The September 30, 2026 observation covers 77 registered brand terms. The median index for the 20 Korean brands is 13,056.
This is CMB’s own data. On September 30, 2026, we entered the Chinese brand keyword for each of 77 skincare brands (20 Korean, 20 Chinese, 19 US, 18 European) into Juguang’s keyword planner (关键词规划) and recorded the monthly search index. The full table is on our Brand Index page, and the method is explained under Methodology.
1. The median Korean brand draws one-eighth of the searches of the median Chinese brand
We compared the median brand in each group. Korea is lowest; Europe and China are highest. All 20 Korean brands together total 462,750, less than China’s top two, Winona (346,488) and Grain Rain (304,068), combined.
| Group | Brands | Median | Group leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korea | 20 | 13,056 | Mediheal 125,578 |
| United States | 19 | 33,048 | CeraVe 319,350 |
| China | 20 | 101,798 | Winona 346,488 |
| Europe | 18 | 115,026 | Chanel 1,242,873 |
2. No Korean brand makes the overall top 20
The top 20 is split between eight European, six US and six Chinese brands. Korea’s best placings are Mediheal (23rd), medicube (36th), Sulwhasoo (41st), BANILA CO (47th) and Innisfree (51st). Chinese leaders are mostly functional brands built on sensitive-skin and soothing claims, such as Winona (3rd), Grain Rain (6th) and Comfy (8th). US derma brands are also strong: CeraVe (4th), SkinCeuticals (9th) and Cetaphil (15th).
3. Three brands account for half of Korea’s searches
| Rank | Brand | Keyword searched | Monthly search index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mediheal | 美迪惠尔 | 125,578 |
| 2 | medicube | medicube | 56,794 |
| 3 | Sulwhasoo | 雪花秀 | 46,287 |
| 4 | BANILA CO | 芭妮兰 | 32,696 |
| 5 | Innisfree | 悦诗风吟 | 30,310 |
| 6 | The History of Whoo | 后 | 24,399 |
| 7 | Anua | Anua | 21,333 |
| 8 | Laneige | 兰芝 | 19,840 |
| 9 | Torriden | Torriden | 14,978 |
| 10 | AHC | AHC | 13,549 |
Mediheal, medicube and Sulwhasoo make up 49% of the Korean total. From AHC in 10th place (13,549) to MISSHA in 20th (4,498), brands sit within 10,000 points of each other.
4. Several Korean brands are searched by their English names
For medicube, Anua, Torriden, numbuzin, goodal and AHC, the keyword is the English name rather than a Chinese one. Chinese brands, and most European and US brands, are searched in Chinese (薇诺娜, 香奈儿, 科颜氏 and so on). An English keyword suggests the brand has no settled Chinese name, or is known by its English name. If some users search under a Chinese name as well, real interest may be higher than the figure here.
- The search index is not sales, market share or conversion. It is a relative measure of how often a keyword is searched on Xiaohongshu.
- It covers the whole brand keyword. For brands such as Chanel and Dior that also sell fashion, fragrance and makeup, interest beyond skincare is included.
- Single-character or generic keywords, such as 后 for The History of Whoo, may pick up searches unrelated to the brand.
- Groups reflect brand origin, not where users live. Weekly changes will appear on the Brand Index page once at least two records have been collected.
Data: CMB Brand Index · full table of 77 skincare brands on Xiaohongshu
