Cars and smartphones may rank among South Korea's biggest exports to the US, but few goods inspire a more devoted following than the Asian country's beauty products.

汽车和智能手机是韩国对美出口的主要产品， 但很少有商品能像韩国的美妆产品那样受到如此强烈的追捧。

K-beauty - a term that covers a wide range of skincare, makeup and cosmetics from South Korea - is lauded for its quality and value, driving soaring demand in recent years.

韩妆（K-beauty）——这一术语涵盖了来自韩国的各类护肤品、彩妆及化妆品——因其品质上乘、性价比高而备受赞誉， 近年来需求飙升。

The global appeal of South Korean culture has also helped propel the popularity of its cosmetics.

韩国文化的全球吸引力也推动了其化妆品的流行。

US-based Pearl Mak tells the BBC that she was introduced to K-beauty products by her friends. South Korean serums are better-suited for her skin compared to some Western brands that tend to be more harsh, the 27-year-old graphic designer says.

美国消费者马珍珠对BBC表示，她最初是通过朋友推荐接触韩国美妆产品的。 马珍珠今年27岁，是一位平面设计师。她说，与一些更刺激的西方品牌相比，韩国精华液更适合她的皮肤。

Now "95% of my skincare is made up of K-beauty products", she adds.

她补充道，现在“我的护肤品有95%都是韩国的产品。”

Ms Mak is not alone in her preference for South Korean skincare brands. Americans spent as much $1.7bn (£1.3bn) on K-beauty products in 2024, according to industry estimates. That marks a more than 50% rise compared to the previous year.

并不是只有马珍珠一个人偏爱韩国护肤品牌。 据行业估计，2024年美国人在韩国美妆产品上的花费高达17亿美元，也就是13亿英镑， 比上一年增长了50%以上。

K-beauty products are often more attractively priced than their Western counterparts - but also feature ingredients that are not as commonly found in the West - from heartleaf to snail mucin.

韩国美妆产品的价格往往比西方同类产品更有竞争力，同时也含有一些在西方不常见的成分，比如心叶和蜗牛黏液。

US President Donald Trump has now imposed a 15% import tax on South Korean goods traded between Seoul and Washington.

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普现已对韩美两国间贸易商品征收15%的进口税。

It's less than the 25% levy that Trump had threatened, but many consumers are not taking any chances.

虽然税率低于特朗普曾经提出的25%，但许多消费者仍然不敢冒险。

US K-beauty retailer Santé Brand saw orders spike by nearly 30% in April, right after Trump unveiled sweeping US import taxes on most of the world.

就在特朗普宣布美国对世界大部分地区征收全面进口税后，美国的K-beauty零售商Santé Brand4月份的订单激增近30%。

"When the tariff announcements hit, customers got strategic with how they were going to weather the storm," Santé Brand's founder Cheyenne Ware told the BBC.

Santé Brand创始人夏延·瓦雷告诉BBC， “当关税公告发布时，消费者开始采取战略应对这次关税冲击。”

"Consumers are preparing against the uncertainty."

“消费者正在为不确定性做准备。”

Another K-beauty retailer, Senti Senti, has been ordering more products since Trump started his tariff threats, says manager Winnie Zhong.

另一家K-beauty零售商Senti Senti的经理温妮·钟表示，自特朗普关税威胁以来，他们就一直在加大订货量。

This week, she received alerts from suppliers urging retailers to "stock up before tariffs".

本周，她收到了来自供应商的提醒，敦促零售商“在关税生效前尽快囤货”。

Both retailers said prices of K-beauty products are likely to increase as the levies push up costs across the industry.

两家零售商均表示，随着关税推高整个行业的成本，K-beauty产品的价格可能会上涨。

"Anyone telling you prices will stay flat through the next two years is naive," says Ms Ware.

瓦雷说：“任何告诉你未来两年价格将保持平稳的人都是天真幼稚的。”

Prices are bound to rise, especially for smaller sellers of beauty products on platforms like Amazon, who operate with slim profit margins, economist Munseob Lee from the University of California San Diego says.

加州大学圣地亚哥分校的经济学家李·文世博表示， 价格势必会上涨，尤其是那些在亚马逊等平台上经营的利润微薄的小型美妆产品卖家。

Despite higher prices, the global popularity of South Korean culture means K-beauty products are likely to remain in demand in the US, he says.

他说，尽管价格上涨，但韩国文化在全球的流行意味着K-beauty产品在美国可能会继续保持需求。

"Casual buyers might be turned off by the higher price, but fans won't find an easy substitute."

钟经理指出：

Ms Zhong agrees. She thinks customers will still want to buy K-beauty products but price rises may mean they purchase fewer items than before.

“普通消费者可能会因涨价望而却步，但忠粉们却很难找到替代品。” 她认为顾客仍然想购买K-beauty产品，但涨价可能意味着他们的购买量相比以前会减少。

Higher prices are unlikely to stop Ms Mak buying her favourite products.

即便价格上涨，马·珍珠对心仪产品的购买意愿仍未动摇。

"It depends on how much the price shoots up, but as of now, I am willing to pay more to purchase the same products," she says.

她说：“这取决于价格上涨多少，但到目前为止，我愿意支付更多费用来购买同样的产品。”

Big K-beauty brands are in a much better position to absorb the cost of tariffs than their smaller rivals, says South Korea-based business consultant Eyal Victor Mamou.

韩国商业顾问埃亚尔·维克多·马穆表示， 与规模较小的竞争对手相比，大型K-beauty品牌在应对关税成本方面的能力要强得多。

These larger companies will be able to avoid major price rises for their customers as they have higher profit margins, he says.

他说，这些规模较大的公司拥有更高的利润率，能够避免对顾客大幅涨价。

But smaller K-beauty firms that make their products in South Korea will struggle to keep a lid on costs, Mr Mamou adds.

但马穆补充说，那些在韩国生产产品的小型韩国美妆公司将难以控制成本。

"It will take some time to take effect since most goods being sold in the short-run have already been commissioned at current prices, but we'll see it play out soon."

“关税生效后需要一段时间才能影响价格变化，因为短期内销售的大多数商品已经按现有价格下单生产， 但这种影响很快就会显现。”

In recent days, President Trump has struck deals with Japan and the European Union that will see their exports to the US subject to the same 15% tariffs as South Korea.

最近几天， 特朗普已与日本和欧盟达成协议，他们出口到美国的商品将同样面临15%的关税，与韩国相同。

That means countries that are home to some of the world's biggest cosmetics brands face the same levies as the K-beauty industry.

这意味着拥有一些全球最大化妆品品牌的国家将面临与K-beauty产业相同的关税。

Central to Trump's trade policies is his ambition to see more goods being made in America.

特朗普贸易政策的核心是他希望更多商品能够实现美国本土化制造。

But it's yet to be seen whether or not this will mean US buyers switch to American beauty products.

但是，美国消费者是否会因此转向本土美妆产品仍有待观察。

Ms Mak says she doesn't see US-made products as attractive alternatives.

马·珍珠表示，她认为美国制造的产品并不是有吸引力的替代品。

"I do search for American-made alternatives often, but I have yet to find any that are as effective as the ones I use. So I wouldn't go for American products yet."

“我经常寻找美国制造的替代品，但至今还没找到像我使用的那些一样有效的产品。 所以我还不会选择美国本土产品。”