Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of beauty cosmetics and skincare products during 2016:

1. France: US$7.3 billion (17.3% of total beauty/skin care exports)
2. United States: $4.7 billion (11.3%)
3. South Korea: $3.4 billion (8.2%)
4. Germany: $3.2 billion (7.6%)
5. Singapore: $2.8 billion (6.7%)
6. Japan: $2 billion (4.7%)
7. United Kingdom: $2 billion (4.7%)
8. Italy: $1.9 billion (4.5%)
9. China: $1.7 billion (4%)
10. Hong Kong: $1.4 billion (3.4%)
11. Poland: $1.3 billion (3.1%)
12. Belgium: $1.3 billion (3%)
13. Canada: $1.1 billion (2.6%)
14. Spain: $778 million (1.9%)
15. Switzerland: $777.5 million (1.9%)

The listed 15 countries shipped 84.9% of all beauty cosmetics and skincare exports in 2016 (by value).

Among the above countries, the fastest-growing beauty/skin care exporters since 2012 were: South Korea (up 320.6%), Singapore (up 56.6%), Japan (up 53.4%) and Switzerland (up 46.9%).

The slowest-gaining exporters for this product categories were Switzerland (up 8%), Spain (up 8.1%), Canada (up 11.1%) and Belgium (up 13.5%).

The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for beauty cosmetics and skincare products during 2016. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported beauty cosmetics and skincare items and its import purchases for those same commodities.

1. France: US$5.8 billion (net export surplus up 4% since 2012)
2. South Korea: $2.5 billion (down -3,931%)
3. Singapore: $1.1 billion (up 76%)
4. Germany: $994.3 million (down -9.8%)
5. Japan: $822.8 million (up 657%)
6. Italy: $817.7 million (up 128.8%)
7. Poland: $562.3 million (down -2.3%)
8. Switzerland: $370.5 million (up 146%)
9. Belgium: $136.5 million (down -1.4%)
10. United States: $113.8 million (down -82.7%)
11. Israel: $83.4 million (up 11.3%)
12. India: $55 million (up 66.2%)
13. South Africa: $49.7 million (up 10.8%)
14. Togo: $45.9 million (up 35.9%)
15. Colombia: $36.8 million (down -54.3%)

A long-time fashion mecca, France has the highest surplus in the international trade of beauty cosmetics and skincare offerings. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms France’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.

The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for beauty cosmetics and skincare products during 2016. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s import purchases and its exports for these specialized personal care commodities.

1. China: -US$2.3 billion (net export deficit down -2,077% since 2012)
2. Hong Kong: -$2.1 billion (up 60.6%)
3. Russia: -$783.4 million (down -26%)
4. Saudi Arabia: -$597.2 million (up 32.5%)
5. United Arab Emirates: -$549.7 million (down -7.9%)
6. Taiwan: -$430.1 million (up 15.9%)
7. Australia: -$384.2 million (up 10.6%)
8. Thailand: -$381.6 million (up 1,900%)
9. United Kingdom: -$369.4 million (up 83.7%)
10. Canada: -$343.8 million (up 51.2%)
11. Macao: -$329.1 million (up 62.6%)
12. Austria: -$260.6 million (up 56.7%)
13. Norway: -$258.3 million (down -5%)
14. Mexico: -$207.5 million (up 24.5%)
15. Portugal: -$205.7 million (up 15.8%)

Overtaking Hong Kong, mainland China incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of beauty cosmetics and skincare products. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights China’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for supplying countries positioned to satisfy the powerful demand among Chinese consumers and businesses.

Beauty Cosmetics and Skincare Product Suppliers

Below are global conglomerates that represent established players engaged in the international trade of beauty cosmetics and skincare offerings. Each conglomerate’s home country is shown within parenthesis.

• Proctor & Gamble (United States)
• L’Oreal (France)
• Unilever (United Kingdom)
• Shiseido (Japan)
• Avon Products (United States)