Korean brands claimed 38 of the 100 bestselling skincare products on Amazon during this year's Prime Day, according to industry sources on Friday, as K-beauty companies posted their strongest sales performance yet during the retailer's biggest annual discount event. In the broader beauty and personal care category, 29 of the top 100 products were K-beauty items. Prime Day is a major discount event that Amazon has held for paid members each year since 2015, typically in the first half of the year. It is considered one of Amazon's signature events alongside Black Friday in the second half. This year's event ran from June 23 to 26. Amorepacific Group, Korea's beauty and cosmetics conglomerate, said Friday that its sales in the U.S. and European markets rose 20 percent and 22 percent on year, respectively, during the event, marking the company's largest Prime Day sales performance to date. Beyond its big names such as Laneige and Cosrx, which were already popular in the U.S. and British markets, a more diverse set of labels under Amorepacific, including Mise en Scene and Ryo,  stood out during this year's event, the group said.  Laneige's "Lip Glowy Balm" and "Lip Sleeping Mask" took the top two spots in the lip balm category, respectively, according to Amorepacific. Mise en Scene's "Perfect Serum Hair Oil"  ranked first in the hair styling oil category. APR, another local beauty operator, said its beauty brand Medicube topped Amazon's overall search rankings during the recent Prime Day, surpassing searches for general items such as iPad, Lego and AirPods. Its "Zero Pore Pad" ranked first in sales in Amazon's overall beauty category for the second consecutive year, and first in the toner category for the third consecutive year. Up to 11 Medicube products ranked among the top 100 bestsellers across all categories at one point, it said.  "We also confirmed new demand in the European market, with Medicube ranking first in searches on Amazon Spain and Amazon Italy," an APR representative said. The company plans to sustain its competitiveness in global markets by diversifying its sales channels and localized branding strategies going forward. K-beauty has become one of Korea's key export categories due to its popularity with consumers worldwide. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Thursday that cosmetics exports in the first half of this year rose an estimated 27.3 percent on year to $7 billion, the highest first-half figure on record. "To support Korean companies’ expansion into overseas markets, we plan to expand support measures, including operating the world’s first global consultative body of cosmetics regulatory agency heads and providing country-specific regulatory information," a ministry official said.      (ICE SEOUL)

Fonte notizia: KOREA JOONGANG DAILY