Olive Young US Store Success: K-Beauty Boom

CJ Olive Young has officially entered the U.S. market by successfully opening its first offline store in Pasadena, California. Hundreds of meters of queues formed the day before the opening, and significant attention from major U.S. media outlets highlighted the intense interest. Olive Young plans to expand its reach to local customers by opening a second U.S. store this month at the Westfield Century City mall in Los Angeles (LA).

A "rush to open" queue formed the day before the Pasadena store's opening, with lines stretching approximately 400 meters around the store on the opening day. LA-based television station KTLA provided live coverage from the scene four hours before the opening, and ABC reported on the opening with aerial footage captured by helicopter. Major U.S. media outlets such as CNN and The Wall Street Journal also visited the site to cover the event. The opening ceremony was attended by local dignitaries including Lee Seon-jeong, CEO of Olive Young, Kwon Ga-eun, Head of the U.S. Corporation, and Victor Gordo, Mayor of Pasadena.

Visitors continued to flock to the store even after it opened, with queues for entry and checkout extending until closing time. Olive Young limited simultaneous entry to approximately 200 people to ensure customer safety and a convenient shopping experience. Local customers showed particular interest in experiential services such as "Skin Scan," which analyzes skin condition, and "THE BEAUTY LAB," which suggests K-beauty routines based on diagnostic results. The free service, encompassing skin analysis, product recommendations, and consultations, received a positive response.

This interest translated into sales performance, with the Pasadena store preliminarily recording over 1,000 transactions on its opening day. Basic cosmetics, including skincare, sun care, face masks, and cleansers, accounted for over 60% of total sales, while color cosmetics like lip products and cushion foundations, as well as hair and body care products, also sold well. Some reports mentioned that K-wellness products, such as hair and body care items and health supplements, also gained popularity.

Lee Seon-jeong, CEO of Olive Young, stated, "We aim to go beyond global customers visiting Korea to experience Olive Young, and instead, Olive Young will directly enter key markets to become part of local consumers' daily lives. The Pasadena store will be a new milestone for our global platform, growing together with excellent small and medium-sized Korean brands."