing. According to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), as of the fourth quarter last year, about 43,000 people worked in the domestic cosmetics industry, up 8.6% from the same period a year earlier. Notably, those with less than five years of experience accounted for 61% of the total, and the growth rate of workers age 29 and under was 8.5%, indicating more active inflows of new talent than in other industries.
A cosmetics industry official said, "With the recent expansion in global demand and a business structure centered on brands and marketing coming together, hiring and job changes are active, particularly among younger workers."