Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of beauty cosmetics and skincare products during 2017:

1. France: US$8.6 billion (17.7% of exported beauty/skincare goods)
2. United States: $5.3 billion (10.9%)
3. South Korea: $3.9 billion (8%)
4. Singapore: $3.8 billion (7.9%)
5. Germany: $3.5 billion (7.1%)
6. Japan: $2.6 billion (5.4%)
7. United Kingdom: $2.1 billion (4.3%)
8. Italy: $2.1 billion (4.2%)
9. China: $2 billion (4.2%)
10. Hong Kong: $1.9 billion (3.8%)
11. Poland: $1.4 billion (2.9%)
12. Belgium: $1.3 billion (2.6%)
13. Canada: $1.1 billion (2.3%)
14. Netherlands: $1.01 billion (2.1%)
15. Switzerland: $1 billion (2.1%)

The listed 15 countries shipped 85.6% of all beauty cosmetics and skincare exports in 2017 (by value).

Among the above countries, the fastest-growing beauty/skincare goods exporters since 2013 were: South Korea (up 276.6%), Japan (up 128.3%), Singapore (up 93.6%) and Hong Kong (up 81.7%).

Not one of the above suppliers posted a decline over the 5-year period. The slowest growers were: United Kingdom (up 4.9%), Poland (up 11.4%) and Germany (up 12.7%).

The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for beauty cosmetics and skincare products during 2017. 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$6.8 billion (net export surplus up 12.2% since 2013)
2. South Korea: $2.9 billion (up 1,708%)
3. Singapore: $1.7 billion (up 179%)
4. Japan: $1.4 billion (up 3,256%)
5. Germany: $967.4 million (up 9.9%)
6. Italy: $935.1 million (up 110.5%)
7. Switzerland: $586.1 million (up 190.2%)
8. Poland: $523 million (down -22.6%)
9. United States: $387.4 million (down -42.7%)
10. Belgium: $166.5 million (up 67.4%)
11. Israel: $121.8 million (up 23.1%)
12. South Africa: $62.3 million (up 27.4%)
13. Colombia: $50.8 million (down -27.2%)
14. Luxembourg: $26.1 million (up 10%)
15. India: $11.1 million (down -83.9%)

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 2017. 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$3.8 billion (net export deficit reversing a $20.3 million surplus in 2013)
2. Hong Kong: -$2.2 billion (up 61.6%)
3. Russia: -$919.9 million (down -18.9%)
4. Saudi Arabia: -$544.5 million (up 17.4%)
5. United Arab Emirates: -$534.2 million (down -14.5%)
6. Canada: -$457.8 million (up 58%)
7. Thailand: -$434 million (up 438.7%)
8. United Kingdom: -$407.2 million (up 147.1%)
9. Macao: -$402.3 million (up 9.2%)
10. Taiwan: -$350.4 million (down -0.5%)
11. Australia: -$345.2 million (up 1.4%)
12. Norway: -$293.2 million (down -0.8%)
13. Mexico: -$290.4 million (up 94.6%)
14. Malaysia: -$288 million (up 57.7%)
15. Austria: -$257.1 million (up 27.2%)

Overtaking Hong Kong two 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)