“Walking through the festival felt like stepping into a giant beauty playground. I had so much fun exploring new K-beauty brands in a space that looked just like Seoul’s trendiest neighborhoods that I lost track of time. It was worth getting here at 7 a.m.!” CJ OLIVE YOUNG announced that OLIVE YOUNG FESTA LA 2026 welcomed 100,000 visitors over three days in Los Angeles, California. Held in conjunction with KCON LA 2026, the global K-culture festival that has been running since 2012, the event brought together 55 K-beauty and lifestyle brands across an approximately 50,000-square-foot venue. OLIVE YOUNG showcased the latest K-beauty trends through a range of immersive experiences, giving local consumers the opportunity to discover and experience new brands and products firsthand. The festival also benefited from its collaboration with KCON, which has built a strong K-culture following in the U.S. By connecting with KCON fans, the festival attracted not only highly engaged K-beauty consumers but also visitors who were less familiar with K-beauty, giving them a chance to discover and experience it firsthand. The festival also served as a platform to support the global growth of small and independent K-beauty brands through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA)’s overseas expansion support program for retailers. A K-beauty playground filled with hands-on experiences The sound of a Seoul subway station greeted visitors as they entered the festival. Inside, the streets of Gangnam, Seongsu, Myeongdong and Hongdae—some of Seoul’s best-known K-beauty destinations and trendsetting neighborhoods—were recreated throughout the venue. With Korean street signs, bus stops and crosswalks, the space gave visitors plenty of opportunities to take photos and create short-form videos while exploring the festival. At the center of the venue, the ‘OLIVE YOUNG Store’ recreated the in-store shopping experience, drawing crowds eager to explore trending K-beauty products. The skincare section was organized around a Korean skincare routine, with products curated in sequence from double cleansing and toner pads to serums and sun care, allowing visitors to compare and try a variety of products from cleansing through sun protection. The experiential service area was one of the festival’s most popular destinations. The ‘My Color Vibe’ zone, which provided personalized product recommendations based on personal color analysis, drew long lines throughout the event. SKIN SCAN, which assessed visitors’ skin conditions and provided personalized solution kits to customers who purchased a beauty box at the festival, was also met with strong interest. By connecting curated product selections with personalized experiences, OLIVE YOUNG made it easy for visitors to explore the step-by-step approach that defines Korean skincare while helping them understand and discover solutions suited to their individual needs. Leslie, who drove three hours from San Diego to attend the festival, said, “I’ve been trying all kinds of skincare products here, from gel pads to creams that are known for their lifting effects. I also heard that OLIVE YOUNG has opened stores in the U.S., and I definitely want to visit one to discover more products and brands and learn more about K-beauty.” Bringing K-beauty brands closer to U.S. consumers The festival also gave small and independent brands that have entered the U.S. market an opportunity to engage directly with local consumers and build brand awareness. All participating brands are K-beauty brands carried at OLIVE YOUNG stores in the U.S. Each brand operated its own booth, showcasing its products through demonstrations and interactive activities that gave consumers a firsthand look at the brands and their products. Cho Yong-hoon, CEO of Bitelab, which operates haircare brand lilyeve, said, “Brands don’t often get many opportunities to meet their actual customers, especially customers in the U.S. It was valuable to meet them in person through the festival and learn more about how they discovered our brand and what interests them. Planning a large-scale event independently can require significant time and resources, but OLIVE YOUNG FESTA gave us an efficient way to connect with local consumers.” The ‘Beauty & Health Deep Dive,’ an experiential educational program held twice a day at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. during the first two days of the festival, also helped brands engage more deeply with local consumers and build connections with potential fans. Brand representatives took to the stage to introduce products that may be unfamiliar to local consumers, such as cleansing milk with a lotion-like texture and scalp ampoules in a brush format, while explaining how to use them correctly. Consumers actively joined the conversation, asking questions about products they had been curious about. The festival also gained additional visibility through its connection with KCON, which has built a strong presence for K-culture in the U.S. over the years. The partnership brought in visitors who had not previously been exposed to K-beauty, creating an opportunity for interest in K-culture to naturally expand beyond music and entertainment into K-beauty and lifestyle. “This festival was a meaningful opportunity for K-beauty brands that entered the U.S. market with OLIVE YOUNG to meet local consumers directly and build trust and connections with them," said an OLIVE YOUNG representative said. "We will continue to expand opportunities for Korean brands to connect with customers around the world and strengthen our role as a platform supporting the growth of the K-beauty ecosystem in the U.S.” Launched in 2019, OLIVE YOUNG FESTA is Korea’s first beauty festival, bringing participating brands and consumers together through product showcases and a variety of interactive content. Starting this year, OLIVE YOUNG FESTA is evolving into a global world tour, bringing the festival experience that has been loved by consumers in Korea to major cities around the world. The first international edition was held in the U.S. [Additional visitor interviews] Michelle / Alberta, Canada “I flew more than three hours from Canada to LA for KCON. I became interested in K-beauty because I’m a huge fan of K-pop idol groups. This was my first time at OLIVE YOUNG FESTA, and I enjoyed being able to explore booths across different categories, from skincare, which I already love, to haircare and inner beauty.” Dianthe / California “As a K-pop fan, I became interested in K-culture, including K-beauty. I’m really enjoying exploring the festival because each zone has a different concept. I’ve been to Korea before and the whole venue, from the Korean signs to the bus stops, was designed to look like a Korean street. It was so much fun and brought back memories of my trip to Korea.” Chelsea / Los Angeles “I’ve been a K-beauty fan for a long time, so I came to KCON specifically to attend OLIVE YOUNG FESTA. I’m so happy that OLIVE YOUNG has opened stores in the U.S. I used to buy K-beauty products only through Amazon, but now I can test and purchase them in person at a store. I also tried SKIN SCAN for the first time at the festival. It was quick and convenient. You just take a few photos and answer a few simple questions, and it gives you a detailed analysis of your skin, including things like pores and wrinkles.” Julie / California “I came to the festival with my mother, and it was interesting to experience Korean culture here. I’d love to visit Korea with my mom someday.” [Additional brand interviews] Jooyeon Song / Head of Cosmetics & COO at PharmaResearch USA “It was meaningful to connect with U.S. consumers through OLIVE YOUNG’s stores and festival after working together for many years in Korea. For K-beauty to become mainstream in the U.S., it takes the efforts of many players across the K-beauty ecosystem, and I believe OLIVE YOUNG is playing an important role in that process. We look forward to continuing to work with OLIVE YOUNG to expand the reach of K-beauty in the U.S.” Sohyun Kim / Brand Manager at Donga Pharmaceutical's Ailo “Being carried at OLIVE YOUNG’s U.S. stores has been a great help in introducing our brand to the U.S. market. Our brand is still relatively new to consumers in the U.S., but one visitor to our booth told us that they had discovered our product at OLIVE YOUNG and had been taking it consistently for four months. It was fascinating to see how simply having our products on OLIVE YOUNG’s shelves could lead to purchases. This was our first time participating in OLIVE YOUNG FESTA, and it made the experience even more meaningful to meet customers in the U.S. who are already using our products and hear their stories firsthand.”