CJ Olive Young Emerges as K-Beauty's Global Hub

CJ Olive Young has firmly established itself as the hub of K-beauty for foreign tourists visiting Korea, effectively serving as a 'Global K-beauty Gateway.' Throughout 2024, foreign customers of 189 different nationalities visited Olive Young stores, making a total of 9.42 million transactions. This remarkable fact shows that K-beauty is being experienced in almost every country worldwide, excluding a few where international travel is virtually impossible. This clearly indicates that the popularity of K-beauty is spreading beyond specific regions to encompass the entire globe. Olive Young is not only providing positive shopping experiences for foreigners but also strengthening its role as a platform where new K-beauty brands can be discovered first. The number of stores visited by foreign customers nationwide reached 1,264, accounting for approximately 92% of all stores (1,371). This proves that keen interest in K-beauty extends broadly across the nation, from the bustling streets of Myeongdong in Seoul to the beautiful coastlines of Seogwipo City in Jeju. In 2024, Olive Young's sales to foreign customers surged by an impressive 140% compared to the previous year, clearly demonstrating its growth trajectory. Notably, European countries showed significant advancement, with sales from Italian and Spanish customers soaring by 250% and 226% respectively, while France also recorded a high increase of 184%. Mexico and Turkey demonstrated explosive growth rates of 400% and 340% respectively, proving K-beauty's global influence. Among American customers, sun care products were overwhelmingly popular. Half of the top 10 best-selling items were sun care products, which can be interpreted as a result of the US FDA's recommendation for sunscreen use combined with the excellent cost-effectiveness of Korean products. Olive Young is implementing various strategies to maximize shopping satisfaction for foreign customers. In stores located in major tourist areas, multilingual guidance services are being enhanced, and special display zones such as 'K-beauty Now' and 'Global Hot Issue' are set up to actively introduce promising K-beauty brands. Furthermore, to improve the global competency of its employees, Olive Young is expanding the operation of its in-house language education program, 'G.L.C (Global Language Course),' thereby enhancing service quality. To ensure continued interest in K-beauty even after visiting Korea, the company is also increasing the installation of vending machines that assist with 'Olive Young Global Mall' subscriptions, expanding customer touchpoints. Olive Young announced that it will continue to make ceaseless efforts to ensure K-beauty establishes itself as a representative tourism content of Korea, standing shoulder to shoulder with K-pop and K-food. Beyond being a mere shopping space, Olive Young is expected to further solidify its role as a key gateway disseminating the charm of K-beauty to people worldwide.