Sulwhasoo tests Japan's luxury beauty market with first Tokyo pop-up
Amorepacific launched Sulwhasoo’s pop-up in Isetan Shinjuku department store as it seeks to push beyond online sales and win over the country's luxury cosmetics consumers.
Sulwhasoo's pop-up is seen at the first floor of the Isetan Shinjuku department store's main building in Tokyo. The pop-up will run through Oct. 13.AMOREPACIFIC
Amorepacific's Sulwhasoo is making an offline push in Japan, seeking to carve out a place in a luxury beauty market where homegrown brands such as Shiseido have long commanded strong consumer loyalty.
Sulwhasoo's first pop-up store in Japan will be held on the first floor of the Isetan Shinjuku department store's main building in Tokyo through Oct. 13, Amorepacific said Friday.
Customers will be able to try the brand's signature products including the Concentrated Ginseng Rejuvenating Cream and First Care Activating Serum. Starting with the pop-up, Amorepacific plans to expand Sulwhasoo's sales channels in Japan, including through permanent stores.
Sulwhasoo is currently sold in Japan mainly through online channels including Isetan Beauty Online, Qoo10 and Amazon Japan.
The pop-up store marks a broader push by K-beauty into Japan's luxury beauty market. Japan has long been considered a difficult market for Korean luxury beauty brands, largely because of strong consumer loyalty to domestic brands such as Shiseido, SK-II, Pola and Kanebo.
But the landscape has begun to change as K-beauty's popularity spreads across Japan. Korean cosmetics have been rapidly expanding their influence, particularly through indie brands.
Korea's cosmetics exports to Japan surpassed $1 billion for the first time in 2024 and reached $1.09 billion last year. Japan has emerged as one of K-beauty's major markets alongside the United States and China.
Growing interest in Korean cosmetics alongside the spread of Korean content in Japan, as well as the rapid spread of Korean beauty trends through social media, is also seen as contributing to K-beauty's growth.
"Japan is a market with strong demand for luxury beauty products," an Amorepacific spokesperson said. "With interest in K-beauty rising recently in Japan, we saw growth potential not only for affordable K-beauty products but also for luxury products that embody Korean tradition."
Sulwhasoo has traditionally expanded its global business with a focus on China. But amid diplomatic risks including China's restrictions on Korean cultural content and a slowdown in the Chinese economy, the brand has been diversifying into markets including the United States and Europe. Sulwhasoo is currently available at more than 600 stores across 15 countries outside Korea.
The broader expansion into Japan will also serve as a test of Sulwhasoo's brand competitiveness. Winning over Japanese consumers, who have high quality standards and a strong preference for domestic luxury beauty brands, could help Sulwhasoo strengthen its position in other developed markets including the United States and Europe.
BY LIM SUN-YOUNG [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
