When Kim Kardashian shouted out Dr. Dissapong Panithaporn, aka Dr. Joe, and his Bangkok aesthetic clinic, The Demis, to her 350 million Instagram followers last October, it felt like a tipping point. The endorsement sent Western beauty obsessives scrambling to Google and confirmed what industry insiders had long known: Thailand’s beauty and aesthetics industry is entering a breakout era.
With more than 6,600 government-registered aesthetic clinics, Thailand is now Asia’s second largest aesthetic medicine hub after South Korea, with the Thai Medical Hub Board forecasting that the market will be worth $7.51 billion by 2027. In the wake of South Korea’s “glow-up trip” boom, Thailand is increasingly positioned as the next destination of choice. Foreign patients now account for nearly 30% of The Demis’s clientele, up from just 10% two years ago, with demand expanding beyond Asia to Europe, the US, and the Middle East.
“Japan and South Korea have long been recognized as leading destinations for beauty and aesthetic medicine,” says Hiromi Yamaguchi, research manager at Euromonitor International. “However, Thailand has emerged as a powerhouse in medical tourism, accounting for 44% of total medical tourism in Asia-Pacific.” Cost competitiveness, strong healthcare infrastructure and its positioning as a holistic wellness destination all play a role. Many hospitals and clinics hold Joint Commission International accreditation, reinforcing Thailand’s reputation for quality and safety, too.
Cultural capital is gaining momentum. Thai actors, including KinnPorsche stars Phakphum Romsaithong and Nattawin Wattanagitiphat, alongside pop figures such as Blackpink’s Lisa, have become increasingly influential on the global fashion circuit. During the Spring/Summer 2026 season, Thai talent dominated earned media value (EMV) rankings across the big four fashion capitals, accounting for six of the top 10 influencers, up from four the previous season. (EMV is calculated as $1 per Instagram like, across fashion week content.)
That visibility has helped globalize swai meiku, a distinctly Thai beauty code defined by luminous, bronzed skin, softly sculpted features, and polished soft glam. “Thailand is evolving from a trend follower to a trendsetter, developing a unique T-beauty identity that fuses global influences with local styles,” says Marian Pagulayan, researcher at market research firm Mintel. “Gen Z is leading this shift, increasingly supporting local brands inspired by global trends,” she adds, pointing to beauty players like Cathy Doll, Oriental Princess, and 4U2.
Still, unlike K-beauty, which has undergone full commercial integration into the West, Thai beauty has yet to break through at the same scale. The global dominance of Korean brands is so entrenched that Sephora recently inked a partnership with Olive Young, Seoul’s leading beauty department store, while retailers such as Cult Beauty offer dedicated K-beauty tabs as a permanent fixture of their assortments. Thai beauty remains largely absent from Western shelves, despite growing awareness of its clinics and stars. What will it take for T-beauty to become a truly global category?
What makes T-beauty distinct?
If K-beauty has been defined by innovation and technological advancement, T-beauty distinguishes itself through heritage and a holistic approach. Rooted in Thailand’s tropical climate and wellness traditions, it blends high-performance aesthetic medicine with herbal botanicals, natural oils, and an inside-out philosophy that treats beauty as preventative rather than corrective. Ingestible beauty is a core part of that equation: collagen drinks, vitamin C shots, functional jellies, and nutraceutical snacks are widely available across convenience stores, pharmacies, and clinics alike.
This holistic mindset shapes the patient experience, too. At The Demis’s Siam Square One branch, an aesthetic appointment feels closer to a luxury hospitality encounter than a medical appointment. Upon arrival, I was offered food, a massage, a cup of coffee with my face on it, and a complimentary cryo facial throughout my visit. “We love to see every little detail — not only for your face, but also for your mind and soul,” says Dr. Joe. “Because we are Buddhist, we know that when you have calmness within yourself, it reflects outward in your beauty.”
This integrated approach extends beyond clinics to Thailand’s massage culture, which has long been central to its wellness economy. Traditional Thai massage incorporates herbal compresses, oil therapies, and pressure-point techniques, framed less as indulgence than as function, supporting circulation, lymphatic drainage, and stress regulation. Increasingly offered alongside aesthetic procedures, these therapies reinforce T-beauty’s core proposition: beauty as a connected system rather than a single step.
“It always comes back to history,” says Ash, general manager of the Pañpuri Spa at Park Hyatt Bangkok. “These practices have been passed down for generations.” Founded in Thailand, Pañpuri has grown into one of the country’s best-known luxury wellness brands, operating multiple spa and retail locations across the capital and key resort destinations, where its products and treatments are integrated into calming massage treatments. “Wellness culture is deeply ingrained here, and for many Thai consumers, products like ours are first experienced in spa and treatment settings. That’s why we partner with hotels like Park Hyatt,” he continues, adding that their international guests are increasingly seeking out Thai-specific treatments and wellness brands.
Pañpuri’s products draw on locally sourced botanicals, from jasmine cultivated in the north east to mint and bergamot grown in Chiang Mai, handpicked and blended domestically. The brand’s approach reflects a broader Thai strategy: leveraging provenance and botanical knowledge as both cultural capital and a commercial differentiator.
That strategy is becoming increasingly relevant. The global herbal economy was valued at $60 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $78 billion by 2029, according to the Thai Ministry of Commerce. Here, ingredients such as turmeric, centella asiatica, mangosteen and tamarind — long staples of Thai traditional medicine — are being repositioned as science-backed actives in skincare and wellness. Local brands including Gravich, Fyne, Dr. Pong and Snail White are translating these principles into Gen Z-friendly formats, pairing botanical heritage with TikTok-friendly branding. Butterfly pea flower, traditionally used in herbal teas and hair rinses, has also resurfaced as a TikTok favorite for its antioxidant and soothing properties, appearing in hair and scalp treatments from heritage pharmacy brand Abhaibhubejhr and in calming skincare and aromatherapy lines from Pañpuri.
In-clinic treatment prices further differentiate the market. Thailand’s cost accessibility allows aesthetic businesses to treat far higher patient volumes than their Western counterparts, accelerating expertise through repetition. “We have a huge outpatient database,” says Dr. Joe. “We photograph every patient and regularly review outcomes to improve technique.” The Demis’s image archive for its most popular treatment, Ulthera Prime, now features more than 300,000 results.
What would it take for T-beauty to scale?
Despite growing cultural visibility, most T-beauty brands remain relatively underrepresented in Western markets. What makes this moment particularly resonant, however, is timing. T-beauty’s emphasis on balance, botanicals, and inside-out wellness is coinciding with a surge of interest in traditional healing systems across TikTok, where Western audiences are engaging with rituals such as ear seeding, somatic practices, herbal tonics, and circadian-respecting routines. As ingredients like mugwort and centella gain traction, the platform is effectively re-educating consumers — priming global audiences for a beauty approach Thailand has been refining for decades.
Still, cultural alignment alone does not guarantee commercial scale. Many of Thailand’s most recognizable ingredients are already familiar to Western consumers, but not yet strongly associated with Thai beauty. Centella asiatica, for instance, has become ubiquitous through K-beauty and dermocosmetics, leaving Thailand without clear ownership of the ingredient in the global imagination. Ingestible beauty products, meanwhile, face significantly stricter regulatory scrutiny and education barriers in the UK and the US, versus in Asia.
This has led some Thai brands to pursue hybrid strategies. “The fusion of Korean technology with Thai ingredients is creating world-class hybrid products for the region,” according to Mintel’s 2026 Thai Consumer report. “Thailand is positioning itself as an innovation and export hub for beauty in Southeast Asia, leveraging local success stories for global recognition.” Brands such as Srichand illustrate this approach in practice. While deeply rooted in Thai heritage and ingredients knowledge, the brand has increasingly worked with Korean laboratories and formulation partners to refine textures, stabilise actives, and meet international testing standards.
One of the obstacles to gaining a more global footprint is awareness. Western retailers, who are key to international expansion, are still massively riding the K-beauty high. While they are always looking for the next big thing to attract new and returning customers, multi-brand beauty stores remain hesitant to invest heavily in a new movement right now, says Suzanne Scott, global associate beauty director at Seen Group.
However, Scott believes there is a clear opportunity for expansion. As global temperatures rise and city living intensifies, demand is shifting toward products that feel lighter on the skin and maintain comfort throughout the day. “As the rest of the world warms, there’s growing interest in products that wear well in challenging environments,” she says. “Texture and sensorial performance are areas where Thai beauty can really win. Domestic products are designed for climates the rest of the world is now experiencing more frequently — technologies that deliver hydration without heaviness, SPFs that stay put, and makeup that holds up in high heat and humidity are exactly the innovations Western markets are looking for.”
That performance-led appeal is complemented by playful branding that aligns with current consumer behavior. “Brands like Gentle Colors and Cathy Doll have cute, collectible aesthetics,” Scott adds. “With the recent hype around toy-driven culture and ‘kidult’ consumption, I can see brands like these resonating strongly with Western consumers.”
Thailand might not displace Seoul as the world’s most technologically advanced beauty capital, but it doesn’t need to. Instead, it is carving out a parallel center of influence: one rooted in heritage and holistic wellness, yet distilled into globally scalable products backed by aesthetic science.
