Olive Young products to be sold at 580 U.S. Sephora stores

CJ Olive Young will begin selling a curated range of Korean beauty products at Sephora stores across the United States on Aug. 20, the Korean retailer said Wednesday.

The section, branded “Olive Young K-Beauty Edit,” will run in roughly 580 Sephora locations and on Sephora's homepage. It is the first market launch under a partnership the two companies agreed upon in January, and gives Olive Young shelf space under its own name inside an established U.S. chain rather than requiring it to build out its own store network first.

The assortment covers about 150 products from 19 brands. It is weighted toward the skincare categories that sell best in North America — serums, creams and sun care — with toner pads, cleansers and sheet masks alongside them.

The 19 brands are Abib, Arencia, Banila Co, Beplain, Bioheal Boh, Cell Fusion C, Fation, Fully, Heveblue, Make P:Rem, Ma:nyo, Menokin, Rejuran Cosmetics, S.Nature, Sungboon Editor, Thome, Torriden, Wellage And Whipped.

The lineup mixes established exporters — Rejuran's PDRN-based ampoule and Torriden's hydrating serum among them — with smaller names including beplain's mung bean cleanser and Thome's beauty devices. Olive Young said it plans to update the brand and product lineup twice a year in response to local demand.

The Sephora arrangement follows two stand-alone Olive Young stores in California — in Pasadena and Los Angeles — which opened in May and June, respectively.

Sephora will promote the range on the main outdoor billboard at its Times Square flagship in New York and through marketing sent to its U.S. members. From Aug. 20, the companies will also run pop-up trucks outside selected Sephora stores in New York, Miami and Austin, Texas, offering samples and photo displays.

The section is scheduled to reach Sephora stores in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong by the end of this year, and then Canada, Australia, Britain and the Middle East in 2027.

“By combining Olive Young's merchandising expertise and trend-driven curation with Sephora's exceptional global retail platform and client experience, this partnership will make the very best of Korean beauty more accessible than ever before,” said Kim Do-young, EVP of U.S. Merchandising at CJ Olive Young. 

“Access to Korean beauty has redefined the global beauty landscape, and Sephora continues to be at the forefront of bringing the very best of the category to our clients,” said Carolyn Bojanowski, EVP of Merchandising at Sephora. “Through this partnership, we’re bringing the world of K-beauty closer to our clients while reinforcing Sephora’s role as the ultimate destination for beauty discovery.”

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]