South Korea: Natural Hydrocolloids Driving Innovation in Food and Personal Care South Korea, as a key East Asian economy, has a highly developed food processing, beverage, snack, and cosmetics industry. Consumers’ growing focus on health, natural ingredients, and functional products provides broad opportunities for the application of pectin, citrus fiber, carrageenan, and konjac gum across multiple sectors. Natural hydrocolloids play a critical role in dairy, beverages, snacks, bakery, sauces, and personal care products, supporting enterprise innovation and differentiation. In dairy and beverages, pectin is widely used in yogurt, probiotic drinks, fruit juices, functional beverages, and plant-based drinks. High-ester pectin maintains stability in acidic systems, creating uniform suspensions, enhancing texture delicacy and freshness, and extending shelf life without masking fruit or dairy flavors. Citrus fiber improves mouthfeel and flow in low-sugar, high-fiber drinks while adding dietary fiber, meeting consumers’ health needs. Carrageenan forms stable gels in puddings, custards, jellies, and dairy desserts, enhancing texture uniformity and elasticity. Konjac gum, with transparent and elastic gel properties, provides superior texture and health attributes in low-sugar desserts, jellies, and meal replacement drinks, supporting innovation in dairy and beverages. In snacks and bakery, citrus fiber improves dough hydration and gas retention, keeping cakes, biscuits, and local pastries soft and moist while partially replacing fats to reduce calories. Pectin stabilizes jams, pastry fillings, and confectionery, preventing water separation and maintaining gloss and texture. Carrageenan and konjac gum enhance gel strength and texture layers in puddings, mousses, gummy snacks, and functional snacks, offering innovation and differentiation opportunities in the Korean snack market. In sauces and condiments, pectin and citrus fiber improve system stability, prevent separation, and enhance flavor integration. Carrageenan enhances sliceability, elasticity, and water retention in meat and dairy products, while konjac gum optimizes texture and mouthfeel in low-sugar, low-fat, and plant-based sauces. Hydrocolloids improve taste, stability, and health attributes, enabling differentiated product development. In personal care, konjac gum and citrus fiber are widely used as natural skincare ingredients in lotions, masks, and hair care products. Konjac gum imparts smooth texture and moisturizing properties, while citrus fiber provides gentle exfoliation and adsorption, meeting consumer demand for natural, safe, and functional beauty products. Hydrocolloids offer innovation solutions for skincare and personal care, aligning with sustainable, plant-based, and health-focused lifestyles. Additionally, South Korea’s health food and functional product market is rapidly growing. Pectin, citrus fiber, carrageenan, and konjac gum are widely applied in meal replacement drinks, functional jellies, low-sugar snacks, and high-fiber bakery products. Pectin provides gelation and stability, citrus fiber improves texture and nutritional value, carrageenan enhances dairy and meat product structure, and konjac gum supports both health food and personal care applications. The multifunctional properties of these natural hydrocolloids give enterprises a competitive advantage in developing healthy, natural, and plant-based products. Overall, pectin, citrus fiber, carrageenan, and konjac gum are helping South Korea’s dairy, beverage, snack, bakery, sauce, and personal care industries achieve product innovation, quality enhancement, and differentiation. Lemon Biotech, as a comprehensive natural hydrocolloid solutions provider, offers formulation optimization, process guidance, and technical support, enabling South Korean enterprises to achieve innovation upgrades and market differentiation.