Korea’s beauty supply chain, not just its brands, is now setting the global agenda. L’Oréal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus told investors on Oct. 22 that a cushion foundation made by Korea’s Cosmax had become a major hit in the United States, an unusually direct acknowledgment that the world’s largest beauty company now relies on Korean ODM manufacturing.
Cosmax and Kolmar Korea — dubbed “the TSMC of cosmetics” for making products for others without competing against their clients — supply more than 5,000 brands combined. Cosmax posted record quarterly revenue of 875.7 billion won (up 49.6%) and operating profit of 83.3 billion won (up 95%) in the third quarter, while Kolmar’s operating profit rose 40.5%. Both are running near full capacity and expanding plants in Thailand, Indonesia and Korea.
In music, crossover vocal group Forestella will become the first Korean vocal group to headline Carnegie Hall’s main stage, on Jan. 30, 2027, as part of an eight-city North American tour that opens in Los Angeles on Jan. 9.
In Seoul, the Kurly Beauty Festa 2026 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza drew about 14,000 visitors over four days (Nov. 12–15), curating 45 beauty brands around morning-to-night routines, with online discounts running through Nov. 19.
In New Delhi, the 10-day K-Food Universe 2026 festival (Nov. 13–22, free entry) is bringing Korean street food, a K-Market and a Korean rice-wine “jumak” zone to India, jointly organized by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) and the agriculture ministry.
On screen, Kim Ji-won’s medical thriller “Doctor X: Mafia in White” airs its finale tonight on SBS and Netflix; episode 11 drew 14.5% nationwide, and the show ranked No. 2 on Netflix’s global non-English chart, with 36.7 million cumulative viewing hours.
And in fashion, Musinsa’s Osaka pop-up drew 80,000 visitors over 17 days — a record since its first Japanese pop-up in 2023 — with more than 70% of visitors aged 18 to 29.
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