South Korean beauty retailer Olive Young is making its U.S. debut with the opening of its first American store in Pasadena, Calif., WWD has learned exclusively.
The 8,647-square-foot space, located at 58 West Colorado Boulevard, is slated to open on May 29, marking the retailer’s first brick-and-mortar location in the U.S., alongside the launch of a dedicated nationwide e-commerce platform for American consumers.
Founded in 1999, Olive Young counts more than 1,380 stores in South Korea. With its U.S. expansion, the company is looking to capitalize on growing demand for K-beauty.
The Pasadena flagship will carry about 400 brands and 5,000 products spanning skin care, makeup, hair care, wellness and lifestyle categories. The assortment includes K-beauty labels like Anua, Biodance, Fwee, Mise-en-scène, Rom&nd, Torriden, Unove and Mediheal, as well as globally recognized brands including CeraVe, Kiehl’s, Lancôme, La Roche-Posay, Sol de Janeiro, Supergoop!, The Ordinary, Touchland and Urban Decay.
“Our U.S. debut marks an important step in bringing a more personalized and seamless beauty discovery experience to American consumers, grounded in our strengths in curation, innovation, and customer experience,” said Gaeun Kwon, chief executive officer of Olive Young USA, in a statement.
A rendering of Olive Young’s first U.S. store in Pasadena, Calif.
Courtesy of Olive Young
“We see Olive Young not only as a destination for K-beauty, but as a discovery platform that brings together diverse beauty, wellness, and lifestyle brands from Korea and beyond,” Kwon continued. “Our goal is to help customers continuously discover something new — from emerging trends and innovative products to routines and brands that fit their individual lifestyles. By connecting our physical store and digital platform, we hope to make beauty discovery more accessible, relevant and inspiring for American consumers.”
The new store has been designed around category-specific discovery zones, allowing shoppers to browse products by skin concern, ingredients, texture and function. There are dedicated testing stations for cleansers, serums and sunscreens to encourage a more interactive shopping experience.
Olive Young will roll out a three-tier loyalty program in the U.S., offering rewards and exclusive promotions across stores and online. Its new e-commerce platform will include nationwide shipping with no additional import duties for U.S. customers, according to the company.
The retailer is also introducing complimentary services inspired by its Korean stores, including skin scans and scalp analysis consultations. A “Beauty Lab” section will host educational skin care sessions covering topics like sunscreen selection, serum layering and double cleansing routines.
Beyond Pasadena, Olive Young plans to expand across the U.S., starting with California and the West Coast before moving into East Coast markets like New York.
