Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of beauty cosmetics and skincare products during 2018.

1. France: US$9.6 billion (16.6% of total beauty/skincare goods exports)
2. United States: $5.8 billion (10%)
3. Singapore: $5.2 billion (9%)
4. South Korea: $4.9 billion (8.5%)
5. Japan: $3.9 billion (6.7%)
6. Germany: $3.8 billion (6.6%)
7. Hong Kong: $2.5 billion (4.4%)
8. China: $2.5 billion (4.3%)
9. Italy: $2.3 billion (3.9%)
10. United Kingdom: $2.2 billion (3.8%)
11. Poland: $1.7 billion (2.9%)
12. Belgium: $1.4 billion (2.4%)
13. Switzerland: $1.3 billion (2.3%)
14. Canada: $1.3 billion (2.3%)
15. Netherlands: $1.2 billion (2.1%)

The listed 15 countries shipped 85.8% of all beauty cosmetics and skincare exports in 2018 (by value).

Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing beauty/skincare goods exporters since 2014 were: Japan (up 231.5%), South Korea (up 209%), Singapore (up 135.9%) and Netherlands (up 133.5%).

Which top countries posted the most modest increases in their exported beauty/skincare goods sales? That would be United Kingdom (up 3.2%) far ahead of second-place Germany (up 21.4%).

The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for beauty cosmetics and skincare products during 2018. 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$7.6 billion (net export surplus up 18.9% since 2014)
2. South Korea: $3.9 billion (up 497.6%)
3. Japan: $2.5 billion (up 3386.2%)
4. Singapore: $2.3 billion (up 208.6%)
5. Germany: $1.1 billion (up 28.9%)
6. Italy: $1.1 billion (up 106.4%)
7. Switzerland: $870.9 million (up 279.3%)
8. Poland: $788.7 million (up 28.5%)
9. United States: $408.9 million (down -8.2%)
10. Ivory Coast: $164.9 million (up 20.7%)
11. Israel: $136.4 million (up 37.6%)
12. Belgium: $133.7 million (up 2.8%)
13. Netherlands: $81.9 million (reversing a -$233.5 million deficit)
14. South Africa: $63.8 million (down -6.6%)
15. Colombia: $53.4 million (up 41.7%)

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 2018. 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$7.4 billion (net export deficit up 870.8% since 2014)
2. Hong Kong: -$2.8 billion (up 84.6%)
3. Russia: -$1 billion (down -1.7%)
4. United Arab Emirates: -$669.3 million (down -3.5%)
5. Macao: -$525.1 million (up 37.9%)
6. Australia: -$430.4 million (up 11%)
7. Thailand: -$416 million (up 334.9%)
8. Taiwan: -$410.2 million (up 23.6%)
9. Canada: -$375.8 million (up 22%)
10. Vietnam: -$346.4 million (up 899.8%)
11. Norway: -$305.4 million (up 0.6%)
12. Malaysia: -$304.8 million (up 81.2%)
13. Mexico: -$300.9 million (up 48.8%)
14. United Kingdom: -$277.5 million (up 38%)
15. Austria: -$268 million (up 19.2%)

Overtaking Hong Kong three years ago in 2014, 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.

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