CJ Olive Young Teams Up With Sephora to Launch Global K-Beauty Zones

Global demand for K-beauty has continued to grow as South Korea’s cosmetics exports hit a record high. The photo shows a cosmetics store in Seoul. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Korea Bizwire) – CJ Olive Young Corp., the distribution arm of South Korea’s food-to-cosmetics conglomerate CJ Group, said Wednesday it has partnered with Sephora to launch dedicated K-beauty zones across the French cosmetics retailer’s online and offline channels.

Under the strategic partnership, Sephora customers in six countries will initially gain access to K-beauty zones curated by Olive Young, offering a selection of popular Korean beauty and health brands, the company said in a press release.

The rollout will begin in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand in the second half of 2026, with expansion in the Middle East, Britain and Australia planned at a later stage, it said.

Olive Young said the collaboration is expected to help lower global market entry barriers for small and mid-sized Korean beauty brands.

The photo shows CJ Olive Young’s store in Myeongdong in central Seoul, which mainly targets foreign customers. (Image provided by CJ Olive Young)

“As global interest in K-beauty continues to accelerate, we see this collaboration as a meaningful opportunity to expand the reach of Korean brands in key international markets,” Lee Young-ah, chief strategy officer of CJ Olive Young, said.

Sephora, owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH, operates about 3,400 stores in 35 countries and is the world’s largest beauty specialty retailer.

“Korean beauty is one of the most innovative, fastest-growing and desirable categories in the industry,” said Priya Venkatesh, Sephora’s global chief merchandising officer. “Sephora was the first major retailer to introduce K-beauty brands to North American consumers in 2010, and our portfolio has since grown into a global business.”

(Yonhap)