OLIVE YOUNG to Open Five More U.S. Stores by First Half of 2027, Expanding K-Beauty Footprint

CJ OLIVE YOUNG announced that it plans to open five additional stores in California by the first half of 2027, bringing its total U.S. store count to seven as it accelerates efforts to expand K-beauty’s reach in the market. The new stores will be located across Greater Los Angeles, a major hub for culture, trends and consumer spending on the West Coast, as well as San Diego, one of Southern California’s largest retail markets. In Greater Los Angeles, OLIVE YOUNG plans to open stores at four major shopping destinations: Irvine Spectrum Center, a leading lifestyle shopping destination in Irvine; Del Amo Fashion Center, a major retail hub in the South Bay area; Bloom on Third, a mixed-use shopping destination near The Original Farmers Market in central Los Angeles; and Brea Mall, a major shopping center in the heart of Orange County. The company aims to open all five new locations by the first half of 2027, with specific opening dates yet to be finalized. OLIVE YOUNG will also expand into San Diego with a store at Fashion Valley, one of the city’s premier shopping destinations, further extending its retail presence across Southern California. Notably, three of the new locations — Del Amo Fashion Center, Brea Mall and Fashion Valley — are premium shopping malls operated by Simon Property Group, one of the largest retail real estate companies in the United States. By establishing a presence in these high-traffic retail destinations, OLIVE YOUNG expects to accelerate awareness of both its brand and K-beauty among mainstream U.S. consumers. The expansion also represents an important opportunity for small and emerging Korean beauty brands seeking to enter the global market. Even brands with limited distribution networks or relatively low brand recognition in the United States will be able to leverage OLIVE YOUNG’s curation expertise and retail network to reach local consumers and showcase the strengths of their products. Beyond serving as retail destinations, OLIVE YOUNG’s U.S. stores are designed to help consumers discover, experience and better understand K-beauty. Customers can shop a curated selection of trusted Korean beauty brands while exploring innovative product formats such as sun sticks, sun cushions and toner pads. Through hands-on product experiences and guidance on building effective skincare routines, the stores offer a deeper understanding of what makes K-beauty distinctive. A key part of this experience is SKIN SCAN, OLIVE YOUNG’s in-store skin analysis service. The service allows customers to better understand their skin condition and discover K-beauty products and skincare routines tailored to their individual concerns. The personalized service has received an enthusiastic response from U.S. consumers, attracting approximately 27,000 users within five months of the company’s first store opening, as of the end of October. This ecosystem of K-beauty experiences is also expected to help smaller brands establish a foothold in the U.S. market. As consumers become more familiar with Korean beauty practices and product innovations through their visits to OLIVE YOUNG stores, they may become more willing to explore lesser-known indie brands and try new products they might not otherwise have discovered. Looking ahead, OLIVE YOUNG plans to accelerate its U.S. expansion, drawing on its distinctive curation capabilities to introduce the latest K-beauty trends to international markets and help more K-beauty and K-wellness brands build recognition among local consumers. “OLIVE YOUNG’s U.S. stores serve as strategic platforms for introducing the strengths of K-beauty to local consumers, while also helping emerging Korean brands establish themselves in the mainstream market,” said an OLIVE YOUNG spokesperson. “With K-beauty experiencing unprecedented growth worldwide, our goal is to help it evolve beyond a passing trend into an established part of the global beauty mainstream. We will continue working closely with our brand partners to build a foundation for sustainable global growth.”