Popular South Korean beauty retailer CJ Olive Young announced that it will open its first U.S. store in Pasadena, California.
According to the health and beauty company, Olive Young has over 1,300 locations across South Korea. While they have sold products internationally through online platforms, Olive Young has never had a brick-and-mortar store overseas – until now.
The beauty retailer announced the Pasadena location is set to open in May 2026.
They chose Pasadena as their first U.S. store because of its proximity to downtown Los Angeles, concentration of high-income households, and institutions such as the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena Now said.
The announcement comes nine months after the company established its U.S. subsidiary CJ Olive Young USA, in February.
However, Olive Young already plans to extend beyond Pasadena, remaining in the L.A. area. They have arrangements to join Westfield shopping centers across Los Angeles.
A company representative told The Korea Herald, “We want to expand K-beauty’s reach to more consumers worldwide and provide a platform that helps Korean brands grow overseas. Our goal is to evolve into a global beauty and wellness platform that spans both Korean and international brands.”
K-beauty has taken off in recent years due to the global popularity of Korean media, such as K-pop and K-dramas. For a while, U.S. shoppers have had to buy their products online if they wanted authentic Korean cosmetics.
However, now, with Olive Young setting up shop in the U.S., K-beauty lovers can get these products much closer to home.
Registration is closed for Common Ground: Building Together conference and gala award banquet in San Francisco on January 24. A shoutout to our planning committee: Jane Chin, Frank Mah, Jeannie Young, Akemi Tamanaha, Nathan Soohoo, Mark Young, Dave Liu, and Yiming Fu.
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