South Korean cosmetics have been found to be highly popular in France, where it is considered the mecca of the global cosmetics industry.

According to a recent report by the Paris branch of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency(KOTRA), France was the biggest importer of South Korean cosmetics among European Union members last year.

France imported 21 billion won, or 18-point-three billion U.S. dollars’ worth of Korean cosmetic goods last year, accounting for 35 percent of EU imports of Korean beauty products.

At a distant second was the UK at 16 percent and Germany followed at nine percent.

French imports of South Korean cosmetics amounted to six-point-five billion won in 2013 but surged to over eleven billion the next year.

Last year, imports soared by a whopping 82 percent from the previous year.

The popularity of South Korean products in France is attributed to the French consumers’ preference for multifunctional cosmetics, such as BB cream, which stands for blemish balm or beauty balm.

The BB was first developed for patient treatment but it gained popularity when it was introduced as a makeup product in South Korea. Now, global cosmetics firms have their own lines of BB cream.