Musinsa to open 1st standalone store for affordable cosmetic brand

Musinsa Standard Beauty products / Courtesy of Musinsa

Fashion platform Musinsa is expanding beyond apparel into the budget-friendly beauty market, opening the first standalone store for its cosmetic brand, Musinsa Standard Beauty, on Feb. 12 at Hyundai Department Store Mokdong in western Seoul.

The 30-square-meter shop will mark the brand’s first dedicated physical space exclusively for its beauty line, showcasing around 20 of its key products.

The company plans to use the store to gauge consumer response before deciding whether to expand to additional locations.

The launch signals the company’s aggressive push into the budget beauty market, where competition has been intensifying as major retailers, including Olive Young, Lotte Mart and Emart, race to capture cost-conscious consumers.

The market has been dominated by Asung Daiso with cosmetics priced between 1,000 won ($0.69) and 5,000 won, driving rapid growth in recent years. According to the company, sales in its cosmetics category surged 85 percent year-on-year in 2023 and 144 percent in 2024, followed by another 70 percent increase last year.

Musinsa ramped up its push into low-priced, value-for-money products after signing a strategic partnership with cosmetic manufacturing company Cosmax last September. It subsequently released eight skincare products priced below 6,000 won, followed by additional affordable skincare items later in the year.

The company plans to further expand the brand’s affordable skincare lineup through collaborations with companies such as Dashu and LG H&H, while also strengthening its other beauty labels, including Oddtype and Whizzy, with global expansion.

Meanwhile, Musinsa is also continuing to accelerate its offline retail strategy for the Musinsa Standard brand. The company announced on Wednesday that it plans to operate 60 Musinsa Standard physical stores globally by the end of this year, adding more than 20 new locations.

As of the end of 2025, there are a total of 34 stores: 33 in Korea and one in Shanghai.

In Korea, Musinsa Standard plans to expand beyond the Seoul metropolitan area into regional commercial districts, increasing the number of domestic stores to 50. It will open its first store in Gwangju in April, followed by a Jeju location in the second half of the year.

The company is also planning an aggressive expansion overseas, aiming for 100 Musinsa Standard stores in China by 2030.

“Musinsa Standard has established itself as an anchor tenant that attracts younger consumers by delivering differentiated customer experiences,” the company said. “We aim to significantly expand customer touchpoints at home and abroad and grow into a global fashion brand representing Korea.”