Rap icon Cardi B joins K-beauty’s celebrity fan club with BB cream

Since its debut on Amazon.com in 2024, Missha's flagship BB cream has been a best-selling BB cream globally

(Courtesy of Missha)
Yeonhee Kim 2
2025-07-10 11:29:10 yhkim@hankyung.com
Beauty & Cosmetics

Cardi B, the Grammy-winning rapper, has joined the growing list of celebrities spotlighting Korean beauty products, fueling a new wave of global enthusiasm for Korean cosmetics.

On Monday, the global influencer showcased a BB cream from Missha, a first-generation South Korean budget cosmetics brand, in a TikTok video.

“This isn’t foundation, it’s BB cream,” she exclaimed on the social media platform, blending the “Missha M Perfect Cover Serum BB Cream” into her skin with her fingers.

She highlighted that the BB cream, made with naturally derived ingredients, feels comfortable for all-day wear, even in hot weather, thanks to its non-sticky texture, adding: “It’s almost like sunscreen.”

The global rap icon said she has recently been using the Missha BB cream as her go-to base makeup product.

The video drew over 1 million views within seven hours of its release, surpassing 3 million views and garnering 530,000 likes in a single day.

After debuting on Amazon.com, the world’s largest online marketplace, in November last year, the Missha BB cream rose to No. 1 in the “Hot New Releases – Face Makeup” category within its first month. It has since remained a best-seller in the BB cream category.

(Courtesy of Missha)
(Courtesy of Missha)

Cardi B, with nearly 200 million global followers, has previously shared her experiences with Korean food and other Korean beauty products.

She has featured a Korean facial mud pack brand and Samyang Foods Co.'s hot chicken-favored ramen – Buldak-bokkeum-myeon – in videos and livestreams.

Following Cardi B’s two-minute video featuring the BB cream, a Missha official said it has seen a sharp uptick in interest around the product in North America.

“We’ll strengthen our social media-driven viral campaigns and accelerate our expansion into the North American color cosmetics market, focusing on high-performance, multifunctional products,” said the official.

ABLE C&C Co., the parent company of Missha, is 61.5% held by Seoul-based IMM Private Equity.

Driven by affordable yet high-quality products, South Korean beauty products have emerged as a major export industry.

In the first half of this year, South Korea’s cosmetics exports reached $5.5 billion, marking the highest half-year figure for the country, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Based on the first-half shipments, South Korea ranked third in the global cosmetics export market after France and the US.

Write to Yeonhee Kim at yhkim@hankyung.com

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