Germany’s iconic event venue, Messe Frankfurt, brought BeautyWorld, its 25-year-old business-to-business beauty-related trade fair, to Taiwan on March 27-30 at the Taipei World Trade Center.

Taipei is Taiwan’s city capital and the island’s political, economic and cultural center. Beauty Expo Taipei 2025, now in its 35th year, joined Messe Frankfurt’s portfolio of distinctive events across Dubai, Nagoya, Hosaka, Tokyo and more. The event was made possible through Messe Frankfurt’s partnership with media partner UDN.com, a subsidiary of United Daily News Group.

Two-hundred and thirty exhibitors from APAC’s Thailand, Republic of Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Macao, in addition to the US, France, UK, Sweden, Peru, Brazil, Canada, Brazil, Belgium and India showcased biotech ingredients, beauty devices, ingestible supplements, salon equipment, nail and eyelash products, exosome technology, AI skin analysis, low-pressure cold plasma technology and more. The four-day event drew 16,720 visitors from across the globe. They roamed a sprawling showroom floor spanning 11,000 square-meters. The number of exhibitors nearly doubled compared to last year’s edition.

The fair, which officials called a “gateway for trade business and exchange,” tapped into the Taiwan beauty industry’s full supply chain, catering to professionals and personnel from beauty and hairdressing salons, nail studios, hotels, spas, retail, OEM and wholesale trade and students from beauty academies.

Apollo Sun, chief executive officer of UDN.com, said he has witnessed the exhibition evolve from a simple industry gathering to a vital platform for the Asian beauty industry.

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony commenced with an animated fan dance by performance group ArtBaby before a welcome speech by Benson W.P. Hsieh, Taipei Cosmetics Industry Association chairman. Stephan Buurma, board management member of Messe Frankfurt, called Taipei’s addition to BeautyWorld a “landmark event” made possible through the venue and its media partner, United Daily News Group – two influential forces in the global and local beauty industries.

“Today marks a significant milestone as we celebrate the legacy of this iconic fair, but the beginning of a new, exciting chapter,” said Burrma. “This year, we are proud to announce a strategic partnership between Messe Frankfurt and the United Daily News Group. The collaboration combines Messe Frankfurt’s global resources, and United Daily News Group’s local expertise, creating a platform that bridges international corporation and enhances import and export opportunities with the beauty industry.”

Burrma said Taiwan’s “dynamic environment” served as the ideal location to expand its BeautyWorld network. He credited the city’s competitive retail landscape and beauty savvy consumers, too.

“Taiwan consumers are well-known for their enthusiasm for innovative and diverse products from skincare and cosmetics to haircare and beyond,” said Burrma. “This makes Taiwan an ideal hub for showcasing the latest beauty industry trends and technology.”

This year’s theme was “Beauty by Innovation.” Organizers said innovation is critical to standout in competitive international landscape and provide customers with enhanced and more personalized products and services.

“This journey has not only showcased the dynamic growth of Taiwan’s beauty sector, but also underscored our commitment to innovate and adapt,” noted Sun.

A Burgeoning Beauty Market

In 2025, the Beauty & Personal Care market in Taiwan is projected to generate a revenue of US$6.03 billion. It is expected to experience an annual growth rate of 5.05% (CAGR 2025-2030). Taiwan’s beauty industry relies heavily on imports, with top sources including Japan, South Korea, France, the US, China, Germany and Thailand.

Officials said Taiwan is at the intersection of beauty and IT technology, and a “gateway” to Asian innovation and regulatory excellence.

The fair provided a comprehensive overview of subsectors within the beauty industry, featuring various products and technologies. The organizers curated a fringe program that highlights APA market trends, awards presentations for makeup artistry and manicure competitions. The activities were designed to provide valuable insights, foster creativity and celebrate excellence in the beauty industry.

The trade show aimed to facilitate industry development and create new business opportunities in Taiwan.

Notable Exhibitors

Notable exhibitors included bio-pharmaceutical company ABio Materials, which presented biotechnology with its ExoTraction exosome extraction technology.

Novel offerings included Chorus’ “Sansicle” exosome ingredient; Largan Precision’s $15 million venture applying optical technologies to beauty products; Goosepear’s natural extraction technology and advanced professional beauty services from Snow Shine Beauty.

Taiwan-based Healtdeva showcased its innovative approach of combining natural plant extracts with biotechnology processes to yield high-quality therapeutic skincare and preventative medicine.

From Japan, Pola Apex showcased its advanced personalization technologies. Meanwhile, Nihon Menard promoted its artificial skin breakthroughs and Shiseido detailed how blockchain can be used for product authentication.

Korean Beauty Trends

Lucie Shin, chief industry analyst, Trendier.ai, was a keynote speaker of the APAC Beauty Industry Trend Forum. She lectured on the latest Korean beauty trends insights. In 2024, K-Beauty exceeded $10 billion in exports surpassing French cosmetic imports. Many Korean brands reside on platforms like Qoo10 Japan, which is owned by Ebay; Amazon US and Shopee Singapore. Shin said the five K-beauty trends to watch in 2025 are acne care A to Z; skin prep trend; slow aging 3.0; refined natural makeup; and category hacking. These trends are expected to have a significant impact on the Asian beauty market.

For acne care, Shin said the top K-dark spot serums include Axis-Y Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum; Numbuzin’s No. 5 Vitamin Concentrated Serum; and Dr. Jart+’s Brightamin Brightening Serum. Mediheal Madecassoside Blemish Repair Serum is a standout acne-fighting product.

A global interest in skin prep for Korean hair and makeup is also on the rise. Makeup-friendly skincare products are emerging as a key trend to watch, Shin said. Popular skin prep products include S. Nature’s Aqua Moisture Cream; Ongredients’ Skin Barrier Calming Lotion; Numbuzin’s No. 4 Pore Zero Peeled Egg Toner Pad; and Mamonde’s Flora Glow Rose Liquid Mask. Trending sunscreen keywords include ampoule with a 532.2% year-over-year increase followed by serum, with a 516.2% year-over-year increase. Bioheal BOH Probioderm Collagen Esssence Sun Cream is a trending product.

Regarding the “Slow Aging” trend, soothing, pores and elasticity are key concerns, with interest in beauty enthusiasts as young as 20s and 30s. Topical skin booster products are gaining traction driven by Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), a compound derived from salmon DNA. It has applications in skincare. Medically, it is said to promote cell growth, repair damaged tissued and enhance wound healing. In 2024, PDRN was a rapidly rising product keyword with a 203% year-over-year increase in products.

Inner Glow makeup is also having a moment with a 2,802% year-over-year increase. Viral products include Dear Dahlia Petal Drop Liquid Blush, Hince’s True Dimension Radiance Balm and the Lip & Cheek Healthy Balm by Amuse. The inner glow makeup trend, which originated in Korea, is extending its influence to China and Japan, Shin said. In fact, in Japan, searches for powder blush saw a 123.6% year-over-year increase in 2024.

K-beauty products that gained remarkable attention on social media like TikTok and Instagram last year included the Biodance Bio Collagen Real Deep Mask and the Korean Pudding Pot Blush.

Natural and elegant “demure” makeup is also on the rise with keywords like “neutral,” “sophisticated” and “autumn warm tone” growing seeing year-over-year increases of 219%, 199% and 88%, respectively. Bare grape and Nucadamia are top colors.

For category hacking, multi- and dual-function makeup products continue their upward trajectory. Consumers are using eyeshadow primers as a blush and lip base. In K-Men’s Beauty, all-in-one tone lotion is popular. Buzzworthy tone lotions in this category include Grafen’s Match-Up Tone Cover Lotion and OBgE’s Natural Cover Lotion.

Connecting Taiwan, Korea and Japan: Reimagining Global Beauty

Dr. Tsai Feng-Chou, chairman of the Taiwan Aesthetic Medicine and Industry Organization, moderated a panel discussion called Connecting Taiwan, Korea and Japan: Reimagining Global Beauty. Panelists included Shin of Trendier.ai; Kikuko Yano, editor-in-chief, BeautyTech.jp; Vincent Wang, president, StellarCell BioMedicine Inc. and Charles Wu, general manager, Allen Wu Industrial Co. Ltd.

To ensure a product’s success and accurately gauge consumer needs, Shin encourages cosmetic companies to leverage data effectively to uncover insights and use them to guide decision-making.

“Data plays an essential role in shaping strategies. With advanced AI, the potential to harness data has expanded significantly,” said Shin. “From our experience, data-driven decisions are becoming a top priority across the industry.”

“The key is continuous innovation,” added Wu. “It ensures that there are always better products and treatments related to beauty and anti-aging in the market. Maybe more effective, more comfortable, safer or easier to use. Continuous innovation is the main factor for the product’s success.”

Save the Dates!

The next Beautyworld trade show is in Nagoya, Japan, July 14-16, 2025. Beautyworld Middle East is October 27-29, 2025 in Dubai. Beautyworld Central Asia is November 20-22, 2025 in Tashkent. The next Beauty Expo Taipei is slated for March 2026 at the Taipei World Trade Center.