Foreign Shoppers Drive Growth: CJ Olive Young’s K‑Beauty Brands Join the '100 Billion Won Club'
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
CJ Olive Young says its K‑beauty ecosystem of indie and small brands is scaling rapidly. The number of brands selling over 10 billion won (~$7.8M) annually through Olive Young’s channels reached 116 in 2025, up from 36 in 2020. Six brands exceeded 100 billion won last year, and Mediheal became the first to top 200 billion won, helped by expanded skincare lines. New niche ‘rookie’ brands (e.g., Aromsia and Whipd, known for a novel ‘pack cleanser’ product) are gaining traction alongside long-established names, with the average brand age around 15 years. Growth is partly driven by foreign shoppers—over 1 trillion won in purchases—and by flagship stores in tourist districts serving as global showrooms. Olive Young also supports brands through incubation programs (like “K‑Super Rookie With Young”), omnichannel retailing, and a support fund for SMEs. The company plans to open U.S. offline stores to extend this model and help more Korean beauty and wellness brands globalize.
