K-beauty access in US: Lunara cuts import barriers, Riman gains USDA protection

South Korea’s beauty industry is strengthening its foothold in the US. E-commerce company Lunara Cosmetics has launched domestic sourcing partnerships to eliminate import barriers for Korean skin care. Meanwhile, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted K-beauty company Riman 20 years of protection for its proprietary Centella asiatica variety, Giant BYoungPool. 

Lunara Cosmetics’ US-based sourcing for authentic Korean beauty products helps the company address shipping delays, authenticity concerns, and inflated prices.

Riman’s Plant Variety Protection (PVP) grants the company exclusive cultivation and commercialization rights to grow and sell its Centella asiatica variety, Giant BYoungPool, in the US. 

Both moves signal a deepening integration of K-beauty into the US skin care market. Earlier this year, South Korea was ranked as the second-largest cosmetics exporter globally, surpassing the US. 

According to the Korea International Trade Association, South Korea exported US$3.61 billion worth of beauty products from January 2025 to April, edging out the US with US$3.57 billion.

Democratizing K-beauty

Lunara Cosmetics aims to make K-beauty products more accessible for American consumers by entering into domestic sourcing partnerships in the US. These partnerships work to eliminate barriers to access, such as long shipping times and concerns over product authenticity.

US consumers face high, inflated prices from import duties on K-beauty products. Lunara Cosmetics says its localized partnerships will allow consumers to benefit from competitive pricing. The move is touted to help democratize K-beauty in the US and shift it from a premium category to an everyday one.

The company’s product portfolio spans multiple categories, such as facial skin care, hair care, body care, and area-specific products for the eyes and lips.

The body care ranges boast “skinified” products that make use of skin care ingredients. Meanwhile, the hair care ranges are said to tap Korean innovations in scalp health and damage repair.

Lunara Cosmetics says its product selection also features the ingredients that draw US consumers to K-beauty, such as snail mucin, ginseng, green tea, and fermented botanicals.

Its website currently features products from large players like Cosrx, Beauty of Joseon, Laneige, and Grass Roots.

Earlier this year, Personal Care Insights reported that tariff talks between the US and South Korea spurred US consumers to stockpile K-beauty products to avoid the costs of import inflation.

However, purchasing from e-commerce sites holds its own challenges, as a recent survey by UK-based organization Which? found that most cosmetics sold on e-commerce sites are counterfeit.

Riman’s Giant BYoungPool plant variety has larger leaves and higher concentrations of active compounds than conventional Centella.Lunara Cosmetics says it has a strict verification process to ensure the authenticity of the products it offers to tackle this concern. 

Heritage ingredient makeover

Riman’s Giant BYoungPool plant variety features larger leaves and higher concentrations of active compounds than conventional Centella. The company claims this enhances the plant’s efficacy for ingredient formulation in skin care.

Centella asiatica is used as an active ingredient in skin care due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cellulite, and anti-aging activity.

The new variety is cultivated at Riman’s Smart Farm in Jeju Island, South Korea.

The ingredient is foundational to the brand’s flagship skin care brand, ICD, which was previously called Incellderm. According to the brand, the skin care line is rapidly expanding in the US and European markets.

“Beyond scientific validation, this recognition by the USDA affirms Riman’s commitment to bringing trusted heritage ingredients to the global beauty industry,” says Youngsu Hwang, chief sales officer at Riman.

“This accomplishment strengthens our path to global expansion while staying true to our philosophy of innovation grounded in authenticity.”