Local Korean media has been circulating about the withdrawal of German hair care brand Wella and L’Oreal Group’s Maybelline New York from the market.
On February 3, Korean outlet Biz.Hankook announced that Maybellin, one of the L’Oreal Group’s most famous colour cosmetics brands, is closing its operations in Korea.
CosmeticsDesign-Asia was able to confirm with representatives of L’Oreal Korea that Maybelline will cease operations by the first half of 2025.
This was the strategic decision of the French beauty giant to focus on South Korea’s most growth potential brands.
Beauty expert Odile Monod said that beauty standards and product preferences in Korea can be tough in Korea, especially since beauty standards and product preferences in the West tend to differ significantly in western beauty standards and product preferences.
Monod is a Seoul-based art director and beauty marketer who has worked for internationally renowned beauty conglomerates throughout Europe and Asia. She also founded the website “Monodist.”
Despite this, she said Maybelline remains a popular brand in Korea.
“Mayberin has grown in popularity, especially with its huge mascara franchise, which has been a top seller in Korea for many years.”
In addition to the huge mascara, other Maybelline products have won important Korean awards. Between 2020 and 2025, Maybelline has received awards from Olive Young, Glopic and Powder Room.
Last year, Maybelline’s Fit Me Skin Tint and Lash Sensational Sky-High Mascara won the Glopic Beauty Awards, which extend the tone-up base and mascara categories, respectively.
The Maybelline New York Superstay Lumi-Matte Foundation won second place in the Best Foundation category in 2024 at the Middle Aged Powder Room Awards.
Behind the struggle
Despite having a popular mascara, it was difficult for L’Oreal to expand into more categories.
“I think this ultimately led to L’Oreal’s decision to withdraw the brand to focus on the overall taste of Korean consumers and other companies,” Monod said.
“I think the Korean market has reached maturity where foreign brands need to develop clear positioning strategies and thoroughly understand the dynamics of the local market in order to succeed. In particular, makeup brands are Korean beauty standards and product preferences tend to differ significantly from those in the Western market, so it can be difficult to adapt.”
However, Monod does not consider these differences to be “inevitably a disadvantage” for foreign brands, citing the popularity of brands such as MAC Cosmetics (Estée Lauder Companies) and NARS (Shiseido Company). .
“Brands like Mac and NAR thrive in Korea because they exploited this difference by focusing on professionals and consumers who prefer Gyopo style makeup.”
3CE, a Korean-colored cosmetics brand, acquired by L’Oréal in 2018, was also able to succeed in that difference.
“While some may argue that this model is difficult to replicate at a drugstore level where brands cannot rely on ambitious marketing, the original success of Korean drugstore brand 3CE was the same. He says he has gained popularity by appealing to demographics, which is why he says he is not. It’s a more accessible price range,” Monod said.
“In the end, for foreign brands to succeed in Korea, it is important to understand the nuances of these different markets and adjust their strategies accordingly.”
Shocked at Wella’s withdrawal
It makes sense as to why Maybellin stopped doing that, but Wella’s decision came out of the left field.
“Wera had established a strong presence in professional hair salons, so their sudden exit caught everyone from guard to off guard.
Wella’s Korean distributor SPW Korea has posted a statement on e-commerce from Wella Korea, announcing supply of Wella products will be suspended by February.
The statement also explained that the decision to “exit the Korean market entirely” was made by Wella Headquarters.
The distributor also described the decision as “sudden” and said “Wella has urged that this decision be reversed several times.”
“Unfortunately, the decision could not be reversed,” he concluded.
SPW Korea has expanded its “honest gratitude to our customers who have loved Wella for a long time.”
You need to replace the Wella
According to Monod, local media now report hair salons are struggling to find “effective alternatives” for Wella, particularly hair dyes.
In the same statement, SPW Korea announced that it had launched its Japanese brand Fior in January.
“Fiol is the leading brand in the Japanese beauty market with excellent product capabilities and young and trendy sensibilities. A detailed test by Wella Korea’s training team shows Fiola’s colours and range of products is well worthy of Wella. We are confident that it is an alternative. Fior is confident in providing domestic beauty professionals with a better product experience and reasonable prices.”
Other international beauty brands that have withdrawn from Korea in recent years include Fresh (LVMH), three (Pola Orbis Holdings), and retailer Sephora (LVMH).
