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Olive Young to launch K-beauty zone at Sephora
A visitor tests cosmetics using an Amorepacific makeup pad at a Sephora store in New York City in this 2019 photo. Courtesy of Amorepacific
By Ko Dong-hwan
Korea’s major beauty product retailer CJ Olive Young has sealed a new partnership with global beauty giant Sephora to expand its curated K-beauty offerings to broader overseas markets.
The beauty retail arm of CJ Group said Wednesday that it signed the partnership earlier this month.
As part of the deal, the Korean company — which operates 1,390 Olive Young stores nationwide — will launch a K-beauty zone across Sephora’s online platforms and offline stores in the United States, Canada and four Asian countries in the second half of this year. The expansion will later extend to Sephora outlets in the Middle East, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Olive Young said the partnership will enable it to introduce Korean beauty products it curates to one of the world’s largest global beauty platforms.
“K-beauty has grown rapidly thanks to numerous small and midsize Korean companies and their indie brands. However, that structure has also limited K-beauty’s expansion into major global retail chains, as there were clear structural barriers for smaller firms,” an Olive Young official said.
“This new partnership has cleared those barriers, granting us essential access to key global markets.”
Under the agreement, Olive Young will supply curated Korean beauty products to Sephora. Acting as a K-beauty curator for the French multinational retailer, the company will promote Korean beauty products as a collective category rather than focusing on individual brands, aiming to raise consumers’ awareness of K-beauty across all segments.
Sephora’s extensive online and offline retail networks present new opportunities for Olive Young to distribute K-beauty products to consumers worldwide.
Priya Venkatesh, Sephora’s global chief merchandising officer, said Korean beauty is one of the most innovative, fastest-growing and desirable categories in the international beauty market.
“Sephora was the first major retailer to debut K-beauty brands to North American consumers in 2010, and our portfolio has grown into a global business,” Venkatesh said.
“We are thrilled to partner with Olive Young, bringing their expertly curated assortment of Korean beauty brands to our beauty fans globally. Their differentiated selection, combined with Sephora’s unique perspective on the beauty shopping experience, will deliver an unrivaled and inspiring offering for beauty lovers eager to explore the most sought-after Korean beauty products.”