Olive Young Seongsu draws 2.5m visitors in first year

CJ Olive Young’s flagship store in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, is redefining the K-beauty landscape, drawing global beauty enthusiasts and transforming the neighborhood into a K-beauty capital, all within just one year.

According to the nation's leading beauty retailer on Monday, the five-story retail outlet surpassed 2.5 million cumulative visitors in its first year since opening in November 2024. A company survey found that nearly 3 in 4 foreign visitors to Seongsu visited the store, with 86 percent of international shoppers planning their visit in advance.

“We can confidently say that Olive Young N Seongsu has become a must-visit destination for foreign visitors to Seongsu,” a company official said, adding that it ranked No. 1 in foreign credit card spending among all locations in the district over the past year.

Foreign card usage across all Olive Young stores in Seongsu rose by 592 percent on-year, while international shoppers now account for 70 percent of total sales, up from 40 percent a year ago.

The company attributes the store’s success not only to its extensive product offerings, but also to its experiential retail identity, where customers engage firsthand with products and a variety of beauty-related services.

“Olive Young N Seongsu brings together the entire spectrum of Korean beauty under one roof, making it the ultimate offline destination for a full K-beauty experience,” the official explained.

Setting itself apart with immersive services, the store offers six specialized beauty care experiences, including artificial intelligence-powered skin diagnostics and personal consultations with beauty experts. To date, more than 30,000 customers have used these services, 54 percent of whom were international visitors.

Limited time slots for specialized beauty services often prompt early lines outside the store.

“I saw the skin consultation service on TikTok and came early to register,” said John, a 27-year-old American visiting Korea alone. “I’ve gotten into Korean beauty lately, and I’m planning to shop more after the analysis, maybe even try the color diagnosis if I have time.”

While the store has become a key data source of consumer insights for developing future beauty services, CJ Olive Young plans to incorporate its core features into global expansion efforts.

“Olive Young N Seongsu is where we test and refine our most forward-thinking ideas,” the official said. “Successful initiatives are scaled across domestic stores and could be introduced globally.”

In February, the company established CJ Olive Young USA in Los Angeles and is preparing to open its first US brick-and-mortar store in the first half of next year. Japan, where the company set up its local unit in May 2024, is expected to follow, according to industry sources.