Community
Skin, K-beauty, Korea trips and the beauty industry — ask and share
Olive Young opens its first US store in Pasadena: what it means for brands
CJ Olive Young opened its first brick-and-mortar US store in Pasadena, California, on May 29. Key facts 58 W Colorado Blvd, about 8,647 sq ft Roughly 400 brands and 5,000 SKUs across skincare, makeup, hair and wellness A
0 0Noryangjin Fish Market
A place where you can meet the sea in the middle of Seoul, far from the coast. Noryangjin Fish Market is located at Noryangjin Station on Subway Lines 1 and 9. Seafood from all over the country gathers here and is transp
0 0K-beauty now leads EU imports, and the compliance bill arrives in August
According to a market-analysis newsletter, Korean cosmetics now hold 21.7% of EU imports, ahead of the US at 19.7%. At the same time, a wave of regulation lands all at once. Three regimes taking effect between July and A
0 0Early flight home from Incheon: move hotels the last night, or not?
A question that pops up again and again: your flight leaves early in the morning, and your hotel is in the middle of Seoul. Do you switch hotels for the final night? The options people usually weigh Stay put and leave ve
0 0Hyundai Department Store Main Branch
Located in Apgujeong-dong, the center of fashion, Hyundai Department Store Main Branch is a shopping space made up of Korea’s top luxury brands. It brings together products from popular premium brands such as Mulberry, D
0 0Poll: how do you actually reapply sunscreen over makeup?
Reapplying sunscreen during the day is one of the most-asked routine questions, especially for anyone wearing makeup. Korean brands have turned it into a whole product category. The formats people usually choose between
Poll
What's your go-to way to reapply sunscreen during the day?
Pick one to see the results
0 0Which viral beauty product let you down? Honest takes only
Every few months a product takes over every feed, sells out, and then the second wave of opinions arrives. Some hold up. Some quietly disappear from shelves and routines. On skincare forums, the reasons people give for a
0 0Lotte World Tower & Lotte World Mall
Lotte World Mall is a shopping and tourism destination where you can enjoy the latest fashion trends and a refined lifestyle. It is home to Lotte Avenuel, Korea’s largest luxury department store. One-stop shopping and cu
0 0eSIM, physical SIM or pocket Wi-Fi for Korea: what did you pick?
Staying online matters more in Korea than in many places, because map apps, taxi apps and restaurant queues all live on your phone. The three options people compare eSIM: set up before you fly, no shop visit. Check that
Poll
How did you stay connected in Korea?
Pick one to see the results
0 0IFC Mall
IFC Mall is a large shopping mall spanning Basement Levels 1 to 3 of the Yeouido International Finance Center (IFC), where you can find global fashion brands all in one place, including clothing, cosmetics, and accessori
0 0Gentle Monster Hongdae Flagship Store
Gentle Monster’s flagship store in Hongdae, SACRIFICE, tells the story of the god of the earth and the ritual held in his honor. This three-story Hongdae Gentle Monster store lets you see striking sunglasses and eyeglass
0 0COEX Mall
COEX Mall is Asia’s largest underground shopping complex, with more than 260 stores. Like a giant gift box, it offers a wide range of things to enjoy and experience. It houses Megabox, the country’s largest movie theater
0 0Bukchon Hunters Gourmet Outing Playlist
Bukchon is a neighborhood where the atmosphere of old alleys coexists with the individuality of small business owners. Only when you meet the small shops filled with Bukchon’s own craft, tastes, and stories do you see th
0 0Seoul Through the Lens of Hollywood Stars
The second installment of the sci-fi series Dune, Dune: Part Two, recently premiered in Korea and quickly became a major hit. With the film’s release, the Dune cast also came to Korea and drew considerable attention. Tim
0 0Those viral 'Seoul dermatology guides' on Chinese social media: what to trust
Search 'Seoul dermatology' on Chinese-language social apps and you get endless guide posts: price-list screenshots, treatment menus, 'just go' recommendations. Lots of information, very uneven quality. Usually more usefu
0 0EU microplastics rules: rinse-off products have until October 2027
The EU's microplastics restriction (Regulation 2023/2055), adopted in 2023, gives cosmetics different sell-by deadlines depending on product type. If you export to Europe, now is the time to plan reformulation backwards
0 0Bukchon Hunters’ Curated Souvenir Shopping Playlist
Bukchon is a neighborhood where the atmosphere of old alleys and the individuality of small business owners coexist. Only after meeting the small shops filled with Bukchon’s own craftsmanship, taste, and stories can you
0 0Dongdaemun Shopping Town
Dongdaemun Shopping Town is one of Seoul’s best shopping streets. Large shopping complexes lined up here cover both wholesale and retail. Shinpyeonghwa Fashion Town, Fashion Nam Pyeonghwa, Pyeonghwa Market, and Dongpyeon
0 0K-Beauty Places Born as Complex Cultural Spaces
Cosmetics brand stores are evolving. They are being reborn from places that simply ‘sold’ cosmetics into spaces that offer consumers more than that and, further, embody brand values in a sensory way. Along with modern in
0 0Launching K-beauty in the US: which channel would you open first?
In every US-expansion conversation the first question ends up being "where do we sell first?" Each option has clear trade-offs. Commonly cited pros and cons Amazon: search demand already exists, but price competition and
Poll
Which US channel would you open first?
Pick one to see the results
0 0