A LOOK AT SOUTH KOREA’S MOST POPULAR SKINCARE PRODUCTS
The best toners, essences, serums and sheet masks to buy from beauty chain Olive Young
Many tourists visit South Korea with empty space in their suitcases for the Korean products – more specifically, beauty products – they intend to bring back with them.
According to Google Trends, searches for “Korean skincare” and “Olive Young”, one of South Korea’s top beauty store chains with more than 1,000 branches across the country, have been rising quickly over the past 18 months.
The number of Olive Young stores speaks to its dominance in the beauty market – one so competitive that international chains like Sephora and Watsons have failed to establish a foothold in the country.
Its growing popularity among tourists is clear – last year, its sales to foreigners increased by 660 per cent compared to the year before, according to the company. Even the wives of US professional baseball players were spotted in an Olive Young store when they visited Seoul in March for the opening game of North America’s Major League Baseball season.
What sets the retailer apart from its competitors is that it carries a lot of medium-sized domestic brands that offer high-quality products at affordable prices.
These brands do not have their own bricks-and-mortar stores, nor are they sold in bigger department stores and, since most do not have huge marketing budgets, they compete with one another through the quality of their products.
While K-dramas feature flawless, perfect-skinned actors and actresses, this is not the reality for many Koreans. A recent beauty trend report by mobile research provider Opensurvey found that different age groups in the country have their own worries – just like people anywhere else would have.
Korean teenagers cared most about acne, pimples and skin tone, while women in their twenties and thirties were interested in improving their pores and skin dryness. More mature women worry about their lines, pigmentation and skin elasticity.
So what kind of products are these women buying?
We provide insight into some of the most popular products sold at Olive Young, based on the Olive Young Awards 2023 list that the beauty chain released at the end of the year. The results were determined after analysing the data from 150 million sales.
Toner
Round Lab’s 1025 Dokdo Toner
This was ranked as the No 1 toner in 2020, 2021 and 2023. User reviews say this toner is hypoallergenic and perfect for daily use. It is especially effective in removing dead skin cells and keeps your skin soft and smooth.
Anua’s Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner
This toner’s effectiveness in getting rid of excessive sebum secretion has been backed up by a 2022 study by the Korea Institute of Dermatological Sciences, which found that among users, excretion of sebum – an oily substance that protects the skin’s surface – decreased by 26 per cent in four weeks.
Bringgreen’s Tea Tree Cica Soothing Toner
This cooling toner is said to lower your skin temperature and is effective in removing your blackheads and whiteheads, while also improving your sebum secretion.
Torriden’s Dive-In Low Molecule Hyaluronic Acid Toner
This toner is good for those with dry skin as it has hyaluronic acid, which helps retain moisture. Hyaluronic acids of differing molecular sizes play slightly different roles while doing this job, and this toner contains five different molecular hyaluronic acid sizes to meet all of your needs.
Essences/serums
ISOI’s Blemish Care Serum
When it comes to serums, ISOI’s is the single most-sold item in the past 11 years in Olive Young. The no-fuss name says it all – it will take care of your blemishes. The secret? Arbutin, a pigmentation-reducing compound that is one of its main ingredients.
Goodal’s Green Tangerine Vita-C Dark Spot Care
About 7.1 million bottles of this serum have been sold in six years. Users rate it highly for its absorptivity and brightening and moisturising properties. The serum is made from green tangerines – which can only be harvested in a four-week window each year – from Jeju Island, South Korea’s largest island.
Sheet masks
Mediheal’s Tea Tree Essential Mask
Mediheal is one of the biggest sheet mask brands in South Korea and has sold 2.8 billion of them since 2009. While it offers plenty of options, the Tea Tree Essential Mask is its most popular and is especially effective in calming skin irritation and balancing your skin’s oil and water levels.
Torriden’s Torriden Dive-In Low Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Mask
Just like the brand’s toner mentioned above, Torriden’s sheet masks also contain hyaluronic acid with five different molecular sizes and are deeply moisturising.
Ilso’s Natural Mild Clear Nose Pack
This nose mask promises to gently remove all unwanted blackheads and whiteheads. There are two masks. The first will soften your whiteheads. Remove them using cotton buds, and finish off by using the second mask that will close up the pores.
Olive Young sale periods
The prices of these items are already quite affordable. But who can say no to a good bargain? Olive Young’s biggest sales take place four times a year, in early March, June, September and December, and they last for a week each time. Discounts of up to 70 per cent can be had.
Olive Young online
Olive Young products can be bought online, with free shipping to places such as Hong Kong and Singapore for customers who spend above a certain amount. Chemist chain Mannings also sells some Olive Young products online.