SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) -- Baedal Minjok, South Korea's leading food delivery platform, has entered the quick-commerce market for cosmetics with a new service offering beauty products delivered within 30 minutes to an hour.

According to industry sources Wednesday, Woowa Brothers, the operator of Baedal Minjok, launched "B Beauty" on the same day. The service operates separately from its existing grocery-focused quick-commerce service, "B Mart."

B Beauty is initially available in select areas of Seoul, including Sinchon, Sillim and Apgujeong. More than 170 brands, including IOPE, AHC and Round Lab, have joined the platform.

Unlike the existing model, in which urban beauty outlets such as Off Beauty sell products through Baemin, B Beauty operates on a direct-purchase model, with Baemin buying products directly and selling them to customers.

According to Baemin, transaction value in the beauty category on B Mart rose about 34 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, while the number of orders increased about 40 percent.

A Baemin official said the company introduced B Beauty as the online beauty market expands and more customers seek cosmetics on its platform.

"We will continue to explore various ways to help customers purchase beauty products more conveniently," the official said.

jwc@yna.co.kr

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