The Korean Beauty Show Podcast

The Business Behind Olive Young (Part 2)

August 7, 2026·27 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Olive Young is more than Korea’s biggest beauty retailer. It is also a trend forecaster, data company, omnichannel platform and incubator for emerging K-Beauty brands. In Part 2 of this special, Host Lauren Lee explores how Olive Young connects its physical stores, online platform, rapid delivery and live commerce to create a seamless discovery-led shopping experience. She also examines how its loyalty programme, consumer data and merchandising capabilities help the company identify trends and scale Korean beauty brands. Plus, she looks at the more complicated side of Olive Young’s rise, including regulatory scrutiny over its supplier practices and the lawsuit involving a lifting mask sold under one of its in-house brands. Finally, she breaks down Olive Young’s international expansion strategy, what went wrong with the launch of its dedicated US platform, the competition it faces from Amazon, Sephora and Ulta, and whether its platform model could support a successful return to China. For full show notes and resources, visit:Show Notes Catch up on Part 1:Part 1 Brands and Retailers Mentioned in This Episode Olive Young Amazon Sephora Ulta Beauty YesStyle Jelly Ko Etude House  Flower Knows CONNECT WITH LAUREN:  Book a Consultation Instagram TikTok Threads YouTube Take a FREE Korean style skin analysis Shop Jelly Ko Shop Jelly Ko on YesStyle Affiliate Disclaimer Some links we share may be affiliate links. This means we may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. This helps to offset the cost of producing the show. A Small Request If you use insights, data or research from this episode in your own content, we ask that you kindly credit The Korean Beauty Show and tag us where possible. It helps others find the original source and supports the work that goes into producing these episodes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Podzilla Summary coming soon

Sign up to get notified when the full AI-powered summary is ready.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of The Korean Beauty Show Podcast and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.