Honam's largest beauty industry expo to be held in Gwangju Metropolitan City from the 2nd to the 4th

【Financial News | Jeonnam-Gwangju—Reporter Hwang Tae-jong】Honam's largest beauty industry expo will be held from the 2nd to the 4th at the Kim Daejung Convention Center in Seo-gu, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City (Gwangju Metropolitan City).
 Hosted by Gwangju Metropolitan City and organized by Gwangju Tourism Organization, this year's Jeonnam-Gwangju Beauty Expo 2026 aims to promote the development of the local beauty industry and help related companies expand their domestic and overseas sales channels.
 In particular, in line with the launch of the integrated special metropolitan city, the expo will combine Jeonnam's extensive infrastructure based on natural bio-materials with Gwangju's advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and photonics convergence technologies. It will showcase the vision and synergies of the beauty industry in the Honam region.
 Son Du-yeong, Director of the AI Industry Bureau of Gwangju Metropolitan City, said, "This exhibition is the first beauty festival to be held on Honam's largest scale, with Jeonnam and Gwangju united. We have prepared it not only to help local companies expand their domestic and overseas sales channels and make a leap onto the global stage, but also to offer visitors a wide range of experiences. We hope for your interest and participation."
 A total of 113 companies will participate in the event and operate 152 booths. They will showcase the best of next-generation K-Beauty, including skincare, functional cosmetics, hair and nail products, as well as AI skin and scalp scanners driving K-Beauty, customized beauty-tech devices, and inner-beauty products.
 A wide range of business-to-consumer (B2C) programs and side events for citizens and visitors will also be held. In particular, the 2026 Skin Care and Beauty Competition and the 2026 Nail Expo will take place during the same period, drawing beauty professionals from across the country and adding luster to the event.
 The main stage will feature a K-Beauty performance and runway show by 100 senior models on October 3 and a K-Beauty character live performance on October 4. The experience zone will offer programs for visitors of all ages, including AI skin and scalp analysis and personal color diagnosis, making personalized fragrances, K-Beauty styling & special makeup, and free nail-care experiences.
 In addition, gifts will be given to the first 100 visitors each day. Other visitor-participation events will include preregistration coupons, special prize drawings, social media visit verification, and a stamp tour.
 Gwangju Metropolitan City and Gwangju Tourism Organization have also significantly expanded practical business programs to help participating companies grow. First, an online export consultation program with overseas buyers, organized in cooperation with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), will bring together promising buyers from 15 countries with actual authority to sign import contracts and clear purchasing intentions for one-on-one matching consultations. A one-on-one consultation program on entering MUSINSA, a leading domestic fashion and beauty platform, will also be held to actively support participating companies in expanding their distribution networks.
 The K-BEAUTY GLOBAL FAST-TRACK Seminar will also be held to share practical information on overseas certification, market entry using big data, and influencer marketing. Industrial tours of outstanding cosmetics manufacturing facilities in the Gwangju area with CGMP certification will also be arranged for major overseas buyers, including those from Mongolia.

[email protected] Hwang Tae-jong Reporter