Ultra‑Cheap Beauty and Supplements Heat Up: Daiso Joined by Musinsa and Olive Young
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Korea’s price‑focused beauty and health supplement market is intensifying as major retailers roll out ultra‑low‑price lines. Fast‑fashion platform Musinsa opened its first Musinsa Standard Beauty shop inside a department store, offering skin care items priced around 3,900–5,900 won and partnering with manufacturers for value products. Daiso, long known for 1,000–5,000 won beauty items, remains a market leader with strong category sales growth. Large retailers and supermarkets (e.g., Lotte Mart, E‑Mart) have added budget beauty zones and sub‑5,000 won skin care. The low‑price trend extends to health supplements (건기식), with Olive Young launching a 6,900 won uniform‑price supplement line (5900 won during a promotion) through its Olive Better platform and CJ Wellcare collaboration. Convenience stores (GS25, CU, 7‑Eleven) also sell small‑portion, low‑price supplements in thousands of locations. Industry players say persistent high prices and a cautious economy have shifted consumer preference to cost and efficacy over brand, making the ultra‑cheap segment a core battleground for retailers.
