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What ODM Means in K-Beauty: Korean Makers Behind Global Brands and How to Read a Cosmetics Label

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AI-generated scene of an unbranded makeup compact turned upside down on a wooden vanity, with a small label and white handwritten notes.

AT A GLANCE

ODM
Original Development Manufacturing: a maker develops and produces a product for another brand
Korean makers
Kolmar, Cosmax, C&C International, Bonne (named in reports)
Reported example
Rare Beauty and Fenty Beauty linked to Korean partners (Korea Economic Daily, Sept 14, 2026)
Label tip
Brand country, manufacturer and country of manufacture can all differ

ODM stands for Original Development Manufacturing: a maker develops and produces a product for another company’s brand. In Korean beauty, large manufacturers make cosmetics for brands based elsewhere, so a foreign brand’s product can have a Korean manufacturing story. This guide explains ODM, what was reported about celebrity brands, and how to read a label. Checked on 2026-10-12.

The hero image is AI-generated and shows an unbranded compact, not any real product.

What ODM means

In cosmetics, an ODM partner can help turn a brand’s idea into a product, from developing a formula to making and delivering it. Korean manufacturer Kolmar describes this wider development role in its official ODM guide. The brand name customers see on the front does not have to be the name of the company doing the lab or factory work. The exact split depends on the product and agreement.

Three things that can differ

  • The brand’s country: where the brand is based.
  • The manufacturer: the company that develops or makes the product.
  • The country of manufacture: where the product was made, often stated on the label as “Made in Korea” or similar.

A “Made in Korea” label tells you the manufacturing country. It does not tell you who designed every part of the formula.

Reported celebrity-brand partners

A September 14, 2026 report in The Korea Economic Daily linked Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty and Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty to Korean development or manufacturing partners, including C&C International, Cosmax and Bonne (Hankyung report, in Korean).

That does not mean every product from either brand is made in Korea. Check the individual item. For example, retailer Selfridges lists a Fenty Beauty Flyliner liquid eyeliner as made in Korea (Selfridges product details). That listing does not establish the manufacturer or the origin of the whole range.

What the report says about the partnerships

Hankyung described the two brands’ Korean ties this way:

  • Rare Beauty (Selena Gomez): launched in 2020, with more than half of its color cosmetics said to be made at C&C International’s Korean factory. The fact that the company makes 3CE, the color-cosmetics brand of Stylenanda, which L’Oreal acquired, is said to have prompted the collaboration.
  • Fenty Beauty (Rihanna): on sale since 2017, with many products developed and made at Cosmax’s R&I center. It also works with Bonne.

Korean ODM in numbers

  • Cosmax: the world’s top cosmetics ODM, with about 5,000 clients, of which about 1,500 are Korean K-beauty brands. It works with 18 of the global top 20 beauty companies, including L’Oreal, Lancome and Yves Saint Laurent.
  • Four companies combined (Cosmax, Kolmar Korea, Cosmecca Korea and C&C International): 2025 sales of 6.05 trillion won, passing 6 trillion for the first time, and operating profit of 541.1 billion won.
  • Exports: according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Korean cosmetics exports hit a record 11.4 billion dollars in 2025. In the first half of 2026 they reached 7 billion dollars, up 27.3% from a year earlier.

The report explains that as social media and e-commerce grew, indie brands that focus on planning and marketing without their own factories multiplied, and handing development and production to ODM firms became common. ODM firms don’t depend on any one brand’s trend, but they lack a brand’s pricing power or consumer loyalty, and their profits can swing with client orders and raw-material prices.

How to read a label

  1. Find the brand on the front.
  2. Look for “Made in …” or a manufacturer line, often in small print on the back or box.
  3. Remember that a manufacturer may work with several brands, so its name may be unfamiliar.

For K-beauty shopping tips in Seoul, see Musinsa Beauty in Hongdae.

Good for / not for

Good for

  • Shoppers who want to understand how K-beauty supply works
  • Anyone checking where a product is made

Not for

  • Anyone looking for proof of a specific product’s manufacturer. A label or listing may not state it.

Sources

Checked on 2026-10-12.