K-Beauty Isn’t a Trend. It’s a Takeover.

What Olive Young gets that Sephora still doesn’t—and why it’s coming for the U.S. market.

When Sephora announced it was pulling out of Korea, the industry barely blinked. But it should have. Because while Western retailers have been trying to copy-paste their global playbooks into new markets, Olive Young has been quietly building the future of beauty retail—and now it’s heading to the U.S.

I just got back from Seoul, where a quick stop at Olive Young turned into an accidental three-hour pilgrimage. I also had an exclusive 1:1 meeting with the head of Olive Young's U.S. business—who is leading the charge on their U.S. expansion—and the global head of Olive Young's e-commerce platform, which is already generating billions in global sales. I also had the rare opportunity to sit down 1:1 with the Olive Young founding team and get a behind-the-scenes look at how they're planning to scale globally.

Here’s the thing: it wasn’t just a beauty store. It was a love letter to women. The Olive Young team shared their strategy to replicate this exact model in the U.S.—starting with three flagship locations in L.A.—anchored in a holistic approach to women's wellness, not just skincare.

Let me explain.

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