OLIVE YOUNG opens first US store in California

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OLIVE YOUNG opens first US store in California

2026.06.02

9min

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OLIVE YOUNG has opened its first US storefront at 58 W. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California. The 8,647-square-foot store offers more than 500 brands and 5,000 products across beauty, wellness and lifestyle categories, along with free Skin Scan and Scalp Analysis services; skincare accounts for roughly 60 to 70% of its floor space.

By Marianne Mychaskiw

OLIVE YOUNG, the famed Korean beauty retailer, has officially opened their first US storefront in California, and whether you’re K-beauty obsessed or new to the category, it’s huge news for your beauty lineup. Located on Pasadena’s lively Colorado boulevard, the US storefront spans 8,647 square feet and is packed with over 500 brands and 5,000 products across the skincare, makeup, wellness, haircare, and lifestyle categories. That said, set aside a few hours to really explore the store and all of its offerings—you’ll definitely need time.

Busy cosmetics store with shoppers browsing makeup displays and shelves.

As a beauty editor and writer for over a decade, I’ve been to my fair share of beauty store openings. It’s not my first, second, or even my third rodeo, but felt those “kid in a candy store” emotions immediately upon entering. As you step through the doors, you’re immediately met by OLIVE YOUNG’s massive skincare selection, with innovative formulas housed in eye-catching packaging lining the shelves. Dressed in all pink, a two-sided shelving unit to the left of the entrance showcases OLIVE YOUNG picks across each category, and as you wander through the aisles of serums, sheet masks, beauty tools, you’ll run into the Cleanse Bar, an area equipped with four sinks that allows customers to experience cleansing products before committing to a formula.

Shoppers browse supplements and snacks in a brightly lit store.

The makeup, hair, and bodycare sections that follow prove to be just as thrilling. As you make your way towards the registers, positioned directly across the Hapa Kristin color contacts area is the snack station, filled to the brim with Korean drinks and snacks—some with beauty benefits, others that just induce pure joy (Hello Kitty chocolate marshmallows, anyone?).

“In Korea, we really refer to OLIVE YOUNG as a beauty playground,” says Rena Kim, OLIVE YOUNG Global Communications Lead. “It’s all about discovering and learning, but the shopping experience also has to be fun. I want people to find what they need, but also have a good time.” Mission accomplished.

A skincare employee scans a woman's face with a handheld device in a store.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. In addition to the impressive product lineup, OLIVE YOUNG’s interactive in-store experiences are not to be missed. Make sure to swing by the Skin Scan station, which delivers a skin check as comprehensive as ones I’ve done in a dermatologist’s office, minus the clinical atmosphere. Based on your results, a trained member of the OLIVE YOUNG crew will give you personalized product recommendations you can find in-store. Additionally, the Scalp Analysis station gives your hair and scalp a similar rundown, analyzing your hair density, hair thickness, scalp sensitivity, sebum production, hair loss, and scalp keratin. Each service is totally free to use, and is an easy way to build customized skincare and haircare routines that cater to your specific needs.

K-beauty may be having a serious moment in the US market, but OLIVE YOUNG isn’t new to the game by any means. The retailer was founded back in 1999, with the very first store in Seoul’s trendy Gangnam district, with its moniker being a play on the phrase “all live young.” Since then, the retailer has grown to over 1,380 locations throughout Korea and solidified its status as the country’s leading beauty and lifestyle retailer. When it comes to the ever-changing landscape of beauty and wellness trends, all roads in South Korea lead back to OLIVE YOUNG, to the point that the store has become a destination for international visitors.

A crowded cosmetics store displays makeup and skincare products beneath bright lights.

“OLIVE YOUNG has been in business for 27 years, and we would see a lot of visitors coming in from outside of Korea and ordering through our global mail sales,” says Kim. “More than half of the online sales were coming from the US, so that’s when we started thinking, maybe it’s about time we opened up an OLIVE YOUNG location in the states.” In preparation for the store opening, Kim tells me that the OLIVE YOUNG team brought the US-based store managers and staff members to Korea for education and training. “When I met the staff for the first time, they were all so excited and were already huge fans of K-beauty, which I didn’t expect,” she adds. “It was exciting and overwhelming in a good way, which made me think, okay, this really is the right time to open an OLIVE YOUNG in the states.”

While certain aspects of the stores in Korea were carried over to the Pasadena store, Kim notes that the US store differs by offering a larger variety of skincare, with a focus on Korean brands. “The main difference here versus the stores in Korea is that we have more skincare products stocked in the US store—it’s what the American consumer knows us for when it comes to K-beauty with suncare, toner pads, and moisturizers with good ingredients at affordable prices,” Kim says. “In this store, roughly 60 to 70% of the floor space is allocated to skincare, compared to about 50% in our stores in Korea.” Alongside fan-favorite K-beauty brands like medicube, BIOHEAL BOH, and Anua, you’ll be able to shop staples from brands you already know and love like Maison Martin Margiela, Garnier, and Sol de Janiero, making OLIVE YOUNG a one-stop shop for all of your beauty and wellness needs.

Olive Young and Crate&Barrel storefronts glow along a busy street at dusk as cars pass.

Opened on May 29, you can now visit the OLIVE YOUNG storefront at 58 W. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, or you shop online at us.oliveyoung.com.

Not sure where to start? I get it. Below, I’ve outlined a few of my favorite OLIVE YOUNG staples you can use as a starting point.

MEDIHEAL Toner Pads, us.oliveyoung.com.

Mediheal madecassoside blemish pads in a tub and box.

These toner pads can be used in two different ways: Swiped over your skin as you would a typical toner, or applied directly to the affected area as a mask. For my acne-prone skin, I love the Madecassoside blemish pad formulas to curb oil production and keep breakouts at bay, but you can also choose from options that help with brightness, collagen production, reducing inflammation, or minimizing pore size.

colorgram Nude Blur Tint, us.oliveyoung.com.

A peach-and-white cosmetic stick labeled colorgram rests over a pink makeup swatch.

A far cry from 2016’s matte liquid lip, one of the biggest makeup trends out of Korea is the blurred matte lip. Colorgram’s formula glides on with a smooth, velvety texture that won’t leave your lips feeling parched, and is as comfortable to wear as a balm. Each of the 18 shades deliver a gorgeous wash of color in one swipe, and can be layered for a more dramatic effect. The result is a velvety, soft-focus matte you’ll want to wear all day.

VT PDRN Reedle Shot 100, us.oliveyoung.com.

A silver-and-teal skincare bottle labeled “100 PDRN Reedle Shot” stands against a white background.

The four hottest letters in K-beauty right now? PDRN: Short for polydeoxyribonucleotides, which are known to pull heroics for cellular repair and creating that hydrated, glassy finish. Instead of being derived from salmon sperm, VT’s PDRN is from a plant-based source, and is paired with cica reedle, which is another trendy K-beauty ingredient that helps your skin better absorb active ingredients while aiding in cell turnover for a nourished, radiant glow.

YOLU Overnight Rejuvenating Scalp Serum, us.oliveyoung.com.

A blue-to-clear bottle labeled Overnight Rejuvenating Scalp Serum stands against a white background.

When OLIVE YOUNG said they were carrying brands from around the globe, they meant it. YOLU is one of the most-popular haircare brands from Japan, and I’m obsessed with the overnight treatment serum, which puts in the work while you catch your full 8 hours. Ingredients like Alpine willow extract and rosemary leaf work in tandem to calm itchiness, reduce flaking, and rebalance the skin on your scalp so you wake up to hydrated, balanced skin.

Marianne Mychaskiw is a Los Angeles-based beauty writer, editor, and on-air host. Her work has appeared in Allure, Byrdie, InStyle, and The Zoe Report among many other publications, and you can catch her TV segments surrounding beauty and lifestyle on KTLA and NBC’s California Live.

By Marianne Mychaskiw OLIVE YOUNG, the famed Korean beauty retailer, has officially opened their first US storefront in California, and whether you’re K-beauty obsessed or new to the category, it’s huge news for your beauty lineup. Located on Pasadena’s lively Colorado boulevard, the US storefront spans 8,647 square feet and is packed with over 500 brands and 5,000 products across the skincare, makeup, wellness, haircare, and lifestyle categories. That said, set aside a few hours to really explore the store and all of its offerings—you’ll definitely need time. As a beauty editor and writer for over a decade, I’ve been to my fair share of beauty store openings. It’s not my first, second, or even my third rodeo, but felt those “kid in a candy store” emotions immediately upon entering. As you step through the doors, you’re immediately met by OLIVE YOUNG’s massive skincare selection, with innovative formulas housed in eye-catching packaging lining the shelves. Dressed in all pink, a two-sided shelving unit to the left of the entrance showcases OLIVE YOUNG picks across each category, and as you wander through the aisles of serums, sheet masks, beauty tools, you’ll run into the Cleanse Bar, an area equipped with four sinks that allows customers to experience cleansing products before committing to a formula. The makeup, hair, and bodycare sections that follow prove to be just as thrilling. As you make your way towards the registers, positioned directly across the Hapa Kristin color contacts area is the snack station, filled to the brim with Korean drinks and snacks—some with beauty benefits, others that just induce pure joy (Hello Kitty chocolate marshmallows, anyone?). “In Korea, we really refer to OLIVE YOUNG as a beauty playground,” says Rena Kim, OLIVE YOUNG Global Communications Lead. “It’s all about discovering and learning, but the shopping experience also has to be fun. I want people to find what they need, but also have a good time.” Mission accomplished. But the fun doesn’t stop there. In addition to the impressive product lineup, OLIVE YOUNG’s interactive in-store experiences are not to be missed. Make sure to swing by the Skin Scan station, which delivers a skin check as comprehensive as ones I’ve done in a dermatologist’s office, minus the clinical atmosphere. Based on your results, a trained member of the OLIVE YOUNG crew will give you personalized product recommendations you can find in-store. Additionally, the Scalp Analysis station gives your hair and scalp a similar rundown, analyzing your hair density, hair thickness, scalp sensitivity, sebum production, hair loss, and scalp keratin. Each service is totally free to use, and is an easy way to build customized skincare and haircare routines that cater to your specific needs. K-beauty may be having a serious moment in the US market, but OLIVE YOUNG isn’t new to the game by any means. The retailer was founded back in 1999, with the very first store in Seoul’s trendy Gangnam district, with its moniker being a play on the phrase “all live young.” Since then, the retailer has grown to over 1,380 locations throughout Korea and solidified its status as the country’s leading beauty and lifestyle retailer. When it comes to the ever-changing landscape of beauty and wellness trends, all roads in South Korea lead back to OLIVE YOUNG, to the point that the store has become a destination for international visitors. “OLIVE YOUNG has been in business for 27 years, and we would see a lot of visitors coming in from outside of Korea and ordering through our global mail sales,” says Kim. “More than half of the online sales were coming from the US, so that’s when we started thinking, maybe it’s about time we opened up an OLIVE YOUNG location in the states.” In preparation for the store opening, Kim tells me that the OLIVE YOUNG team brought the US-based store managers and staff members to Korea for education and training. “When I met the staff for the first time, they were all so excited and were already huge fans of K-beauty, which I didn’t expect,” she adds. “It was exciting and overwhelming in a good way, which made me think, okay, this really is the right time to open an OLIVE YOUNG in the states.” While certain aspects of the stores in Korea were carried over to the Pasadena store, Kim notes that the US store differs by offering a larger variety of skincare, with a focus on Korean brands. “The main difference here versus the stores in Korea is that we have more skincare products stocked in the US store—it’s what the American consumer knows us for when it comes to K-beauty with suncare, toner pads, and moisturizers with good ingredients at affordable prices,” Kim says. “In this store, roughly 60 to 70% of the floor space is allocated to skincare, compared to about 50% in our stores in Korea.” Alongside fan-favorite K-beauty brands like medicube, BIOHEAL BOH, and Anua, you’ll be able to shop staples from brands you already know and love like Maison Martin Margiela, Garnier, and Sol de Janiero, making OLIVE YOUNG a one-stop shop for all of your beauty and wellness needs. Opened on May 29, you can now visit the OLIVE YOUNG storefront at 58 W. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, or you shop online at us.oliveyoung.com. Not sure where to start? I get it. Below, I’ve outlined a few of my favorite OLIVE YOUNG staples you can use as a starting point. MEDIHEAL Toner Pads, us.oliveyoung.com. These toner pads can be used in two different ways: Swiped over your skin as you would a typical toner, or applied directly to the affected area as a mask. For my acne-prone skin, I love the Madecassoside blemish pad formulas to curb oil production and keep breakouts at bay, but you can also choose from options that help with brightness, collagen production, reducing inflammation, or minimizing pore size. colorgram Nude Blur Tint, us.oliveyoung.com. A far cry from 2016’s matte liquid lip, one of the biggest makeup trends out of Korea is the blurred matte lip. Colorgram’s formula glides on with a smooth, velvety texture that won’t leave your lips feeling parched, and is as comfortable to wear as a balm. Each of the 18 shades deliver a gorgeous wash of color in one swipe, and can be layered for a more dramatic effect. The result is a velvety, soft-focus matte you’ll want to wear all day. VT PDRN Reedle Shot 100, us.oliveyoung.com. The four hottest letters in K-beauty right now? PDRN: Short for polydeoxyribonucleotides, which are known to pull heroics for cellular repair and creating that hydrated, glassy finish. Instead of being derived from salmon sperm, VT’s PDRN is from a plant-based source, and is paired with cica reedle, which is another trendy K-beauty ingredient that helps your skin better absorb active ingredients while aiding in cell turnover for a nourished, radiant glow. YOLU Overnight Rejuvenating Scalp Serum, us.oliveyoung.com. When OLIVE YOUNG said they were carrying brands from around the globe, they meant it. YOLU is one of the most-popular haircare brands from Japan, and I’m obsessed with the overnight treatment serum, which puts in the work while you catch your full 8 hours. Ingredients like Alpine willow extract and rosemary leaf work in tandem to calm itchiness, reduce flaking, and rebalance the skin on your scalp so you wake up to hydrated, balanced skin. Marianne Mychaskiw is a Los Angeles-based beauty writer, editor, and on-air host. Her work has appeared in Allure, Byrdie, InStyle, and The Zoe Report among many other publications, and you can catch her TV segments surrounding beauty and lifestyle on KTLA and NBC’s California Live.