K-beauty targets India as SWANA volatility reshapes expansion strategies

K-beauty brands are expanding into India as they seek to diversify their markets, following record overseas sales and growing geopolitical uncertainty in the South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region. Several brands are using partnerships with major retail platforms and localized distribution strategies to enter these markets. 

In India, K-beauty tech company APR has launched its Medicube brand through a partnership with Nykaa, the country’s largest lifestyle and beauty platform. The move introduces local consumers to dozens of skin care products through Nykaa’s online marketplace, and APR is eyeing a brick-and-mortar expansion for Medicube in the coming years.

Meanwhile, Amorepacific has announced it is deepening its long-term collaboration with Nykaa by introducing its dermocosmetic brand Illiyoon to Indian consumers.

According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, the country’s beauty industry is projected to grow from US$28 billion in 2024 to US$34 billion by 2028.

Multiple international giants, including Estée Lauder and L’Oréal, have picked up on the boom and devised strategies to gain a local foothold. The latest APR and Amorepacific moves signal that it is K-beauty’s turn to tap India’s rapidly growing beauty market.

“India offers a high-growth potential for K-beauty expansion, which has not been penetrated yet but has strong capabilities of online expansion through e-commerce and quick-commerce channels,” Innova Market Insights’ project lead for Beauty Personal Care & Household division tells Personal Care Insights.

According to Nykaa’s 2025 investor presentation, India is set to become the world’s third-largest economy by the end of the decade. The same report notes that the country’s e-commerce market has expanded from US$25 billion in FY20 to US$60 billion in FY25.

“Considering the comparatively limited income scales among Gen Z compared to Gen X, the conveniently priced K-beauty brands are positioned strongly to capture the budget-friendly options to attract younger audiences, thus offering scalable grounds for mass market and masstige K-beauty brands,” the Innova project lead adds.

Tension maneuvers

SWANA has emerged as a beauty market offering untapped potential to many cosmetic companies. The region has seen multiple strategies, including investments, expansions, and IPO debuts.

Korean beauty brands are expanding into India through local retail partnerships.“It is undeniable that the Middle East [SWANA] offers various significant perks, including a strong export corridor into premium skin care that has a considerably high-income audience backing it,” Innova’s project lead tells us.

However, rising geopolitical tensions in SWANA are affecting beauty companies’ operations, impacting which regional markets can be considered for stable growth.

Multiple cosmetic players have announced adjusted pricing due to compromised supply chain logistics. For K-beauty, the instability is impacting export strategies.

“With the changing scenario, K-beauty brands are looking into more viable options regionally,” says the Innova project lead.

While K-beauty brands have doubled down on their European expansion strategies in the past year, the Innova project lead says that the continent comes with the caveat of stricter quality and sales regulations based on EU mandates.

This stricter oversight, she says, is gradually funneling opportunities for more premium and science-backed brands to expand, instead of mass market options. India steps in here as a strategic alternative market for K-beauty brands seeking new growth.

“Considering the expansive Gen Z and millennial audience in India who have rapidly taken to the K-drama and film craze over the past couple of years alone, there is adequate interest to experiment with K-beauty identifying brands.”

High consumer appetite

India’s beauty and personal care market is growing, driven largely by a younger consumer base. “The primary K-beauty consumer base in India is youth-driven and localized across tier one urban cities and metropolises,” the Innova project lead explains.

Gen Z consumers in India are increasingly interested in K-beauty trends.She explains that the pandemic boosted media consumption on streaming services such as Netflix, and Korean television gained increased visibility during this time. 

“More content has been further streamed and marketed through social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram. Influencer backing to market K-beauty skin care regimes and makeup products has only further stimulated the target audience to aspire for K-beauty brands.”

E-commerce buoy

Local online beauty shopping platforms have helped international brands enter the Indian beauty market. “Local platforms are indispensable when it comes to marketing brand visibility and awareness among the Indian audiences,” says the Innova lead.

For K-beauty, she explains that these partnerships offer scale. “While brick-and-mortar retail still has significant value, the local platforms can give a faster and wider reach into not just tier one but tier two cities with audiences who are already motivated to explore K-beauty.”

The ease of accessibility to Nykaa, Purplle, and Amazon India can bolster faster delivery schedules to prospective young audiences who are looking for quick convenience.

However, beyond reach, partnering with an e-commerce platform helps establish a brand’s market positioning.

“E-commerce offers a pre-established pyramidal structure in India… wherein K-beauty brands, be it mass market or premium-prestige, can conveniently position themselves in line with their identity,” she explains.

India’s growing beauty market is attracting global brands.The project lead tells us that quick commerce platforms such as BlinkIt, Zepto, and Swiggy offer 10 to 15-minute deliveries, making a brand appear budget-friendly and convenient. On the other hand, she explains that platforms like Tira, Myntra, and Ajio are more viable for more premium brands and products, as their regular audience has access to higher incomes and expense potential.

Potential success?

The Innova project lead explains that there are multiple factors that will determine how successful Korean brands can be in India. “Pricing strategy will be the make or break” in attracting Indian consumers, as they value quality but remain sensitive to costs amid global inflation pressures.

The lead also tells us that India’s beauty market is crowded, so brands that wish to succeed locally must develop strong storytelling and distinctive positioning to connect with local audiences.

“Since the pandemic, Indian audiences, especially the youth, have opened up to up-and-coming local brands beyond the large domestic names, such as Sugar, Dot & Key, Chemist at Play, and Bare Anatomy. These are conveniently supplied brands with a wide range of products that market to a youthful audience, especially young employees and college-goers, and align with their identity,” the lead says.

However, beyond local competition, international players also hold a steady foothold in the country.

“When it comes to trusting quality toward Western brands, such as L’Oreal, India has a huge market for international science-backed premium brands. This is especially relevant for higher-income brackets, where consumer loyalty is skewed toward US or European companies,” she says.

“All signs point to a yes regarding the potential for expansion of K-beauty into the Indian market, but the process itself is rather tricky, and it needs to be strategic.”