5 Things You Should Know Before Shopping at Olive Young in Seoul

Planning a beauty haul in Seoul? Learn how to navigate prices, book exclusive services, and find the best Olive Young stores. Plus, discover top alternatives for a unique K-beauty shopping spree.

It’s been quite the week for The Skinimalist, because I’ve just returned from a whirlwind trip to the beauty capital of the world—Seoul, South Korea. I’m still reeling from the culture, the food, and of course, all things beauty, so expect a fair few more posts about my trip over the next couple of weeks, but I thought I’d kick things off with a short post about everyone’s favourite beauty retailer, Olive Young.

If Seoul is the Mecca of the skincare world, then Olive Young is the sacred mosque at the centre of it. If you’ve delved into the world of K-beauty in any way at all, you’ve likely heard of the country's largest beauty retailer. It’s a must-visit destination for any skincare lover traveling to Seoul, but after having visited myself, I wanted to share a few things I wish I’d known before shopping here. Hopefully, if you’re planning a trip to Korea any time soon, these will help you out as well.

1. Olive Young Stores Are Everywhere, But Flagship Locations Offer Much More

Wandering through Seoul, you'll quickly notice that Olive Young stores are as ubiquitous as coffee shops (and trust me when I say, Koreans take their coffee VERY seriously). These convenient outlets are perfect for quick beauty grabs, and reminded me more of your average drug store or pharmacy. But, if you're looking for a more immersive experience, head to one of the flagship stores, which have so much more to offer. These are my recommendations for the biggest and most experiential outlets:

• Myeongdong flagship store - The OG flagship store, in the heart of Seoul’s most tourist friendly shopping district, not only boasts a vast selection of products but also features interactive zones where you can test products and explore the latest beauty trends.

• Olive Young N Seongsu - In the ultra trendy neighborhood of Seongsu is Seoul’s newest and largest Olive Young store that spans 5 storeys. The ‘N’ in the name (specific to this location) reflects the ‘new’ and ‘next-level’ experiences you can expect here. There is so much to see and do aside from beauty shopping. From a makeup studio and touch-up bar to a color analysis booth, skin consults and even a healthy snack bar—you could easily spend hours in this shop and still not cover it all.

• Gangnam main branch - This was the only one major outlet I wasn’t able to visit myself, but if you’re staying around the upscale Gangnam neighborhood, then this 3-storey location should definitely be on your list.

2. Arrive Early for Exclusive Services

If you want to try any of the additional services—like skin consultations and makeover sessions—you need to arrive early and make a reservation first thing. These services are popular and can fill up quickly, so it's best to secure a spot before you start shopping. I was itching to try at least one of these at the Seongsu location, because the service looked really meticulous and personalized, but alas, it was fully booked by the time I arrived at the counter around 12.30pm in the afternoon. I highly recommend getting there as the stores open around 10am to take advantage of these freebies.

3. Don't Forget Your Passport for Tax Refunds

As a tourist, you can enjoy tax-free shopping at Olive Young—and the best part is that it’s instant. That’s right, no queuing at the airport for hours, trying to get your money back. As long as you can show them your passport, they’ll process the tax refund right at the cashier and deduct it from your bill. In fact, you can even do this at their self-checkout counters by scanning your passport yourself. The tax refund amount is roughly 5%, which may not seem like a lot. But if you’re planning to spend a month’s rent on skincare shopping (which, of course, I do not recommend), this simple step can lead to a decent amount of savings

4. Prices May Be Higher Than You Expect

This may vary depending on where you’re coming from, but shopping at Olive Young wasn’t as cheap as I’d expected. For comparison, I live in Singapore, and order most of my K-beauty products online. I expected the prices of my favorite products to be far lower in Seoul, but that wasn’t the case. Even if I factor in shipping and tax refunds, I wouldn’t really save much from buying products in store at Olive Young. This may be different if you live in the US or parts of Europe where K-beauty is hard to find, but for those of us in Asia, shopping at home may work out to the same price.

In fact, I ended up only buying products from brands I hadn’t heard of, or that were unavailable back home. The rest, I’ll continue to purchase online.

Pro Tip: To get the best deals, keep an eye out for in-store promotions or download the Olive Young app for exclusive discounts, promotions, and updates on upcoming sales events. The app also provides a store locator, ensuring you find the nearest flagship store with ease.

5. There Are Cheaper (and Better) Alternatives

While a trip to Olive Young is a must-do for the experience, the truth is, it’s not the cheapest place to buy your skincare. Think of Olive Young as the Sephora of K-beauty. Sure, you can spend hours in the store and the interactive experiences are worth your time, but affordability? Not really what it’s known for. If you’re looking for the lowest prices, here are a few alternatives for shops that stock the same iconic K-beauty products at more budget-friendly prices, and often have deals which you can bag for an even cheaper price:

• Try other retailers like Mimiline or The Mask Shop, these may not have 3-storey shops full of interactive experiences, but they do have a a pretty solid selection of products at prices that I found to be at least 10-15% cheaper than Olive Young.

• Head to a Korean pharmacy, like Ready Young, for medical grade skincare at very affordable prices. I was shocked to see 2-4% hydroquinone being sold over the counter in a Korean pharmacy, but aside from that, they had some amazing products including acne scarring gels, the famous salmon PDRN, and formulations with more active ingredients like tranexamic acid and retinal.

• Just walk down the Myeongdong Shopping Street, and you’ll find dozens of small stores which offer much lower prices and better deals than Olive Young. Yes, some of them look like little mom-and-pop shops, and they don’t have the glamour of Olive Young, but they’re great for finding a bargain. They also often have bundle packs at great prices.

Bonus (General Seoul) Tip: Walk Around Town and Navigate With Naver Maps

I loved exploring various neighborhoods in Seoul on foot. That was how I chanced upon some of the smaller Olive Young stores and other retailers in neighborhoods like Dongdaemun, Myeongdong, and Hongdae. The weather’s great, the city is so walkable, and you really get a flavour for the unique characteristics of each neighborhood as you explore it. If you are going to do this, it’s a good idea to download Naver Maps as you walk around because Google Maps, unfortunately, doesn’t work very well in Korea. Naver was a lifesaver for us—helping us plan our routes everyday, and navigating the many side roads and back alleys.

Did You Know? Olive Young is a fun little play on the words “all live young”. Maybe this is common knowledge, but it took me a very long time to realize this simple fact. If you’re reading this and also just slapped your forehead in amazement, please let me know in the comments below so I know I’m not the only one who took forever to figure this out!

Final Thoughts: Great Experience, But…

Look, I’ll admit, shopping at Olive Young in Seoul is an experience every skincare and K-beauty lover should indulge in at least once. The brand is clearly putting in a lot of effort to create memorable in-store experiences for their customers, and I respect that. But, at the end of the day, they’re still trying to sell you a lot of products you may not need, so sometimes visiting the smaller, more efficient and budget-friendly alternatives, can be just as valuable a use of your time (if not more).

If you’ve visited Olive Young in Seoul, I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below. If you’re planning to, then happy shopping!

About The Skinimalist

Hi, I’m Mal, a 30-something recovering skincare addict, and this is my blog. A space where I attempt to de-influence you from chasing trends and buying more skincare products you may not need.

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