SEOUL, April 20 (Xinhua) -- South Korean exports of cosmetic products posted a double-digit increase in the first quarter, customs data showed Thursday.
Cosmetics exports by local companies amounted to 935 million U.S. dollars in the January-March quarter, up 32.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Customs Service (KCS).
The exports rose sharply from 831 million dollars in 2012 to an all-time yearly high of 3.45 billion dollars in 2016.
The continued growth was mainly attributable to strong demand for make-up base products such as toner, lotion and essence, which accounted for almost half of the total exports last year.
Cosmetics exports to China increased 26.9 percent over the year to 337 million dollars in the first quarter. Those to the European Union also continued to rise on strong demand from Italy, Spain and France.
