Olive Young Plans Five More California Stores by First Half of 2027

By Daniel Okafor

Olive Young plans to open five additional U.S. stores in California by the first half of 2027. Four are slated for Greater Los Angeles shopping centers, and the fifth is slated for Fashion Valley in San Diego. The expansion builds on two disclosed U.S. locations, including an 8,647-square-foot flagship in Pasadena.

The California store plan

Olive Young named four shopping centers in Greater Los Angeles:

• Irvine Spectrum Center
• Del Amo Fashion Center
• Bloom on Third
• Brea Mall

The fifth location is Fashion Valley in San Diego. Del Amo Fashion Center, Brea Mall and Fashion Valley are shopping malls operated by Simon Property Group, according to Olive Young.

Olive Young has not specified opening dates for the five sites. Its first U.S. freestanding store, meaning a standalone location, opened earlier this year in Pasadena. The 8,647-square-foot store, described by Olive Young as a flagship, stocks about 400 brands and 5,000 products. The company opened its second location in June in Century City. Five additional doors would bring the locations described in the announcement to seven.

The U.S. footprint described by Olive Young remains much smaller than the Sephora distribution reach. Olive Young described two opened locations and five planned additions, against 500 Sephora stores carrying the curated partnership assortment through its joint venture arrangement.

What changes for U.S. beauty shoppers?

The most immediate change comes from an August joint venture, meaning a jointly owned business arrangement. Olive Young launched the venture, bringing 19 Olive Young-curated Korean beauty brands to 500 Sephora stores in the U.S. and sephora.com. The company plans to expand the arrangement across key global markets, although it named no countries or timetable.

Participating brands include:

• Cell Fusion C
• Rejuran
• Thome
• Wellage
• Whipped

The announcement identifies others. Prices range from $4 to $69 for skin care. Devices cost up to $299.

For U.S. shoppers, the practical change is immediate access through 500 Sephora stores and sephora.com, while five planned Olive Young locations would extend the company’s direct physical presence in California. Olive Young has described two opened U.S. locations. The Sephora partnership reaches a substantially larger retail network.

The two formats carry different assortments. Olive Young says the Pasadena flagship stocks about 400 brands and 5,000 products. The Sephora venture features 19 curated Korean beauty brands. The announcement does not say that every partnered brand will be available in every Olive Young store.

Olive Young’s U.S. strategy links physical stores with brand partnerships. An Olive Young spokesperson said:

“Olive Young’s U.S. stores serve as strategic platforms for introducing the strengths of K-beauty to local consumers, while also helping emerging Korean brands establish themselves in the mainstream market,”

“With K-beauty experiencing unprecedented growth worldwide, our goal is to help it evolve beyond a passing trend into an established part of the global beauty mainstream. We will continue working closely with our brand partners to build a foundation for sustainable global growth.”

Olive Young’s next measurable steps are the five California openings by the first half of 2027 and a wider global rollout of the Sephora arrangement.