K-Beauty Ingredient Trends from In-Cosmetics Korea 2025
If our visit to this year's In-Cosmetics Expo in Korea is anything to go by the future of K-Beauty is looking bold, buzzy… and slightly scientifically questionable in some corners.
Here’s our wrap-up from Korean Beauty's biggest beauty ingredients expo.
Every year, the world’s leading cosmetic chemists, suppliers and brands gather in Seoul for In-Cosmetics Korea. It's a trade show dedicated entirely to what goes inside your skincare. This isn’t the place for glossy packaging or scoping out Korea's hottest brands Instead, it’s where all good trends start: in the lab.
Our Seoul team went to explore what’s new, which ingredients are gaining traction and ones that may just be worthy of a spot in your skincare routine. Let's take a look!
What Ingredients Are Trending in K-Beauty in 2025?
Trending K-Beauty ingredients 1: Barrier Repair Ingredients
As has been the case at least since the pandemic, the industry is still very focused on ingredients that strengthen the skin barrier, with hydrating actives, biomimetic ingredients and microbiome-friendly formulations. We saw a lot of tech aimed at dry, sensitive and reactive skin, which is a great sign for the direction of functional skincare.
Ferments & Postbiotics
Korean beauty has a well-established love affair with fermented ingredients thanks to Korea's long history with ferments (Kimchi, anyone?). These ingredients are still going strong, especially in the barrier-repair and microbiome support categories.
While we love ourselves a good ferment (like the Lactobacillus ferment in our Overnight Dream Serum), we don’t believe in throwing them into formulas just for trend’s sake. If it’s in a Jelly Ko product, it’s there for a reason.
Trending K-Beauty Ingredients 2: Smarter Anti-Aging
Much like we've seen in previous years, this year there was a focus on peptides, antioxidants and new encapsulation technologies. However, in 2025 the focus has shifted from just “firming and lifting” to cell signaling, collagen preservation and long-term results. One ingredient that had initially piqued our interest was exosomes.
Exosomes
These were also one of the most talked-about ingredients at this year’s show. Exosomes are cell-derived vesicles that may help with skin regeneration and inflammation. However, while the claims all sound promising we were a bit shocked and a little disappointed to find that many of the ingredient manufacturers we spoke with had limited clinical studies to back up the claims about their ingredients.
Until there’s clearer data, regulation and peer-reviewed safety information, it’s a no from us. Exosomes in injectables on the other hand? A big tick, particularly if you're visiting a Korean skin clinic.
Trending K-Beauty Ingredients 3: Delivery Systems are Evolving
Ingredient absorption is a hot topic; from liposomal delivery systems to nanotech that targets specific layers of the skin.
Liposomes
Used as delivery vehicles to help actives penetrate deeper into the skin, liposomes have been around for a while. When formulated well, they can absolutely improve product performance. That said, not all liposomes are created equal, and we only consider them when the formula actually benefits from it.
Ingredient Trends That Raised Eyebrows: Spicules
They've been all the rage in Korea for the last few years (you might know them as "Microneedling in a Bottle", a comparison which landed some K-Beauty brands in trouble with Korea's MFDS). However, this isn't the last you've heard about spicules.
Derived from microscopic plant or sponges, these so called "reedles" or “needles” physically penetrate the skin to create a tingling or “stimulating” effect.
While they’re buzzy and undeniably intriguing, the long-term safety and barrier impact of these ingredients is still unclear. As a brand that formulates for dry, sensitive and mature skin, we’re cautious about anything that creates micro-trauma to the skin even if it sounds high-tech. This is one trend we won't be jumping on anytime soon.
In-Cosmetics Expo Korea: Our Takeaway
This year's In-Cosmetics Korea gave us a front-row seat to the future of K-Beauty (and global skincare more broadly, as we all know that what's trending in Korea tends to be copied by brands overseas). While some trends are more flash than function, we’re excited about the real innovations happening beneath the surface.
At Jelly Ko, we're taking what we learned straight back to our labs in Korea, continuing to build science-backed, sensorial skincare that supports your barrier and actually works.
P.S. Want to stay ahead of the skincare curve?
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