That's what Amorepacific Corp., a major South Korean cosmetics maker, is expecting. The firm predicted on Wednesday that the nation's cosmetics market will grow a modest 6.2 percent to seven trillion won (US$4.8 billion) next year.
The report from Seoul-based Amorepacific said that despite the recent economic gloom, the nation's cosmetics market grew 10.6 percent from a year ago in the first 11 months of this year.
"While domestic consumption is expected to remain sluggish next year, the local cosmetics market is likely to maintain its growth momentum," said an official at Amorepacific.
Analysts say sales of cosmetics goods are typically robust in an economic down-cycle, or even in a recession, because they offer the cheapest way for women to look good.
As major advanced economies such as the United States and Europe are sinking deeper into a recession and China's growth is slowing, South Korea's export-dependent economy is faltering.
The International Monetary Fund recently predicted South Korea's economy to grow two percent next year, which would mark a sharp reversal from a five percent expansion in 2007.

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