K-Beauty, which has grown in the U.S. market through online platforms like Amazon, is now expanding into offline retail. Brands that have built recognition and sales online are increasingly entering major retail chains such as Walmart, Target, and Sephora. Local retailers are also expanding dedicated K-Beauty sections, creating a positive feedback loop where online success leads to offline presence.
According to the cosmetics industry on the 30th, APR's home beauty device Mediheal has successfully entered Target and Walmart this year, reaching over 4,500 large retail locations in the U.S. Both retailers have set up dedicated displays for Mediheal. This marks just one year since the brand entered the U.S. offline market through Ulta Beauty.
Gudai Global's Chosun Beauty began selling in about 400 Sephora locations in the U.S. last year and has recently expanded to over 640 locations. Casey Secret's Seoul 1988 entered around 270 Costco stores in the U.S. last May, and brands like Missha and COSRX are also available at Costco.
Major U.S. retailers are now promoting K-Beauty as a distinct product category. Target has categorized K-Beauty separately in its newly opened beauty space, the 'Target Beauty Studio,' which launched in over 600 locations this month.
Sephora has opened dedicated displays featuring multiple Korean brands. CJ Olive Young's 'Olive Young K-Beauty Edit,' introduced in August, is now installed in over 580 of Sephora's 670 U.S. locations. This display features 19 brands and about 150 products, solidifying K-Beauty as a distinct product category.
An industry insider stated, 'By entering offline markets, we can expand our customer base beyond existing K-Beauty fans. Given the nature of cosmetics, where consumers want to see colors and textures firsthand, this creates opportunities for them to experience new brands.'
In the U.S., offline stores remain a key point of contact for cosmetics purchases. A global survey by Criteo found that about 30% of U.S. cosmetics buyers use both online and offline channels. Ulta Beauty's annual report indicated that 73% of loyal customers purchased products in physical stores. This contrasts with South Korea, where online purchases account for more than half of cosmetics and personal care products.
As K-Beauty's offline presence grows, the importance of in-store experiences where consumers can try products firsthand is expected to increase. CJ Olive Young recently opened a store in Pasadena, California, featuring a 'Skin Scan Zone' for skin assessments and 'The Beauty Lab' for basic skincare lessons. Walmart has also placed trained staff in its beauty sections to recommend products suited to customers' skin tones.
Kim Joo-deok, a chair professor in the Beauty Industry Department at Cyber University of Seoul, noted, 'The offline cosmetics market has a greater influence in the U.S. than in Korea, and more consumers are seeking out products they encountered in Korea at local stores. However, products will not sell solely based on the K-Beauty label; to establish a foothold in the offline market, brands must have differentiated competitiveness in product quality and marketing.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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