SEOUL — South Korean cosmetics makers such as Amorepacific are shifting their export focus from China to the world's largest market, the United States, capturing demand with highly functional products and ads featuring South Korean idols like BTS.
The snail mucin-based lotion, developed by Amorepacific subsidiary COSRX, has become a hit with Western influencers through video-sharing app TikTok, where the company began posting promotional videos in 2022. The number of views exceeded 2.1 billion.