The Olive Young Global Mall Sale, which took place from March 1 to 7, saw the total order volume grow by 107% compared to the same period last year.
This has been attributed to the rising awareness of K-beauty and K-health brands, which led to a significant increase in sales of products in these categories.
Specifically, the order volume for oral care products and health food products grew by 217% and 188% respectively, markedly surpassing the total order volume growth rate.
The order volume for body care products (168%) and hair products (127%) also showed “remarkable growth” during this sale period.
“In the past, mask packs and sunscreens were mainly popular among foreigners, but recently, various categories of products, such as probiotics, slimming, hair treatment, and toothpaste have been receiving attention.
“In particular, English-speaking customers who are keen to improve their eating habits showed great interest in health foods such as probiotics, while Japanese customers who have a high demand for dental health and teeth whitening gravitated to oral care products,” Olive Young said.
The company believes that the strong increase in sales is led by foreign tourists who had tried the products at its physical stores in Korea and continued to purchase them through the Global Mall after returning to their home countries.
“As more global consumers experience the quality of Korean cosmetics, it has also lowered the barrier for them to make purchases in the health food category.”
At the same time, the popularity of new and indie K-beauty brands is on the rise.
Some examples of products that performed well during the sale include Arencia’s Fresh Green Rice Mochi Cleanser and BIODANCE’s Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask.
“These products, boasting unique formulations and ingredients that are not easily found overseas, are listed in the top 15 of this year’s sale.
“Olive Young Global online mall is the first to introduce new K-beauty and K-health brands to consumers in 150 countries around the world, and has served as a gateway for exports for small and medium-sized brands.
“We will continue working to further expand the global contact points of brands on the platform and create a sustainable growth environment through differentiated strategies, such as the Olive Young Global Mall Sale.”
Increasing access
Olive Young Global Mall is a direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce platform with 2.46m members around the world, as of the end of 2024.
Apart from K-beauty, the online mall retails more than 10,000 products, including wellness and K-pop merchandise.
Running for the fifth time this year, the Olive Young Global Mall Sale is the platform’s representative discount event that is held four times annually (March, June, September, December).
According to the company, features such as customised products and promotions by country, low shipping fees, and short delivery lead times, provide a competitive edge.
As a result, the amount of participating brands in the sale has increased every year, with the number for 2025 being an approximate threefold increase from the debut edition in 2021.
This has helped expand the presence of K-beauty brands in overseas markets.
“This year, Olive Young plans to strengthen the branding of its various promotional events, including the Global Mall Sale, and roll out other events that fit the local characteristics of each market.
“Additionally, the process for entering the online mall has been simplified to facilitate the expansion of sales channels for Korean brands since last year.”
By lowering the minimum spend for free shipping, the company has also improved global consumers’ accessibility to K-beauty and K-health.
For instance, purchases over JPY3,900 (USD26) in Japan and over USD60 in the US now get to enjoy free shipping.