Methodology v0.5 · Five-pillar evidence modelIndependent · No paid placements
Transparent scoring rules

How the brand ranking works

The ranking separates recent online attention from overseas market traction, official export proof, professional evidence and source confidence. Korean domestic performance is never relabeled as export success.

Five evidence pillarsExport evidence 20%Missing = N/ANo affiliate input
25%

Overseas market traction

Comparable non-Korean retail ranks, distribution footprint and verified overseas review momentum. Korean domestic rankings are excluded.

20%

Official export evidence

Primary trade or institutional sources only when a brand or product is directly named. Country and category totals remain context.

10%

Professional & quality evidence

Regulatory records, recognized testing, professional research and documented international awards.

5%

Freshness & reliability

Recency, primary-source status and corroboration across independent evidence owners.

Calculation

Normalize, combine, then limit bias

1. Match the brand

Stable brand names and search aliases reduce false matches. Ambiguous names include beauty or skincare context.

2. Collect one window

All live inputs use the same rolling 30-day period, ending two days before collection.

3. Log-normalize

Raw counts are log-transformed before 0–100 normalization so one viral spike cannot dominate the table.

4. Apply pillar weights

Online 40%, overseas market 25%, official export 20%, quality 10% and source confidence 5% create the brand score.

5. Disclose gaps

Unavailable pillars remain N/A. Available inputs are compared consistently and a coverage factor prevents thin evidence from looking complete.

6. Audit every claim

Store the original URL, publisher, publication date, geography, subject and collection date so every scored claim can be checked again.

Important: an industry, country or HS-category export total is not a brand sale. It may describe market context, but it receives 0 points in a brand's official-export pillar unless the underlying source directly names that brand or product.
Connected sources

What is live now

These sources are free to query without a paid data subscription. Each measures a different behavior.

Bluesky public AppView

Social reactions

Cached public search endpoint for posts and their like, reply and repost counts. No login key is used.

Online pillar · 50% inside pillar
Wikimedia Analytics API

Independent discovery

Public per-article pageviews under Wikimedia's open analytics access policy.

Online pillar · 25% inside pillar
GDELT DOC 2.0 API

Worldwide media mentions

Raw article-count timelines from global online news coverage across many languages.

Online pillar · 25% inside pillar
Free, key required

YouTube Data API

Public video views, likes and comments can be added after one Google Cloud API key is configured. It is not counted before that connection exists.

Limited access

Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and Google Trends

Arbitrary competitor analytics are not silently scraped. Official access, account authorization or an approved API is required before these signals enter the score.

Free official-source registry

Approved export evidence owners

These sources may support the 20% official-export pillar. A source enters a brand score only when it directly names the same brand or product.

Failure rules

The ranking remains visible

Last verified result first

The browser and site runtime retain the most recent verified response. A temporary upstream limit does not replace it with an error page.

Calibration baseline last

When no verified response exists yet, the interface shows a clearly labeled calibration baseline. It is never described as current market data.

Editorial independence

Rankings cannot be purchased.

Global Beauty Rank Lab does not sell products, accept paid ranking placements, receive affiliate commissions or allow advertising relationships to change calculations.

No paid placementCommercial input excluded
Public methodologyWeights and caveats visible
Dated signalsSame rolling window
Neutral missing dataNo fabricated zeros
Frequently asked questions

How to read the ranking

Is the brand score the same as verified sales?

No. It combines five evidence pillars. Official export evidence is limited to 20% and requires a directly named, comparable source.

Can Korean domestic popularity raise the export score?

No. Naver, Korean retail ranks and domestic sales may be researched separately, but they contribute 0% to official export performance.

What happens when official export evidence is missing?

The pillar is displayed as N/A and evidence coverage is reduced. Missing evidence is never converted into a fabricated zero or invented estimate.

Can a news article be used?

Only when it clearly identifies the original institution, date, geography and figure. The primary report is preferred whenever it is available.

Can a brand pay to improve its rank?

No. Paid placement, affiliate commissions and advertising performance are excluded.