10 South Korean Beauty Brands to Watch in 2025

New Perspectives from South Korea’s Next Wave

South Korea remains a global powerhouse in beauty, but beyond the established giants lies a new generation of brands pushing aesthetic, conceptual, and category boundaries. These ten brands reflect the evolving face of Korean beauty—from ultra-minimal skincare and design-driven fragrance to playful colour cosmetics and sustainable innovation. These are the Korean beauty brands I’m watching closely in 2025.

Anillo

Founded in 2021, Anillo is a lifestyle-oriented hair and body care brand that transforms everyday cleansing into a calming ritual. With a product range spanning haircare, body wash, and fragrance, the brand focuses on stress relief through scent, texture, and mindful design. Its warm, minimal aesthetic reinforces an ethos of gentle luxury, offering functionality rooted in emotional well-being.

Tamburins

Since launching in 2017, Tamburins has become synonymous with sensorial luxury and visual storytelling. Best known for its sculptural hand creams and conceptual fragrances, the brand operates at the intersection of art, retail, and product design. I’ve written about Tamburins previously, highlighting its unique position within Korea’s high-concept beauty scene.

Vinoir

One of the newest entrants on this list, Vinoir launched in 2023 with a focus on fermentation-based skincare inspired by wine science. Its sleek, deep-toned packaging and premium positioning suggest a niche-luxury strategy that merges traditional techniques with modern cosmetic formulation.

BORNTOSTANDOUT

Launched in 2022 by creative director Jun Lim, BORNTOSTANDOUT is a bold, transgressive fragrance brand challenging conventional notions of beauty and scent. With provocative naming and stark, monochromatic visuals, it stands apart in a category often saturated with romantic tropes. I previously featured the brand, discussing its disruptive approach to perfumery.

Alternative Stereo

Founded in 2021, Alternative Stereo is a makeup brand inspired by LO‑FI culture and vintage indie aesthetics. Offering a playful mix of lip balms, tints, glosses, mascaras, brow products and beyond, the brand is known for fun, mousse-like textures and hues that balance sheer hydration with subtle pigmentation. With cool, relaxed branding and minimalist packaging, Alternative Stereo adds a creative, design-led twist to everyday makeup routines—making expression feel effortless and authentic.

Fwee

Launched in 2021, Fwee is a South Korean colour cosmetics brand known for its vibrant yet minimal packaging and inventive product textures. Following a high-impact 2024 rebrand, the brand gained traction with its Lip & Cheek Pudding Pots—balancing creamy, playful formulas with easy, everyday usability. With a focus on bold colour, tactile application, and curated releases, Fwee brings a fresh, modern perspective to K-beauty that feels both expressive and approachable.

Amuse

Founded in 2017, Amuse is a Seoul-based makeup brand known for its vegan-friendly formulations and sleek, modern aesthetic. The brand strikes a careful balance between soft minimalism and trend-forward expression, with pastel-hued packaging and seasonal collections that feel fresh without being overstated. Best known for its cult-favourite Lip Tints, Amuse emphasizes lightweight textures and skin-enhancing colour—ideal for achieving a polished yet effortless look. Recent launches have also turned makeup into wearable accessories, with packaging that doubles as rings or charms, blending utility with visual fun.

Tocobo

Founded in 2018, Tocobo has built a following in the accessible skincare space with its clean designs, intuitive formulations, and pastel-toned branding. The brand is especially well known for its sunscreens, which have gained international attention for their elegant textures and skin-friendly ingredients. Rooted in a philosophy of mindful minimalism, Tocobo delivers functional skincare that feels modern, gentle, and easy to incorporate into daily routines.

Romand

Launched in 2016 by beauty influencer Saeron Min, Romand has become one of the most influential brands in Korean colour cosmetics. With trend-responsive product development and a keen understanding of digital-native aesthetics, Romand has had massive regional success while steadily expanding internationally.

Donggubat

Founded in 2014, Donggubat is a social enterprise that produces solid-format, eco-conscious personal care products such as shampoo bars and soaps. Beyond its sustainable packaging and ingredients, the brand is notable for employing people with developmental disabilities—making it one of the few Korean beauty brands to integrate social responsibility into its core operations.

Final Thoughts

While K-beauty continues to shape global beauty norms, it’s the emerging and independently-minded brands that often drive the most interesting shifts. Whether rooted in subversion, sustainability, or sensorial design, these ten brands reflect where Korean beauty might be headed next—and why it’s worth paying attention.