Mask packs, which once rode the "one pack a day" craze to become a flagship K-beauty product, are entering a second heyday, led by "hydrogel." Hydrogel is a formula that solidifies essence ingredients like jelly to boost skin adhesion and allow long wear.
As a market once centered on cotton sheet masks has recently shifted to hydrogel, mask pack exports are rising quickly again, led by the United States and Europe. Original design manufacturers (ODM) are adding dedicated production lines or integrating specialist makers, while brand companies are expanding product lines and overseas distribution and marketing to secure early leads.
According to the Korea Customs Service on the 2nd, Korea's mask pack exports from January to July this year totaled $414.36 million (about 568 billion won), up 25.8% from a year earlier. Mask pack exports had slowed for a while, but they have revived in recent years. Exports were $810 million (about 1.113 trillion won) in 2020 and $790 million (about 1.085 trillion won), ranking No. 1 worldwide, but fell to $610 million (about 838 billion won) in 2022 and $540 million (about 742 billion won) in 2023, slipping to No. 2 behind China. They then rebounded to $700 million (about 962 billion won) in 2024, reclaiming the No. 1 spot in the global export market for the first time in three years.
The core of recent growth is shifting from sheet masks to hydrogel. BIODANCE's "Real Deep Mask" surpassed 300 million units in cumulative sales and gained popularity overseas, and leading K-beauty brands such as Medicube, Anua, MEDIHEAL, Ingredient Editor, and Torriden are rolling out hydrogel or gel-type mask products in succession. In the United States, sales channels are expanding beyond online platforms like Amazon to offline retailers such as Sephora, Target, and Costco.
The ODM sector is responding most aggressively to rising orders. The hydrogel-specialist ODM company Genic(123330) increased its production lines from eight in the first quarter to 11 in the second quarter and added a 12th line in July. It plans to add three more lines to boost capacity.
Full-service ODM companies are also establishing separate production bases or expanding existing plants. Cosmecca Korea(241710) assigned four of the 15 lines at its new Cheongju, North Chungcheong, plant, which began operating in May last year, exclusively to hydrogel masks. In June this year, it acquired additional plant land and buildings in Cheongju to expand capacity. COSMAX(192820) is also expanding hydrogel production centered on its Pyeongtaek plant, and with recent order growth lifting output, it is investing in expanding existing skincare production bases.
Kolmar Korea(161890) in February strengthened its mask pack business by acquiring 97.9% equity in Kolmask, previously held by Kolmar BNH, for about 20.4 billion won. Kolmask specializes in manufacturing and selling mask packs and cosmetics. By reorganizing the group's cosmetics business around Kolmar Korea, it established a structure that can link production, quality control, and client support.
Brand companies are also expanding related businesses. BIODANCE recently named Won-i of the girl group LUNNE as a brand ambassador. Overseas, it ran Amazon Prime Day marketing with Georgina Rodríguez, the wife of soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo and a well-known model.
More brands are extending hit mask products into other categories. Ingredient Editor broadened its lineup after the success of the "Deep Collagen Power Boosting Mask" to include collagen serum and cream and silk peptide products, and it entered U.S. offline channels such as Target and Ulta Beauty. Medicube likewise expanded its mask lineup with products such as the PDRN collagen gel mask, as the "Collagen Night Wrapping Mask" surpassed 10 million in cumulative global sales in April.
A cosmetics industry official said, "Mask packs have established themselves as a flagship K-beauty category," adding, "As brands' overseas sales grow, production demand at domestic ODM companies with manufacturing technology will continue to expand."