‘Only Young’ and ‘KR’: Imitation K-beauty Stores Mimic Olive Young Abroad
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Copycat stores abroad are imitating popular Korean beauty retail brand Olive Young, raising intellectual property concerns. In Changsha, China, a shop called ‘Only Young’ reportedly copied Olive Young’s name, logo style, store colors and product displays; videos promoting the store circulated on Chinese short-video platform Douyin. In the Middle East, a retailer used “KOREA” or “KR” on signage in Dubai to suggest Korean origin. Olive Young’s strong global reputation—its in-store foreign customer purchases surpassing 1 trillion won domestically last year—appears to be driving these imitations. Experts call for stronger government-level IP protection and cooperation with local law enforcement, saying individual companies face limits in responding alone. (Olive Young: major Korean beauty chain; Douyin: Chinese short-video app)
