The Business Behind Olive Young (Part 1)

Olive Young is now Korea’s biggest beauty retailer, but it wasn't always that way. In this episode, Lauren dives into the business story behind Olive Young's rise to dominance and explains why its success goes far beyond selling Korean skincare. Learn how the company built an ecosystem that helped shape the modern K-Beauty industry, why Harvard Business School chose Olive Young as the subject of a case study, and what global retailers can learn from its approach to merchandising, supplier relationships and brand building. Plus, Lauren explores why Olive Young's "beauty playground" concept resonated so strongly with Korean consumers, the role of Korea's OEM/ODM ecosystem in its success, and why supporting emerging brands has been central to the company's growth. For full show notes and resources, visit: stylestory.com.au/blogs/podcast   Brands Mentioned in This Episode Olive Young Missha Etude House Innisfree Nature Republic The Face Shop Skin Food TonyMoly Rom&nd Torriden   Connect with Lauren Book a Consultation: stylestory.com.au/pages/k-beauty-consultancy Instagram: instagram.com/lauren.kbeauty TikTok: tiktok.com/@stylestory_kbeauty Threads: threads.net/@lauren.kbeauty YouTube: youtube.com/@thekoreanbeautyshowpodcast   Take a Korean style skin analysis: https://jellyko.com/pages/ai-skin-analysis   Shop Jelly Ko: jellyko.com Affiliate Disclaimer Some links we share may be affiliate links. This means we may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. This helps to offset the cost of producing the show.   A Small Request   If you use insights, data or research from this episode in your own content, we ask that you kindly credit The Korean Beauty Show and tag us where possible. It helps others find the original source and supports the work that goes into producing these episodes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.