South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare opened the third K-Beauty Play experience center in Busan's Seomyeon district on June 19, marking the first location outside the Seoul capital area. The move signals a strategic expansion of K-beauty export infrastructure to regional manufacturing hubs, offering overseas buyers and distributors a new channel to discover small and medium cosmetic brands from outside the Seoul metropolitan region.
New regional hub for K-beauty sourcing
K-Beauty Play Busan is the third branch after Myeongdong (No. 1) and Hongdae (No. 2). The first two locations have showcased 5,993 products from 1,128 small and medium enterprises, attracting 488,247 cumulative visitors, of whom 74.6% were foreign nationals. The new branch dedicates over half of its exhibition space to brands headquartered south of the Chungcheong region, directly supporting regional cosmetic companies in expanding sales channels and entering overseas markets.
Exhibition and experience programs
The Busan center operates on a bimonthly rotation, featuring approximately 35 domestic small and medium cosmetic brands per cycle. It offers skin diagnostics, personal color analysis, makeup trials, beauty seminars, and live commerce sessions. These programs are designed to help regional manufacturers gain exposure to international buyers and test product-market fit without the high cost of independent overseas marketing.
What buyers should watch
For importers and distributors seeking new suppliers outside Seoul's saturated market, K-Beauty Play Busan provides direct access to emerging regional brands with manufacturing bases in areas such as Chungcheong, Jeolla, and Gyeongsang. The center's live commerce and seminar programs also offer opportunities for real-time product evaluation and B2B networking. Overseas buyers can expect a curated selection of innovative, export-ready products from companies that previously had limited international visibility.
Regulatory and channel signals
The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to strengthen linkages between K-Beauty Play and official export support programs, potentially streamlining regulatory and logistics assistance for foreign buyers. Industry observers view the Busan opening as a policy shift from a Seoul-centric support model to a more geographically inclusive ecosystem, which may lead to more diversified sourcing options and competitive pricing for international clients.
Source: Read the original report | Published: June 19, 2026