From product discovery to direct consumer engagement , the first U.S. edition of OLIVE YOUNG FESTA brought the K-beauty ecosystem to life in Los Angeles
OLIVE YOUNG held “OLIVE YOUNG FESTA LA 2026” at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California from August 14 to 16.
The festival marked the first OLIVE YOUNG FESTA held in the U.S., bringing together K-beauty brands that have entered the U.S. market with OLIVE YOUNG, global influencers and local consumers to explore and experience K-beauty and K-lifestyle.
From Familiar K-Beauty to New Discoveries, Giving Local Consumers a Place to Explore
The festival drew visitors already familiar with OLIVE YOUNG and K-beauty. They browsed the booths, tried products firsthand and discovered K-beauty in their own way.
Chelsea, who came to KCON specifically for OLIVE YOUNG FESTA, said, “Now that OLIVE YOUNG stores have opened in the U.S., I love being able to test products in person before buying them instead of ordering from Amazon. At the festival, I also discovered new brands, including some in hair care that I hadn’t come across in stores, which made exploring K-beauty even more fun.”
Other visitors discovered K-beauty through K-pop and came to the festival with the same curiosity. Michalle traveled more than three hours from Alberta, Canada, to attend KCON.
“As a K-pop fan, I naturally became interested in Korean culture and K-beauty by attending concerts,” she said. “This was my first time at OLIVE YOUNG FESTA, and it was special to experience so many aspects of K-beauty in one place, from skincare, which I already love, to hair care and inner beauty.”
K-Beauty Through Creators, Reaching a Wider Global Audience
The connection between brands and consumers extended beyond the festival. OLIVE YOUNG invited more than 90 global influencers who have consistently introduced K-beauty to their audiences, creating a dedicated session where they could freely explore the festival and create content. The creators explored new K-beauty brands and products from their own perspectives before sharing their discoveries with global consumers through their content.
Soleil Isabella Crow
“I’m an esthetician and beauty creator. I first discovered K-beauty while studying esthetics, and I’ve continued creating content to introduce people with skin concerns like mine to K-beauty products and brands that I’ve tried myself. I also want to share the brands I discovered at OLIVE YOUNG FESTA with more people through my content.”
Hannah Bahng
“I’m a singer-songwriter based in Australia, and I attended the festival as a global ambassador for K-beauty brand rom&nd. My parents are Korean, so I grew up naturally exposed to Korean culture, and I’ve always been interested in K-beauty and OLIVE YOUNG. I had so much fun exploring the festival because each booth had its own cute, beautifully designed concept.”
Miranda Corneli
“I’m a beauty creator on TikTok and Instagram, and I’ve been interested in K-beauty for 10 years. I’ve been to other beauty festivals in the U.S., but OLIVE YOUNG FESTA is completely different. I love being able to discover so many new and trendy K-beauty brands in one place.”
Brands Meet U.S. Consumers and Explore New Growth Opportunities
All 55 brands participating in the festival are K-beauty and lifestyle brands available at OLIVE YOUNG stores in the U.S. Each brand designed a booth reflecting its identity and strengths, creating opportunities to engage directly with local consumers.
For participating brands, the festival offered a chance to hear directly from consumers beyond the data they typically rely on, while gaining insights into how to build awareness and grow in the U.S. market.
“Rejuran Cosmetics is a skincare brand known for products formulated with PDRN. For Rejuran Cosmetics, PDRN is not simply a trendy ingredient. It is part of the brand’s DNA. Products featuring PDRN have also received a strong response from customers at OLIVE YOUNG stores in the U.S., ranking No. 1 in skincare sales at OLIVE YOUNG stores in the U.S.
“As we expand our business in the U.S., this festival is meaningful because it gives us an opportunity to meet and engage directly with local consumers. We analyze customer needs through data, but speaking with customers in person gave us a much clearer understanding of their needs.
“OLIVE YOUNG has been a trusted partner in Korea for many years, so we have high expectations for growing together in the U.S. For K-beauty to become mainstream in the U.S. market, it takes support from many players across the K-beauty ecosystem. I believe OLIVE YOUNG is playing an important role in that ecosystem, and we want to be part of the journey to make K-beauty mainstream in the U.S. together with OLIVE YOUNG.”
“Ailo is an inner-beauty brand that offers collagen-based dietary supplements. The U.S. is an important market because it accounts for a large share of the global dietary supplement market. Participating in the festival and hearing directly from U.S. consumers was a valuable new experience for us.
“OLIVE YOUNG has been instrumental in building awareness of our brand in the U.S. In fact, more than 90% of visitors to our booth were discovering Ailo for the first time. One customer told us that she had discovered Ailo at an OLIVE YOUNG store and had been taking it consistently for four months. It was fascinating to see that simply having our products on OLIVE YOUNG’s shelves could lead consumers to discover Ailo and make a purchase.
“Some people still view K-beauty as a passing trend or viral phenomenon, but I think this festival showed that it is much more than that. Bringing together diverse K-beauty brands that have developed their products with authenticity and giving so many consumers the opportunity to experience them firsthand showed the substance and competitiveness of K-beauty.”
OLIVE YOUNG is expanding connections between K-beauty brands and global consumers beyond FESTA. Building on its partnership with Sephora established in January, OLIVE YOUNG plans to launch the “OLIVE YOUNG K-Beauty Edit” at about 580 Sephora stores across the U.S. on August 20, featuring a curated selection of K-beauty brands.
The “OLIVE YOUNG K-Beauty Edit” was previewed at the festival ahead of its official launch. Visitors could explore K-beauty brands and products curated by OLIVE YOUNG ahead of the launch, while a quiz offering a custom clicker featuring the OLIVE YOUNG and Sephora logos introduced the partnership in an engaging way.
Throughout the festival, the venue buzzed as K-beauty brands and visitors connected in person. Brand representatives engaged with consumers throughout the event to introduce their products, while visitors moved from booth to booth discovering new brands. Even after filling their OLIVE YOUNG bags with cosmetics, many were in no hurry to leave, reflecting their strong interest in and enthusiasm for K-beauty.
Building on the opportunities identified at the festival, OLIVE YOUNG plans to continue discovering promising K-beauty brands and supporting their growth in global markets. The company also plans to further expand the K-beauty ecosystem with its brand partners and create more opportunities for global growth.
