SEOUL, January 29 (AJP) - Best known as South Korea’s dominant K-beauty retailer, Olive Young is opening a new chapter — one that extends beyond cosmetics and into everyday wellness.
The company on Thursday unveiled to the media the first flagship store of its new wellness platform, Olive Better, in Gwanghwamun, one of Seoul’s busiest and most symbolic district name recently gaining renewed global fame.
The area sits at the heart of the capital, home to government offices, multinational corporations and major cultural events. In March, it is set to lend its open space for the much-awaited comeback performance by global K-pop group BTS — a reminder of how the district routinely draws massive crowds of both locals and foreign visitors.
The location itself carries commercial weight. The site previously housed one of Seoul’s most heavily trafficked two-story Starbucks stores, long known as a landmark meeting point for office workers and tourists alike.
From beauty to daily wellness
At a media briefing held earlier in the day, Olive Young framed Olive Better as its attempt to redefine wellness not as a niche category, but as part of daily life.
An Olive Young official described the concept through a “six-well” philosophy:
Eat well, nourish well, fit well, glow well, relax well and care well.
The shift comes as interest in wellness has accelerated in South Korea since the pandemic, expanding from fitness and dieting toward sleep quality, stress management and functional nutrition.
Some visitors said the space felt reminiscent of U.S. wellness-focused retailers, drawing parallels to Trader Joe’s for its accessibility and to Erewhon for its curated, premium aesthetic.
Why create a separate brand?
Given Olive Young’s dominance in the health-and-beauty retail market, the decision to launch a separate wellness platform raises an obvious question.
Company officials said wellness demands a fundamentally different retail structure.
“Beauty focuses on visible results, but wellness is about habits,” an Olive Young representative said. “We needed a space that helps consumers practice small routines consistently, rather than simply buy products.”
Defining K-wellness
Asked how Olive Young defines K-wellness (Korean wellness), particularly for global consumers with different cultural standards, the company emphasized a domestic-first strategy.
“Olive Better is designed primarily for Korean customers,” an official told AJP. “The core of K-wellness lies in how people maintain their health within extremely busy daily schedules.”
“If that culture naturally takes root here, foreign visitors may eventually become interested in how Koreans manage wellness in everyday life — much like how K-beauty spread globally,” the official added.
A store shaped by urban routines
That philosophy becomes clear inside the Gwanghwamun store.
The merchandise targets time-constrained urban consumers. Near the entrance, shelves are lined with ginger shots, portable protein drinks and functional beverages designed for quick consumption between work schedules.
Unlike traditional beauty retail, Olive Better allows visitors to sample food and drinks on-site — replacing cosmetic testers with tasting stations.
Further inside, entire sections are dedicated to rest and recovery.
Sleep-related products occupy prominent space, including loungewear, pajamas and melatonin-infused products — a category that has grown rapidly in Korea in recent years.
“Interest in sleep hygiene among young adults has increased noticeably,” said Dr. Lee, a neurologist specializing in sleep patterns.
“Many people now receive sleep education or try behavioral and lifestyle adjustments first, and if those don’t work, they proceed to medical treatment,” he said.
The rise in sleep-focused consumption reflects a broader shift in how Koreans perceive wellness — not as luxury, but as survival in high-pressure urban life.
Wellness as culture, not category
Rather than presenting wellness as aspiration or transformation, Olive Better frames health as something practical — routines that can be executed between commutes, meetings and late nights.
In the middle of Seoul’s political, corporate and cultural crossroads, the store positions wellness not as escape, but as part of daily motion.
For Olive Young, the bet is clear: if wellness becomes an everyday practice for Koreans, it may eventually travel abroad not as a product export, but as culture.
Olive Better officially launches Friday.
reporter
Candice Kim
candicekim1121@ajupress.com
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