K-Beauty Women-Led Startups Target Japan; Yeogijong Supports Expanded Market Access

[Financial News] Amid sustained overseas interest in K-beauty, South Korean women-led startups have begun targeting the Japanese market. The Women Enterprise Supporting Center (Yeogijong) supported their expansion into Japan by linking participation in local exhibitions with buyer matching and the establishment of networks with related organizations.
 Yeogijong announced on the 6th that it operated the “K-Beauty Women-Led Startups Joint Pavilion” at COSME Week OSAKA 2026, held at INTEX Osaka in Osaka, Japan, from the 30th of last month through the 2nd of this month.
 COSME Week Osaka is a business-to-business (B2B) exhibition in the beauty sector attended by cosmetics brands, distributors and importers. About 230 companies participated this year.
 The joint pavilion was organized as part of the 2026 Global Acceleration Program for Women Entrepreneurs, hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and managed by Yeogijong. Yeogijong supported 10 K-beauty women-led startups, including Neobeu Bioscience and Rokis, with exhibition participation, product promotion and matching with local buyers.
 Yeogijong also pursued cooperation with local institutions. It visited the Osaka Industrial Bureau and the Women’s Association of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry to share examples of startup support in the two countries and discuss ways to cooperate in helping women-owned businesses enter the Japanese market. It also organized a networking meeting that brought together local investment and industry officials and participating companies to explore opportunities to secure local distribution networks and expand sales channels.
 Park Chang-suk, chair of Yeogijong, said, "Through this exhibition, South Korean women-led startups were able to directly assess Japan’s distribution environment and buyer demand. We will continue providing support so that these opportunities can lead to exports and local sales channels after the exhibition as well."
[email protected] Lee Ju-mi Reporter