Two weeks after launching a successful flagship store in Pasadena, Korean beauty retailer CJ Olive Young Corp. followed up with a second L.A. County location in Century City in June.
The two stores represent the first international physical footprint for the beauty giant, which has beat Sephora in the Korean market with over 1,350 stores nationwide. Beyond bringing personalized beauty services to its brick-and-mortar locations, the retailer also launched an online store exclusive to U.S. customers.
“Our U.S. debut marks an important step in bringing a more personalized and seamless beauty discovery experience to American consumers,” said Gaeun Kwon, Olive Young USA chief executive, in a statement.
The lines have wrapped around the block since the openings. The Pasadena store saw about 6,000 customers during its opening weekend, with an average of 1,600 visitors per day since then, according to the company.
An emerging market
Known for offering natural ingredients at an affordable price, Korean skincare is hitting the bullseye in a market of increased awareness toward health and value.
U.S. sales of Korean beauty reached $2.6 billion early this year, a boost of 48% from a year ago, according to market research firm Nielsen Consumer. The U.S. have surpassed China as the top market for Korean cosmetics, importing products worth $2.2 billion in 2025 that more than doubles from $841 million in 2021, reported Nikkei Asia.
The surging demand, however, is met with possible restrictions from the Food and Drug Administration. Popular ingredients such as snail mucin, Centella asiatica and ginseng have limited history of use in the U.S., according to Chino Hills-based FDA regulatory compliance firm Provision Consulting Group. The conflation between medicine and skincare, common in Korean beauty products, would trigger stricter FDA scrutiny.
“While the FDA does not pre-approve cosmetics or their ingredients, it does enforce regulations to ensure that products are safe for use and not misbranded,” the company reported in a 2024 blog. “When it comes to novel or exotic ingredients – like those commonly found in K-beauty – the FDA may raise concerns if the ingredients are new to the U.S. market or lack sufficient safety data.”
