CJ Olive Young Global Mall reshapes foreign shoppers’ carts with K-lifestyle

▲ Spring sales poster, provided by CJ Olive Young. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- CJ Olive Young said on Friday that an analysis of sales data from its global mall’s regular discount event, "Season Sale," shows foreign customers’ consumption expanding beyond beauty into lifestyle areas such as wellness.

During the Season Sale, which began on Monday, the wellness category saw notable popularity, ranging from massage tools for reducing swelling to acupressure patches that help improve physical condition. The trend reflects the growing popularity of the “home spa” concept—enjoying aesthetic-style massage and skincare treatments at home—as well as the spread of K-self-care routines, such as “K-pop idol swelling-care methods,” on social media. 

As product categories become more segmented by body areas—including the face, neck, and legs—the cumulative sales of massage products during the first three days of the sale surged more than 40 times compared with the same period last year.

Demand for slimming products has also risen ahead of the summer season. The category includes health functional foods that may help suppress post-meal blood sugar spikes and diet probiotics containing ingredients that support body-fat reduction. In particular, “cutting jelly,” known as a diet snack, gained attention among global consumers after being introduced by well-known overseas influencers, earning a place on the Season Sale’s Top 10 popular products list.

Diversifying purchasing patterns among global customers are evident not only during the Season Sale but also in overall annual trends. According to an analysis of last year’s Global Mall sales data, categories such as hair care, color cosmetics, and health foods all recorded balanced growth, suggesting that K-lifestyle is increasingly becoming part of global consumers’ everyday lives.

Consumer trends also differed clearly by country, reflecting distinct lifestyles and interests.

In Japan, customers showed strong interest in K-beauty color cosmetics, particularly lip glosses that enhance shine and eye shadow products known for natural color payoff. Japanese consumers have recently shown growing interest in K-beauty and tend to respond quickly when new products are launched in Korea, often making swift purchase decisions.

In the United Kingdom, hair-loss care products recorded notable growth. This is attributed to the combination of strong interest in hair-loss solutions among UK customers and the Korean hair-care trend of treating the scalp like skincare. Hair ampoules applied directly to the scalp ranked among the most popular products for UK customers last year, while category sales rose about 11 times year-on-year.

In the United States, wellness products are attracting attention. In particular, pouch-type protein shakes designed for convenient single servings are becoming increasingly popular. Since most protein shakes in the U.S. are sold in large containers, Korean-style pouch shakes—offering portability and diverse flavors—appear to better meet the needs of American consumers. In fact, sales in the “sports and protein drinks” category on the Global Mall among U.S. customers increased 231% year-on-year last year. Sun care products also remained consistently popular, accounting for more than half of the Top 10 purchases by U.S. customers last year.

Beyond the U.S., Japan, and the UK, similar K-lifestyle-driven consumption trends are emerging in various other countries. In the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, ingredient-focused beauty products containing components such as niacinamide, known for helping improve the skin barrier, are gaining popularity due to the region’s dry climate and sensitive-skin concerns. Meanwhile, Singapore shows broad consumption patterns across categories—from basic skincare to color cosmetics—based on strong trust in K-beauty.

An Olive Young official said, “Membership and usage of the Global Mall continue to grow, particularly among foreign visitors who have traveled to Korea,” adding, “Based on the Olive Young Global Mall, which offers more than 10,000 K-beauty and K-wellness products, we will continue expanding opportunities for overseas customers to experience K-lifestyle in their daily lives.”

As of the end of last year, the Olive Young Global Mall had about 4.53 million members. With solid growth centered on the U.S., Japan, and the UK, it has established itself as a leading cross-border K-beauty e-commerce platform. The Season Sale is a regular discount event held four times a year (March, June, September, and December) on the Global Mall and runs through the Saturday.

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