[Report] Young Women in Affluent Neighborhoods Flock In: "It Makes Me Shine"... Olive Young Replicates Seongsu and Gangnam Stores in the US

Olive Young Becomes a K-beauty Ambassador in Pasadena, US
Over 90% of Products Sold Are K-beauty Brands
Customer Experience and Product Guidance Boost American Consumer Satisfaction
Tous Les Jours Spreads the K-bakery Wave
'Cloud Cake'

"K-beauty products have a mirror-like clarity to their image, which is why I continue to use them."

At the CJ Olive Young Pasadena store, local consumers are experiencing cleansing products. Provided by CJ.

CJ Olive Young’s Pasadena store, which first opened in the U.S. in May this year, is located in an area primarily inhabited by affluent residents, often referred to as "old money."

When visiting the Olive Young Pasadena location on the 14th (local time), it was evident that customers streamed into the store from the opening hour at 10 a.m., trying out a variety of K-beauty products firsthand and making purchases. On average, more than 1,500 customers visit the Pasadena store daily, with those shopping for K-beauty products spending between 70 and 150 dollars per visit.

The majority of customers visiting the store were local residents, with women in their twenties making up the largest segment. Initially, CJ Olive Young expected a high proportion of Korean or Asian customers, but a diverse mix of ethnicities was observed at the Pasadena location. During the visit, about 50 customers were seen visiting the store, none of whom were Korean, and fewer than five were of Asian descent.

Local customers are shopping at the CJ Olive Young Pasadena store in Pasadena, California, USA, on the 14th (local time). Photo by Kyungjun Hur.

All-in-One Service: From Exploring to Explaining K-Beauty Products

The Pasadena store spans approximately 240 pyeong (about 8,000 square feet) and offers some 5,000 products from more than 400 brands, creating an atmosphere similar to large Olive Young stores in Korea such as the Gangnam or Seongsu branches. Over 90% of the brands carried are domestic Korean brands, and popular Korean food and beverage products also have their own dedicated sections within the store.

From the very first stage of exploring K-beauty products, store associates provide detailed explanations and allow shoppers to experience products directly. To help customers purchase products suitable for their skin, most items have samples available, and compared to Korean stores, fewer products are displayed per shelf in each section. This is a deliberate effort to avoid overwhelming local consumers who may be unfamiliar with many of the brands and products.

Brooke, a teenage female customer from Chicago, said, "With K-beauty, it’s clear when and how to use each product. The information is far more precise than with American products, which I really appreciate."

To help K-beauty brands build recognition in the U.S. market, the Pasadena store operates a pop-up space near its entrance that changes each month. Most customers pass through the pop-up area to try out featured products firsthand.

Focused Skincare Strategy Succeeds... One-Quarter of Store Devoted to the Category

The skin diagnostic device "Skin Scan" installed at CJ Olive Young Pasadena in Pasadena, California, USA. Photo by Kyungjun Hur.

The store layout is organized according to the order in which cosmetics are applied. At the entrance, you'll find mostly skincare products like sunscreens, sheet masks, and basic skincare items. In the sections leading to checkout, there’s an assortment of makeup and haircare products. The current top three best-selling brands at Pasadena are Round Lab, Rejuran, and Anua, particularly their sun creams and skincare ranges.

The Pasadena store dedicates six display stands to sheet masks and four to sun care, totaling ten stands—an uncommon strategy in the U.S. beauty retail market, positioning Olive Young at the forefront of K-beauty’s expansion in the country. In practice, local customers visiting the Pasadena location most frequently ask staff about the location of sun care products and specific skincare brands. They then discuss their skin concerns and ask for tailored product recommendations.

Olive Young devotes about one-quarter of its U.S. store space to skincare products. The front section clusters skincare and hands-on experiences together, encouraging customers to "design your own skincare routine." The floor tiles also differ by category to enhance this segmented layout. Notably, equipment commonly seen at Olive Young’s Korean flagship locations—like the "Skin Scan" skin analyzer and the "Scalp Scan" device—are placed in the very center of the store. These devices diagnose customers’ skin concerns and cosmetic habits in detail, then recommend suitable products. At opening, waiting lines for these diagnostic services were even longer than for store entry, underscoring their popularity.

Across the street, the Sephora store was noticeably quieter than Olive Young. While Sephora focuses on makeup and sells primarily luxury brands like Dior, Olive Young emphasizes skincare. The average age of Sephora visitors also appeared somewhat higher. However, even at Sephora, about half of the skincare section consisted of "Korean skincare" products, with domestic brands such as Innisfree, Beauty of Joseon, and Dr. Jart+ each having a dedicated display table.

Gaeun Kwon, CEO of CJ Olive Young USA, commented, "Our U.S. store is a space where local consumers can freely explore, discover, and learn about the authentic K-beauty experience with products tailored to their skin concerns and preferences. Even after two months since opening, the spot is attracting over 1,500 visitors per day, cementing its status as a leading K-beauty hotspot in the area. Our local staff serve not only as sales associates, but as K-beauty ambassadors, introducing American consumers to the ingredients, efficacy, and proper routines of skincare products."

The Pasadena store also sells K-food and inner beauty products. Dairy items by Maeil Dairies and Binggrae, Lotte Chilsung’s Milkis, Samyang Foods’ Buldak Bokkeum Myeon, and CJ CheilJedang’s Bibigo are among the flagship offerings. The inner beauty section displays products such as red ginseng, glutathione, and protein. Typically, customers examine descriptions of ingredients and efficacy, consult with staff, and receive tailored product recommendations.

Different Base Ingredients, Same 'K-Bakery' Taste... Localization Succeeds

CJ Foodville Tous Les Jours store front located in La Habra, California, USA. Photo by Kyungjun Heo.

While Olive Young has replicated its Korean stores and K-beauty products in the U.S., CJ Foodville’s localization strategy for its bakery chain has been to recreate the flavors of breads sold in Korea using locally sourced ingredients, winning strong approval from customers.

CJ Foodville’s Tous Les Jours in La Habra—about an hour from downtown Los Angeles and measuring roughly 320 square meters (about 97 pyeong)—looks almost identical to a Korean Tous Les Jours store. Most cakes, breads, and beverages sold in Korea have been faithfully reproduced. The customer base at the La Habra location is more diverse than one might expect, with Latin American customers being the largest group during the observed period, followed by white and then Korean visitors, reflecting the area's demographic mix.

In the bakery industry, even slight variations in main ingredients like flour can significantly alter the flavor. Instead of adjusting its breads to local tastes, Tous Les Jours has pursued a localization strategy focused on recreating the same flavor as in Korea, but with different local ingredients. Unlike the typical American butter bakery products made in large batches, Tous Les Jours produces and sells freshly baked goods daily. This has led to a higher level of satisfaction, even with a price tag higher than local bakeries.

Ms. Kim, a Korean woman in her forties who has lived in the U.S. for more than thirty years, shared, "I often come here for Tous Les Jours’ milk bread, which tastes distinct from American butter bread. Local customers also seem to enjoy picking out a variety of breads as if they are shopping, and the taste is much better than typical American breads, which is why the store is so popular."

Korean Fresh Cream Cakes Gaining Popularity as ‘Cloud Cake’

'Cloud Cake' sold at Tous Les Jours store of CJ Foodville located in La Habra, California, USA. Photo by Kyungjun Hur.

In the U.S., kimchi croquette, twisted bread sticks, and salted bread are top sellers at Tous Les Jours, but what’s even more remarkable is the popularity of the "Cloud Cake." This type of fresh cream cake, while common in Korea, is marketed as "Cloud Cake" in the U.S. and has captured local tastes. In the American market, customers are accustomed to rustic-looking butter cakes, so Tous Les Jours’ fresh cream cakes are regarded as premium offerings and are enjoying tremendous popularity. Limited-edition cakes with unique themes, released for Christmas, Mother's Day, Halloween, and other U.S. seasonal events, also stand out as differentiated products rarely found at other bakeries, receiving high praise with each new season.

While most U.S. bakeries offer only a handful of products, Tous Les Jours has gained a reputation for offering a wide variety of freshly baked breads. As of last month, the chain was operating 205 stores in North America. Responding to growing demand, CJ Foodville began operating a 90,000-square-meter automated production facility in Gainesville, Georgia last year, which produces more than 100 million products annually, including frozen dough and cakes. Over 90% of Tous Les Jours stores in the U.S. are franchisees, and a significant portion are operated by multi-store owners.

Tous Les Jours plans to continue expanding its North American operations while staying true to its core value of blending Korean and French sensibilities and emphasizing the competitive strengths of "K-ness."

Ophelia Kumpf, COO of CJ Foodville USA, stated, "CJ Foodville and Tous Les Jours have confirmed that Korean food and bakery products have broad mass-market appeal that goes far beyond just Asian or Korean-descended customers. The response here has been extremely positive, with many local customers visiting our stores out of curiosity about K-food, then returning again and again."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.