K-beauty OEM Report 2026: what brands ask a Korean manufacturer
What skincare brands from 33 countries actually requested when they asked us to make their products: the products, formula routes, quantities, ingredients, markets and documents, from our own anonymized inquiry data.
Based on 207 quote requests from 174 brands received from October 2, 2026 to October 26, 2026, serums are the most requested product (29% of requests), half of requests (51%) choose a ready formula from the lab library rather than a custom one, and 72% ask for a first run of 500 or 1,000 units per product. North America and Europe send most requests, the US is the first target market for 48% of brands that named one, and stability testing is the test brands ask about most.
Key findings
- Serums lead. Serum is the most requested product type, in 29% of the 207 requests, followed by cream (13%). Face care as a whole is 58% of requests, and masks (sheet masks and hydrogel patches) are 14%.
- Ready formulas win. 51% of requests choose a ready formula from our lab library as it is, 8% an adjusted library formula, 9% a fully custom formula and 2% a match of an existing product. 30% are not sure yet when they first ask.
- First runs are small. 72% of requests are for 500 or 1,000 units per product (62 requests for 500 units and 88 for 1,000). Only 8% start at 10,000 units or more, mostly for products whose minimum is 10,000, such as sheet masks.
- North America and Europe send most requests. Of the brands that named their country, 32% are in North America and 30% in Europe. The United States alone is 27%, and 14% are Korean brands.
- The US is the first target market. 48% of brands that named a target market chose the United States, followed by the European Union (23%) and the United Kingdom (20%).
- Niacinamide, peptides, PDRN and hyaluronic acid are the most named ingredients. Niacinamide appears in 21 requests, peptides in 20, PDRN in 18 and hyaluronic acid in 17.
- Packaging splits almost evenly. 47% start with stock packaging and 44% want custom or decorated packaging; 8% supply their own.
- One in three requests is not in English. 35% of requests are written in another language, led by Korean (13%), French (11%) and Spanish (6%).
- Stability testing is the most asked-for test. In a review of our conversations up to October 20, 2026, 80 customers asked about stability testing, 47 about microbiology and 25 about a challenge test. The certificate of analysis (COA, 34), the EU safety assessment (CPSR, 32) and EU CPNP notification or a Responsible Person (31) lead the documents and registrations.
- Brands compare before they commit. 9 of 18 paid sample boxes held two or more product types, and serum was in 10 of them. PDRN serum was the single formula found in the most boxes (7).
Where requests come from
174 brands sent the 207 requests. 133 of them named their country; the short quote form on our home page does not ask for one, so 41 are not stated. Countries with fewer than 5 brands are grouped by region.
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 36 | 20.7% |
| South Korea | 19 | 10.9% |
| United Kingdom | 14 | 8.0% |
| France | 9 | 5.2% |
| Canada | 7 | 4.0% |
| Australia | 7 | 4.0% |
| United Arab Emirates | 6 | 3.4% |
| Not stated | 41 | 23.6% |
| Other European countries | 17 | 9.8% |
| Other countries | 11 | 6.3% |
| Other Asia Pacific countries | 7 | 4.0% |
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 43 | 32.3% |
| Europe | 40 | 30.1% |
| South Korea | 19 | 14.3% |
| Asia Pacific | 14 | 10.5% |
| Middle East | 10 | 7.5% |
| Latin America and Africa | 6 | 4.5% |
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 40 | 47.6% |
| European Union | 19 | 22.6% |
| United Kingdom | 17 | 20.2% |
| Korea | 13 | 15.5% |
| Australia | 9 | 10.7% |
| Southeast Asia | 8 | 9.5% |
| Middle East | 8 | 9.5% |
| Canada | 7 | 8.3% |
| Japan | 7 | 8.3% |
| Other markets | 17 | 20.2% |
Products requested
Each request names one product type from our catalog, or "something else". Types with fewer than 5 requests are grouped into their product family.
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Serum | 61 | 29.5% |
| Cream | 26 | 12.6% |
| Sheet mask | 15 | 7.2% |
| Hydrogel mask / eye patch | 13 | 6.3% |
| Foam cleanser | 10 | 4.8% |
| Sunscreen | 7 | 3.4% |
| Lip balm / mask / oil | 7 | 3.4% |
| Scalp serum / tonic | 5 | 2.4% |
| Ampoule | 5 | 2.4% |
| Body lotion / cream | 5 | 2.4% |
| Multi balm stick | 5 | 2.4% |
| Something else or not listed | 18 | 8.7% |
| Other face care | 17 | 8.2% |
| Other types | 8 | 3.9% |
| Other body and hand | 5 | 2.4% |
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Face care | 121 | 58.5% |
| Masks | 28 | 13.5% |
| Cleansers | 14 | 6.8% |
| Body and hand | 10 | 4.8% |
| Hair and scalp | 9 | 4.3% |
| Lip | 7 | 3.4% |
| Something else or not listed | 18 | 8.7% |
Serums, creams and ampoules start at
Formula route
Brands choose how their formula is made: a ready formula from our library of 160+ formulas, a library formula adjusted to their brief, a match of a product they name, or a fully custom formula. The OEM, ODM and private label guide explains the difference.
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Ready formula from the lab library | 105 | 50.7% |
| Custom formula | 19 | 9.2% |
| Ready formula, adjusted | 16 | 7.7% |
| Match a reference product | 5 | 2.4% |
| Not sure yet | 62 | 30.0% |
First order quantity
The quantity each request asked for, per product. The quote form never offers less than the minimum for the product and formula route, so first orders below the minimum, which we review case by case when a brand shares its growth plan, do not appear here.
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 88 | 42.5% |
| 500 | 62 | 30.0% |
| 10,000 or more | 16 | 7.7% |
| 1,500 to 2,000 | 14 | 6.8% |
| 3,000 to 5,000 | 11 | 5.3% |
| Not stated | 16 | 7.7% |
Packaging
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Stock packaging | 98 | 47.3% |
| Custom or decorated packaging | 92 | 44.4% |
| Customer supplies packaging | 17 | 8.2% |
Stock containers and a printed label are included in our unit price; custom containers and boxes are sourced to the brand's reference. More on the packaging page.
Ingredients
Ingredients named in the request text or in the library formula the brand picked. One request can name several. 168 of the 207 requests included a message; ingredients named fewer than 5 times are left out.
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Niacinamide | 21 | 10.1% |
| Peptides (incl. GHK-Cu, NAD+) | 20 | 9.7% |
| PDRN | 18 | 8.7% |
| Hyaluronic acid | 17 | 8.2% |
| Rice | 14 | 6.8% |
| Ceramides | 13 | 6.3% |
| Collagen | 13 | 6.3% |
| Panthenol | 10 | 4.8% |
| Centella (cica) | 8 | 3.9% |
| Vitamin C | 6 | 2.9% |
| Caffeine | 6 | 2.9% |
| Heartleaf | 5 | 2.4% |
Browse every active in our ingredient finder, or read about private label PDRN serum.
Sample boxes
Before a first order, many brands order a paid sample box of ready formulas, sometimes with adjusted or custom samples. These are the 18 sample boxes ordered from October 10, 2026 to October 26, 2026.
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Serum or ampoule | 10 | 55.6% |
| Cream or night cream | 8 | 44.4% |
| Cleanser | 5 | 27.8% |
| Other types | 10 | 55.6% |
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Any ceramide formula | 10 | 55.6% |
| Any centella formula | 9 | 50.0% |
| PDRN serum | 7 | 38.9% |
| Cica and ceramide cream | 6 | 33.3% |
9 of the 18 boxes held ready formulas exactly as they are in the library; the others were adjusted, custom or not recorded. See how the sample box works.
Tests and documents asked for
On October 20, 2026 we reviewed 363 email threads, 157 quote forms and 200 chat conversations and counted the customers who asked for each test, document, registration or certification. One customer can ask for several. Items asked by fewer than 5 customers are grouped or left out.
| Group | Count | Chart |
|---|---|---|
| Stability test | 80 | |
| Microbiology test | 47 | |
| Preservative efficacy (challenge) test | 25 | |
| Dermatological or clinical test | 13 | |
| Skin irritation (low irritation) test | 5 | |
| SPF test | 5 |
| Group | Count | Chart |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of analysis (COA) | 34 | |
| Safety data sheet (SDS, MSDS) | 20 | |
| Certificate of free sale (CFS) | 13 |
| Group | Count | Chart |
|---|---|---|
| EU safety assessment (CPSR) | 32 | |
| EU CPNP notification or Responsible Person | 31 | |
| Product information file (PIF) | 23 | |
| UAE registration (Dubai Municipality, ECAS) | 5 | |
| Australia AICIS or TGA | 5 | |
| Other market registration | 11 |
| Group | Count | Chart |
|---|---|---|
| Vegan certification | 8 | |
| Other certifications | 8 |
Which tests and documents come with every batch, and which are optional, is on our certifications page and in the skincare product testing guide.
Sales channels
Few brands say where they will sell when they first ask: 19 of 207 requests (9%) name a channel. Amazon is named most (9 requests), then retail stores and pharmacies (5); own online stores, salons, spas and clinics, distributors, TikTok Shop and social media together appear in 11. Our guide to selling skincare on Amazon and TikTok Shop covers the rules for each.
Methodology
- Source. Quote requests sent through the forms on koreanoem.com (the full quote form and the short form on the home page) from October 2, 2026 to October 26, 2026: 207 requests from 174 brands, counted by email address. Test entries made by our own team were removed.
- Fields. Country, product type, formula route, packaging route, quantity, target markets and language come from the form fields as the brand filled them in. Country names were normalized (for example "Estados Unidos" as the United States).
- Text. Ingredients, sales channels and new-brand mentions were found by keyword search of the request message in English, French and Spanish. Requests without a message, or in other languages, can be undercounted.
- Sample boxes. The 18 paid sample boxes in our sample tracking from October 10, 2026 to October 26, 2026, grouped by the product types and formulas inside.
- Tests and documents. A review on October 20, 2026 of 363 email threads, 157 quote forms and 200 chat conversations, counting the customers who asked for each item.
- Privacy. Only counts leave our systems. No names, emails, companies or message text are published, and any group with fewer than 5 cases is merged into a wider group or left out.
- Limits. This is one manufacturer's inquiries over 25 days, from brands that found KoreanOEM, mostly through English web search. It shows what these brands asked for, not the whole K-beauty market, and a request is not an order.
Download the data
Every table on this page, with counts, bases and shares, is in one CSV file. You may quote and reuse it with a link to this page.
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