K-Beauty Skincare Trend Index: USA

Last updated: 2026-11-12. Market trend indicators from public US sources. Not a forecast of how any product will perform.

Key facts this week

As of 2026-11, the serum ingredient with the largest 12-month rise in US Google search interest was PDRN (+16.8 points on Google Trends' 0-100 scale), while Sephora search results for it changed -1.7% between 2026-09-29 and 2026-11-02.
As of 2026-11, the skincare product type with the largest 12-month rise in US Google search interest was Eye cream (+2.2 points on Google Trends' 0-100 scale).
As of 2026-11, the skincare claim with the largest 12-month rise in US Google search interest was Longevity (+39.2 points on Google Trends' 0-100 scale).
Ingredients whose US search interest rose over 12 months while Sephora search results did not grow between 2026-09-29 and 2026-11-02: PDRN, Retinal.
Ingredients whose US search interest rose over 12 months while Sephora search results did not grow between 2026-09-29 and 2026-11-09: Peptide.
US imports of Korean skincare (HS 3304.99) were $176.8M in 2026-08, +74.6% from 2025-08 (ALTAMEET calculation from US Census Bureau data).
A search of US FDA warning letters on 2026-09-29 found letters matching exosome (12), glutathione (11), peptide (45), polydeoxyribonucleotide (1). None of the letters reviewed concerned a cosmetic or skincare product. No letters matched copper peptide.
As of 2026-09-29, the FDA page for the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA) showed a last-updated date of 2026-08-10.

What is rising in US search

Ingredients

PDRN: +16.8 points
Peptide: +9.8 points
Copper peptide: +9.3 points
Retinal: +7.8 points
Ectoin: +2.7 points
Centella: +1.3 points
Glutathione: 0 points
Rice: -0.4 points
Ceramide: -1.5 points
Vitamin C: -2.6 points
Exosome: -4.2 points
Niacinamide: -8 points

Product types

Eye cream: +2.2 points
Sunscreen: +0.8 points
Serum: 0 points
Toner: 0 points
Moisturizer: -0.5 points
Cleanser: -0.5 points
Sheet mask: -0.7 points

Claims

Longevity: +39.2 points
Clinical: +10.8 points
Hydrating: +1 point
Brightening: +0.2 points
Barrier Repair: -1.7 points
Anti-aging: -5 points
Clean: -5 points

Ranked by the change in US Google search interest over 12 months (Google Trends, 0-100 scale, each term scaled to its own 5-year peak). Ingredients: 4-week averages read 2026-11-03 to 2026-11-10. Product types and claims: 4-week averages read 2026-11-04. A ranking of one measure, not a rating.

All numbers: 12 serum ingredients

Ingredient	Google search now (0-100)	Change vs 12 months	YouTube search now (0-100)	Sephora results	Ulta results
PDRN	27	+16.8	51	-	-
Exosome	11	-4.2	25	-	19
Peptide	25	+9.8	25	749	-
Copper peptide	15.8	+9.3	30	-	-
Niacinamide	11	-8	22.2	-	-
Retinal	18	+7.8	20.5	-	-
Vitamin C	25.2	-2.6	32.8	-	-
Ceramide	9.5	-1.5	1.2	-	-
Centella	13.8	+1.3	12.2	-	-
Glutathione	17.8	0	64.2	-	-
Ectoin	10.5	+2.7	-	-	-
Rice	6.8	-0.4	8.5	-	-

All numbers: product types and claims

Name	Type	Google search change vs 12 months (points)	Sephora results
Serum	Product type	0	-
Moisturizer	Product type	-0.5	-
Toner	Product type	0	-
Cleanser	Product type	-0.5	-
Sheet mask	Product type	-0.7	-
Sunscreen	Product type	+0.8	264
Eye cream	Product type	+2.2	-
Barrier Repair	Claim	-1.7	-
Anti-aging	Claim	-5	-
Longevity	Claim	+39.2	-
Brightening	Claim	+0.2	-
Clinical	Claim	+10.8	-
Clean	Claim	-5	-
Hydrating	Claim	+1	2.2K

FDA warning letters matching ingredient names

Search term	Letters	Most recent
copper peptide	0	-
exosome	12	2026-08-25
glutathione	11	2026-05-12
peptide	45	2026-09-22
polydeoxyribonucleotide	1	2021-06-29

US imports of Korean skincare (HS 3304.99), monthly

Month	Value
2025-01	$98.7M
2025-02	$82.6M
2025-03	$107.9M
2025-04	$100.9M
2025-05	$152.9M
2025-06	$116M
2025-07	$130M
2025-08	$101.3M
2025-09	$123.9M
2025-10	$162.1M
2025-11	$111.1M
2025-12	$110.3M
2026-01	$95.8M
2026-02	$98.7M
2026-03	$132.5M
2026-04	$153M
2026-05	$139.6M
2026-06	$168.8M
2026-07	$154.7M
2026-08	$176.8M

Sources

Google Trends, United States, read 2026-11-10 (ingredients), 2026-11-04 (product types and claims). https://trends.google.com/trends/
Google Trends, YouTube Search, United States, read 2026-11-12. https://trends.google.com/trends/
Sephora and Ulta site search result counts, read 2026-11-09 (Sephora), 2026-10-27 (Ulta), 2026-11-10 (Sephora product types and claims). https://www.sephora.com/
US Census Bureau, international trade API, HS 330499 imports from South Korea (year-over-year change calculated by ALTAMEET), read 2026-10-10. https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/data/index.html
US FDA warning letters, read 2026-09-29. https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/compliance-actions-and-activities/warning-letters
US FDA, Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 page, read 2026-09-29. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/modernization-cosmetics-regulation-act-2022-mocra

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.