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Top-Ranked Korean Skincare Brand by Search (Sep 2025 to Aug 2026)
When selecting competitor brands for a basic skincare campaign, you need to compare search volume rankings alongside growth rates. From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, Medicube ranked first in monthly average search volume among Korean basic skincare brands with 285,704 searches. The total monthly average searches across all 31 analyzed brands reached 4,354,503, with the top 3 brands accounting for a combin
Data reportKim SanListeningMind's AI data analyst · checked by the editor-in-chief·Updated 2026-10-24 13:26 KST·History · 2 contributorsEditSign in to edit
Which Basic Skincare Brand Was Searched the Most?
When using search volume leaders as a benchmark, Medicube and Sulwhasoo should be examined together. According to ListeningMind Brand Finder data for Korea from Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, Medicube was the most searched brand, but the search share between Medicube (6.6%) and Sulwhasoo (6.5%) was close. A competitive comparison table should record both rank and the share difference between your brand and each competitor.
This ranking includes searches for the standalone brand name as well as "brand + product or modifier" combinations. It should not be interpreted as the search count for brand names alone.
In mid-to-top-tier competitor comparisons, brands with similar search volumes should be categorized by their direction of change. In Korea data from ListeningMind Brand Finder for Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, Aestura grew +13.1% year over year while Dr.G declined -17.1%, with La Roche-Posay and Innisfree also splitting between positive and negative growth.
Search volume increases and decreases vary depending on the comparison window. In Korea data from ListeningMind Brand Finder for Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, Torriden dropped -4.4% year over year but rose +82.3% compared to three years ago. MEDIHEAL and Bioderma also showed year-over-year declines alongside growth over a three-year period. When planning the launch timing for a new product lineup, look at recent monthly search numbers to determine when a year-over-year decline occurred.
| Rank | Brand | Monthly Average Search Volume | Category Share | Rank 1 Year Ago | YoY | vs. 3 Years Ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medicube | 285,704 | 6.6% | 1 | -19.0% | -18.8% |
| 2 | Sulwhasoo | 283,673 | 6.5% | 2 | -10.5% | -24.5% |
| 3 | d'Alba | 254,110 | 5.8% | 3 | -16.1% | -34.7% |
| 4 | Aestura | 243,562 | 5.6% | 6 | +13.1% | +41.7% |
| 5 | Dr.G | 235,350 | 5.4% | 4 | -17.1% | -48.2% |
| 6 | La Roche-Posay | 220,916 | 5.1% | 8 | +17.5% | +54.0% |
| 7 | Innisfree | 182,850 | 4.2% | 5 | -22.6% | -60.8% |
| 8 | ILLIYOON | 177,074 | 4.1% | 13 | +21.7% | +14.6% |
| 9 | Bioderma | 170,906 | 3.9% | 7 | -15.4% | +8.1% |
| 10 | MEDIHEAL | 170,086 | 3.9% | 10 | -8.2% | +44.0% |
| 11 | Anua | 170,004 | 3.9% | 15 | +22.9% | +153.6% |
| 12 | AHC | 146,606 | 3.4% | 11 | -15.5% | -47.3% |
| 13 | Manyo Factory | 135,082 | 3.1% | 9 | -27.7% | -52.3% |
| 14 | Physiogel | 135,012 | 3.1% | 12 | -20.6% | -42.9% |
| 15 | Torriden | 133,203 | 3.1% | 14 | -4.4% | +82.3% |
How Brand Search Rankings Changed Over One Year
While Medicube, Sulwhasoo, and d'Alba maintained their positions, rank shifts occurred across the middle and upper tiers. In ListeningMind Brand Finder data for Korea from Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 11 out of the top 15 brands changed ranks compared to the previous year. Because Medicube, Sulwhasoo, and d'Alba all saw lower search volume compared to the previous year, competitive reports should distinguish between holding rank and maintaining volume.
The fastest-growing brand in search volume is not the current volume leader. In Korea data from ListeningMind Brand Finder for Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, Beauty of Joseon recorded the highest year-over-year growth rate among brands with a category share of 1% or higher at +61.4%, but its current rank is 26th. Separate your target lists between selecting competitor brands based on current search scale and investigating which product or modifier searches grew.
Brands with declining search volume should be examined to see if the decline also persists over longer periods. In ListeningMind Brand Finder data for Korea from Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, Manyo Factory recorded -27.7% year over year and -52.3% compared to three years ago. Innisfree and Physiogel also fell across both comparison windows, distinguishing them from Torriden, which dropped year over year but expanded compared to three years ago.
Changes in search volume alone cannot explain which specific products or search intents caused the shift. To move from search signals to hypotheses, review the keywords searched alongside the brand. For instance, a product planner can check whether the search volume gains for ILLIYOON or Anua also appear in moisturizing or trouble-soothing keywords, then summarize the evidence to support new product development.
| Brand | Monthly Average Search Volume | YoY | Rank (1 Year Ago → Now) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Increased | Beauty of Joseon | 68,927 | +61.4% | 31 → 26 |
| Increased | ATHE | 115,988 | +35.9% | 24 → 18 |
| Increased | Anua | 170,004 | +22.9% | 15 → 11 |
| Increased | ILLIYOON | 177,074 | +21.7% | 13 → 8 |
| Increased | Abib | 124,661 | +18.1% | 21 → 16 |
| Decreased | Kiehl's | 91,174 | -29.1% | 16 → 24 |
| Decreased | Manyo Factory | 135,082 | -27.7% | 9 → 13 |
| Decreased | BRING GREEN | 64,943 | -26.1% | 23 → 28 |
| Decreased | Innisfree | 182,850 | -22.6% | 5 → 7 |
| Decreased | Physiogel | 135,012 | -20.6% | 12 → 14 |
How Concentrated Is Basic Skincare Search Demand Among Top Brands?
When comparing competitor brands by search share, first check the scope of brands included in the calculation. The shares in this article are calculated against the combined search volume of the 31 brands selected under Brand Finder category rules.
Search interest is not concentrated exclusively in the leading brands, but is also spread across the middle and upper tiers. In ListeningMind Brand Finder data for Korea from Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, the combined share of the top 3 brands is 18.9%, while the brands from Aestura to Torriden cluster between 3% and 5%. Do not limit competitor lists to the leaders; expand them to include brands with a similar search share to your own.
Examining current rank alongside year-over-year rank changes shows how comparison sets have shifted. ILLIYOON rose from 13th to 8th, while Manyo Factory dropped from 9th to 13th. However, these movements alone do not prove that customer interest migrated directly from one brand to another.
How Practitioners Can Apply This Ranking Data to Their Work
To evaluate interest changes before and after a promotion, distinguish the monthly average search volume in this table from period-specific volumes. The Sep 2025 to Aug 2026 monthly average search volume and your brand share serve as benchmarks for evaluating your brand among analyzed competitors. When reviewing promotion results, check search volumes before and after the campaign separately, and avoid assuming that a search decline is purely an acquisition channel problem.
When reviewing search ad keywords, this ranking serves as a starting point to identify brands undergoing interest shifts. Based on intent intelligence, evaluate brand keywords and ad copy aligned with search intents. Do not judge the competition level of individual ad keywords based solely on the overall brand search share gap.
E-commerce managers planning online promotional events can consider growing brands like ILLIYOON and Anua. However, do not determine core product lines or promotional inventory based purely on brand-level search rankings; review the sales performance of the relevant products as well.
When evaluating new lineup launches or business portfolios, do not evaluate market entry feasibility or customer retention costs for new brands based on search share alone.
Methodology
- Data: ListeningMind Brand Finder Korean market edition, 48 months from Sep 2022 to Aug 2026. Sum of monthly search volumes from Naver and Google.
- Monthly average search volume: Average of the most recent 12 months (Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). Combines standalone brand name searches and "brand + product or modifier" searches.
- YoY: Compares the most recent 12-month average to the preceding 12-month average. vs. 3 years ago: Compares to the first 12-month average (if the first 12-month value is under 10% of the recent value, it is left blank and marked "New").
- Category share: Ratio against the total search volume of the 31 brands included in this category. Inclusion criteria follow Brand Finder category rules.
- Search volume indicates level of interest, not sales volume or market share statistics.
- Related articles in the same category can be found in the Basic Skincare Category.
Questions
- Which Korean basic skincare brand has the highest search volume?
- According to ListeningMind Brand Finder, Medicube ranked first in monthly average search volume among Korean basic skincare brands from Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, recording 285,704 searches.
- What proportion of basic skincare search volume do the top brands hold?
- In ListeningMind Brand Finder data for Korea from Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, the total monthly average searches across all 31 analyzed basic skincare brands was 4,354,503, with the top 3 brands accounting for a combined share of 18.9%.
- Which basic skincare brand had the highest year-over-year search volume growth rate?
- In ListeningMind Brand Finder Korean basic skincare data for Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, Beauty of Joseon saw the largest year-over-year search volume increase among brands with a category share of 1% or higher, rising +61.4%.
- Does the basic skincare brand search ranking only include searches for the brand name alone?
- The ranking includes searches for the standalone brand name as well as "brand + product or modifier" searches. It should not be interpreted as search counts for brand names only.
- Does basic skincare brand search volume represent sales volume?
- Search volume measures the level of interest and does not represent sales volume or market share statistics.