SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - CJ Olive Young, South Korea's largest beauty retailer, successfully launched its first U.S. brick-and-mortar store in Pasadena, California. According to the company on Monday, it plans to open a second store in Los Angeles this month, located at the Westfield Century City shopping mall.
The Pasadena store opening drew significant consumer and media attention. Wait lines began forming the day before the opening on Friday, with a line of approximately 400 meters stretching across four blocks of Colorado Boulevard. Major local broadcasters, including KTLA and ABC, provided live and aerial coverage of the event. Major U.S. media outlets, including CNN and the Wall Street Journal, also visited and covered the opening.
Despite limiting entry to around 200 people at a time for customer safety and convenience, the store recorded over 1,000 transactions on the first day, demonstrating high local consumer interest.
Skincare products, including sun care, mask packs, and cleansers, accounted for over 60 percent of total sales, followed by makeup categories such as lip products and cushions, indicating local interest in K-beauty color cosmetics. Sales across K-wellness categories, which included hair care, body care, beauty accessories, and food items like bagel chips, sauces, and health foods, suggested that Olive Young’s K-beauty and lifestyle curation strategy resonated with local consumers.
The personalized services offered, such as the 'Skin Scan' zone for skin diagnosis and 'THE BEAUTY LAB' for basic K-beauty skincare lessons, also attracted consumer attention, particularly since these consultations are provided free of charge.
Social media activity was also high, with over 1,000 pieces of content uploaded to platforms like TikTok and Instagram from May 28 to 30, accumulating over 8 million views.
Olive Young CEO Lee Sun-jung said that the Pasadena store "demonstrates the blueprint of the global platform Olive Young pursues" and will serve as a "new milestone for the co-growth ecosystem" of domestic small and medium-sized indie brands on the global stage.
Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo welcomed the company's arrival, noting that Olive Young’s investment is expected to "create new jobs and economic vitality" and "increase the city’s diversity and global competitiveness".
The upcoming Century City location is situated in a key commercial area with high traffic from young professionals, high-income consumers, and international tourists. Olive Young stated that while the Pasadena store focused on customers interested in K-culture and experiential shopping, the Century City branch will aim to broaden its reach to a wider premium consumer base and global customers.
Market research firm Circana reported that K-beauty held about a 6 percent share of the U.S. mass beauty market in the first quarter of 2026, which Olive Young views as an indicator of future growth potential. The company plans to gradually expand its U.S. presence, beginning with the West Coast, to implement an omnichannel strategy that links online and offline operations. Olive Young ultimately aims to evolve into a 'local beauty retailer' in the U.S., expanding its offerings to encompass lifestyle products, including wellness and food.
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