Olive Young Foreign Shopper Sales Top ₩1 Trillion as U.S. Tourists Lead the K-Beauty Boom

Olive Young has crossed a major milestone with international shoppers — and the numbers show just how deeply K-beauty has become part of the Korea travel experience.

CJ Olive Young says foreign customers spent more than ₩1 trillion at its offline stores in South Korea from January through August 2026, reaching the milestone roughly three months earlier than last year.

Foreign Shopper Sales Pass ₩1 Trillion

According to CJ Olive Young, foreign-customer purchases at its domestic offline stores surpassed ₩1 trillion by the end of August.

Foreign sales for the January-to-August period increased 47 percent year over year.

The retailer also recorded 11.01 million transactions from foreign customers during the same period — roughly one purchase every 0.9 seconds when calculated against store operating hours.

One-Third of Offline Sales Now Comes From Foreign Shoppers

Perhaps the most striking number is how quickly international shoppers have become part of Olive Young’s core business.

Foreign customers accounted for only about 2 percent of offline sales in 2022. By August 2026, that share had climbed to 33 percent.

That means roughly one out of every three won spent at Olive Young’s offline stores is now coming from foreign shoppers.

American Shoppers Lead the K-Beauty Rush

Olive Young says shoppers from 192 countries made purchases this year.

Based on purchase value, the top five nationalities were: United States, Singapore, Japan, China and Thailand.

The U.S. ranking is especially notable as Korean skincare continues to expand rapidly in American retail through brands such as Medicube, Torriden, Anua, ma:nyo and SKIN1004.

Foreign Visitors Are Buying More Than One Viral Product

International shoppers purchased an average of six products per visit, according to CJ Olive Young.

About 35 percent of foreign shoppers spent at least ₩100,000 in a single transaction.

The most popular categories included basic skincare, color cosmetics and hair care, while dermocosmetic skincare posted particularly strong growth.

K-Beauty Shopping Is Spreading Beyond Seoul

The growth is no longer limited to Myeong-dong, Hongdae or other major Seoul shopping districts.

Foreign sales at Olive Young stores in Gangwon Province rose 105 percent year over year, while Gyeongju, Daejeon and Jeonju also recorded strong increases.

That suggests K-beauty shopping is becoming part of a broader Korea travel itinerary rather than a Seoul-only activity.

Olive Young Is Becoming Part of Korea’s Tourism Infrastructure

Olive Young says it plans to expand large-format and tourism-focused stores outside the Seoul metropolitan area, including major destinations such as Busan and Jeju.

The retailer is also analyzing foreign-customer preferences by nationality, age and travel purpose to tailor product selection and store operations by location.

For international visitors, Olive Young is increasingly becoming more than a beauty store. It is evolving into one of the most recognizable shopping stops associated with modern Korean travel.

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Sources: CJ Olive Young, Seoul Economic Daily and The Korea Times. August 31, 2026.