My Skin Has Never Looked Better: Karoline Leavitt’s K-Beauty Olive Young Haul Goes Viral

During former U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to South Korea last month, his aides drew significant attention by sharing their Korean cosmetics purchases online. On November 4, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt told our newspaper, “My skin has never looked better after using Korean cosmetics.”Leavitt, who accompanied Trump on his two-day visit as an official aide, said, “I loved South Korea and the Korean people,” adding, “I will definitely visit again someday in the future.” Born in 1997, Leavitt became the youngest-ever White House Press Secretary with the launch of Trump’s second term. This marks the first time she has personally spoken to a Korean media outlet.On October 29, Leavitt visited the CJ Olive Young Hwangnam branch in Hwangridan-gil, Gyeongju, where the APEC summit was held. Her visit was unannounced, and she reportedly stayed for about 20 minutes. With over 2.5 million Instagram followers, Leavitt posted photos of 13 K-beauty products she purchased there — including Chosungah Beauty Ginseng Cleansing Oil, Propolis Serum, Medicube Zero Pore Pads, Torriden Hyaluronic Acid Serum, and three types of Mediheal face masks.Margot Martin, a 1995-born aide and Special Communications Advisor who traveled with Leavitt, also shared her own shopping haul after the trip, which included four products from Chosungah Beauty — known for its “modern hanbang (Korean herbal medicine)” concept — and Mamonde Probiotics Skin Barrier Emulsion. The two aides, who are among Trump’s closest and most trusted staff, are credited with further boosting K-beauty’s recognition in the U.S. through their social media posts.Leavitt, who holds live press briefings once or twice a week for about an hour from the White House podium, expressed her satisfaction, saying, “My skin has never looked this good.” During their stay in Korea, Leavitt and Martin were also spotted at a character-themed gelato shop in Hwangridan-gil, where they smiled and chatted with a YouTuber who was filming them.Leavitt said again, “I loved South Korea and the Korean people,” and promised to return soon. K-beauty products are reportedly quite popular even among U.S. government circles — during tariff negotiations, some officials are said to have brought Korean sheet masks and gifted them to their American counterparts. Jamieson Greer, a USTR representative, is also known to have children who are big K-pop fans. @OneClickHealthyLife  #KarolineLeavitt #KBeauty #OliveYoung #KoreanSkincare #TrumpTeam #ViralHaul #KbeautyTrend #SkincareRoutine #APEC2025 #Gyeongju #KoreanCosmetics #BeautyInfluencer