Business
The K-Beauty chain seen all over Seoul just opened in California
Olive Young has launched its first overseas retail stores in California as Korean beauty exports continue reaching record levels globally. The expansion follows strong growth in K-beauty demand, with government data showing the United States became the largest export market for South Korean cosmetics during 2025.
Olive Young opened California stores as Korean cosmetics exports reached record highs and overseas demand for K-beauty products continued rising during 2025 and early 2026.
Key Highlights
- Olive Young opened its first overseas physical stores in Pasadena and Los Angeles.
- Korean cosmetics exports reached a record $10.2 billion during 2025.
- The United States overtook China as the top export market for K-beauty products.
- Olive Young reported 5.83 trillion won in revenue during 2025.
Olive Young is expanding its presence into physical retail spaces and has opened its first brick-and-mortar shops outside of South Korea in Pasadena and Los Angeles, as Korean beauty products continue to post record growth around the world.
The shift is occurring as demand for Korean skin care and cosmetics grows particularly in North America, Australia and Southeast Asian countries where k-beauty products are now available on mainstream shelves, pharmacy chains and beyond online.
Korean Cosmetics exports set a new record.
In 2025, South Korea's cosmetics industry shipped a record $10.2 billion worth of goods, surpassing the $10 billion mark for the first time, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety reported on Wednesday.
Last year, the U.S. was the largest market for Korean cosmetics exports, surpassing China. Other top foreign export markets for the sector were Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam, government trade data shows.
In the first quarter of 2026, the value of Korean cosmetics exports to the US increased by over 40% year-over-year, according to separate data released by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA).
With the growth of tourism and the increase in online orders, retail expansion follows.
Tourism and online orders come with retail expansion
Today, over 1300 shops are owned by Olive Young and have grown to be one of the largest beauty and wellness retail chains in South Korea.
Most of the company's international sales were previously made through their global online platform. These California openings signal a trend toward direct-to-consumer sales in the U.S. as Korean brands continue to become more popular via TikTok, beauty influencers, and specialty stores.
In 2025, the total foreign visitor spending at Korean stores in the Olive Young beauty brand group amounted to more than 1 trillion won, according to the company.Foreign visitors spent more than 1 trillion won at Korean stores of the Olive Young beauty brand group in 2025, the company said, highlighting robust demand from tourists for Korean skin care and cosmetic products.
As the demand for overseas products increases, so does revenue
In 2025, Olive Young generated revenue of 5.83 trillion won ($4.2 billion), marking an almost 22% increase from the previous year, according to industry filings.
Net profit grew to around 554.7 billion won amidst growing overseas demand and domestic beauty sales. With the latest openings, the store is now located smack dab in the center of one of the biggest beauty retail markets in the world, at a time when Korea's cosmetic export is on the rise.
FAQs
Q1. Why is Olive Young opening stores outside South Korea now?
Olive Young expanded overseas as Korean beauty exports reached record levels and global demand for K-beauty products continued rising.
Q2. Why has California become important for K-beauty retailers?
California has a large beauty retail market and strong consumer demand for Korean skincare, cosmetics and wellness products.
Q3. How big is the Korean cosmetics export market now?
South Korea’s cosmetics exports reached a record $10.2 billion in 2025, according to government trade data.
Follow Inspirepreneur Magazine for daily global business news.