[Report] From K-pop to Beauty and Food... 'K-Wave' Heats Up LA

U.S. Enthralled by K-Beauty... Captivated by Skincare
K-Culture Unveiled Through K-pop, Beauty, and Food
North American Consumers Flock to Experience K-Beauty

Visitors at KCON LA 2026 are enjoying and participating in the motion challenge prepared by CJ CheilJedang. Photo by CJ CheilJedang.

"There are so many skincare products that we don't have in the United States. That's why I love K-beauty."

Allison, a teenage girl from Texas, could not stop expressing her love when talking about K-beauty. She said, "I discovered Olive Young through TikTok," and added, "I've visited the store in LA, but I usually shop online. I really like K-beauty cleansers and sunscreen." She smiled as she spoke.

Unlike the U.S. cosmetics market, which has a high proportion of color cosmetics, K-beauty has a well-developed skincare segment, which is attracting young American consumers. The 'K-Wave', which started with K-pop, is now expanding into the daily lives of American consumers through beauty and food.

Hongdae and Seongsu in the Heart of LA: Captivated by K-Beauty

Many visitors are attending the 'Olive Young Festa LA 2026,' held for the first time in the United States in conjunction with 'KCON LA 2026.' Provided by CJ ENM.

'Olive Young Festa LA 2026', held at the LA Convention Center in California, from August 14 to 16 (local time), was a scene that showed exactly how much American consumers are interested in K-beauty. The event featured 55 K-beauty and lifestyle brands that have entered the U.S. Olive Young. Since first launching Olive Young Festa in 2019, the company held its second global event this May in Japan, and now in the United States.

At the center of the venue was the 'Olive Young Store', set up to resemble an actual retail store. It was designed so visitors could get an overview of leading K-beauty products. The zone was decorated with themes from four of Seoul's most popular shopping districts among foreign tourists: Hongdae, Myeong-dong, Seongsu, and Gangnam. It offered an experience akin to shopping for cosmetics in Seoul, right in the middle of LA.

The event space was packed with visitors eager to experience K-beauty. The line to receive the tote bags prepared by Olive Young stretched endlessly. The booths of individual K-beauty brands were just as crowded. Especially, women in their teens and twenties went from booth to booth without rest, trying out products and collecting giveaways and goods. Visitors could be seen everywhere with their hands full of shopping bags and K-beauty goods.

K-beauty was not the only thing attracting crowds. The 'K-food' booth, set up on one side of the venue, was also filled with people waiting to sample the offerings. The tasting menu of Bibigo, a CJ CheilJedang brand, featured stir-fried noodles, dumplings, and three kinds of sauces, all of which received positive reviews. Bibigo dumplings, with localized recipes, recorded a U.S. business-to-consumer (B2C) market share of 41% as of 2024. Bibigo products are now sold in about 80,000 retail locations nationwide, including major channels such as Walmart, Kroger, and Costco.

American visitors encountering Bibigo K-food for the first time responded enthusiastically. Maddie, a teenage girl from Chicago, said, "I'm trying Bibigo food for the first time, and it's incredibly delicious. The stir-fried noodles have a kick to them, and the gochujang sauce is especially unique. The dumplings are extremely crispy, and their texture keeps me coming back for more."

The reason so many people flocked to Olive Young Festa this time was that CJ ENM’s 'KCON LA 26' was held in conjunction. This year, KCON brought together Olive Young, CJ CheilJedang, and CJ Foodville. Visitors who came to enjoy K-pop performances could also naturally experience K-beauty and taste K-food. The strategy is to channel interest in Korea, generated through content like music and dramas, into the actual consumption of products such as cosmetics and food.

Buying Goods and Group Singing: K-pop Fever Heats Up LA

KCON, which began in 2012, is now in its 14th year. So far, the cumulative number of offline attendees has reached 2.35 million, establishing itself as a flagship event for K-culture. KCON is unique in that, rather than merely watching artists perform from afar, fans can interact and participate up close with artists through various time-slotted live stages.

This year’s KCON featured an open-air screen space inspired by Han River outdoor theaters. It allowed crowds gathered in front of a giant screen to watch videos and participate in Korea’s signature group singing culture, known as 'ttechang'. Notably, Wanna One performed with its complete lineup for the first time in about nine years, alongside artists like NCT 127, ZEROBASEONE, ILLIT, and TOMORROW X TOGETHER.

All around the convention center, the cultural status of K-pop was palpable. Lines for idol goods purchases were long, while in less crowded areas, groups of fans gathered to play and dance to songs by their favorite artists. Some attendees, tired from waiting for the main performance, which didn’t begin until late afternoon, lay down to rest on the cool floors of the convention center.

Jenny and her daughter Evie, who had come from Sacramento, said, "It’s our first time at LA KCON, but we've been K-pop fans for many years and always liked Girls' Generation. My daughter is supporting ILLIT, so I came with her this time."

CJ believes KCON has established itself as a leading K-lifestyle festival, where fans can experience K-pop, K-food, and K-beauty in one place, providing a gateway for interest in Korean content to expand into real consumption by American consumers.

In particular, the U.S. has long been a key market for CJ. The company’s strategy is to expand the fandom formed through K-pop into K-food and K-beauty, thereby turning content-driven interest into actual consumer purchases.

Heo Min-Heoi, CEO of CJ, stated, "CJ has continuously invested in the U.S. market for more than 30 years and is the only company with a unique portfolio in both food and content. We will accelerate our efforts to capture the North American market by building an ecosystem that connects the popularity of the K-wave with lifestyle experiences."

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