4. Import & Export of Cosmetics

According to Ministry of Finance trade statistics, both import and export value of cosmetics had continued to increase on a long- term basis. Since the start of the survey, import value to Japan had been larger than export value from Japan. However, since 2015, the value of exports has rapidly increased, and in 2016, the value of exports exceeded the value of imports for the first time, and since 2018, the value of exports has been more than double of the value of imports. (Fig.7)

Figure 7：Import & Export value of Countries (unit : 100 million yen)

Among export destination countries from Japan, China, Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore have seen notable growth in recent years. In particular, exports to Hong Kong and China have risen sharply since 2015. The export to China accounted for half of total cosmetics export value in 2020. Regarding imports to Japan, France and the U.S. used to be the top importing countries, but in recent years, China, Korea, and other Asian regions has seen remarkable growth. Imports from Korea, in particular, have grown significantly in recent years, ranking first in 2022. (Fig.8 & 9)

Figure 8 : Major countries in Export (unit : 100 million yen)

Figure 9 : Major countries in Import (unit : 100 million yen)