Olive Young held 21.5% of Korean beauty retail in the first half as Musinsa and Daiso expand
Personal Care Insights reported on 21 September that Olive Young took KRW 2.94 trillion of KRW 13.72 trillion in H1 sales while Musinsa and Daiso added beauty.
Published
2 November 2026 — Personal Care Insights reported on 21 September that Musinsa, the Korean fashion retailer, had opened its first standalone multi-brand beauty store as it prepared an initial public offering targeting a valuation above KRW 10 trillion.
The market figures
According to the report, Olive Young, owned by CJ Group, held 21.5 per cent of South Korean beauty retail in the first half of 2026, with KRW 2.94 trillion of a KRW 13.72 trillion market. Musinsa's beauty brand count rose from roughly 800 in 2021 to 2,500, and its new store reportedly made KRW 250 million in its first three days, with foreign customers making up almost 60 per cent of buyers on the third day.
Discount retailer Daiso was nearing KRW 5 trillion in annual sales, and its beauty brands grew from 7 to 170 over four years, according to the same report.
THE CAST shopping perspective
A market share of about one fifth leaves room for other stores, and the report shows several moving in. For shoppers it means a choice between large and small, familiar and new. Our view, stated as a seller, is that a small curated store is the better place to discover a Korean brand, and a large chain is the better place to buy a staple you already know.