If one of my foreign friends asked me,
“I’m going to Olive Young in Korea. What should I buy?”
I probably wouldn’t start by giving them a shopping list.
I’d say:
“Don’t buy anything for the first 10 minutes. Just walk around.”
Seriously.
I live in Korea, and even I sometimes walk into Olive Young and have no idea where to start.
Sunscreen. Toner pads. Sheet masks. Lip tints. Cushions. Hair treatments. Scalp care.
There is a lot going on.
And somehow, even when I walk in thinking, I only need one thing today, I often walk out carrying a bag with three or four things inside.
I’m pretty sure a lot of Koreans know exactly what I mean.
What is Olive Young?
If you’re new to Korean beauty, Olive Young is one of the easiest places to start.
It’s a major health and beauty store in Korea where you can find skincare, makeup, hair care, body products, supplements, beauty tools and more.
For travelers, the biggest advantage is simple:
You can see a huge range of Korean beauty products in one place.
Instead of visiting individual brand stores one by one, you can compare different Korean brands, prices and promotions inside the same store.
That makes Olive Young especially convenient if this is your first time shopping for K-beauty in Korea.
First tip: don’t rush when you enter
When you first walk into an Olive Young store, take a few minutes to understand the layout.
Most stores divide products into sections such as:
Skincare, Sun Care, Makeup, Hair Care, Masks, Body Care and more.
I usually walk around once before deciding what I actually want.
Why?
Because the product I came for is not always the product I end up buying.
Sometimes I notice a new brand.
Sometimes there’s a special set.
Sometimes something nearby looks much more interesting.
That’s part of the fun of shopping at Olive Young.
1. Korean sunscreen is one of the first sections I would check
If someone asked me what they should look at first at Olive Young Korea, sunscreen would definitely be near the top of my list.
Koreans use sunscreen a lot, so there are many different types.
You’ll see lightweight sunscreens, moisturizing formulas, tone-up sunscreens, sun sticks and products designed for different skin types.
The difficult part is actually choosing one.
One thing I would not do is automatically buy the first sunscreen I saw on TikTok.
Social media is useful for discovering products, but there are usually many similar options in the store.
Take a minute to compare them.
I also always look at the price label underneath the product.
Sometimes there’s a regular product, and right next to it there’s a special set with an extra item or a better promotion.
That can make a big difference.
If you’re planning a separate sunscreen shopping trip, Olive Young is actually a good place to compare several Korean sunscreen brands at once.
2. Sheet masks are easy to browse — and easy to overbuy
The sheet mask section is another area that feels very “K-beauty” to me.
There are so many.
Brightening masks, calming masks, moisturizing masks, collagen masks, masks for sensitive skin…
The first time you see the wall of sheet masks, you may wonder:
“Do people really need this many kinds of masks?”
Maybe not.
But it’s still fun to look.
Sheet masks can also be useful if you want small Korean beauty gifts for friends.
They’re easy to carry, and you can try several different types without buying a full-size skincare product.
Just be careful.
This is one of those sections where five minutes can suddenly become twenty.
3. The makeup section tells you a lot about current Korean beauty trends
Even when I don’t need makeup, I still find myself stopping at the makeup section.
Especially lip products.
Korean lip tints change constantly, and there always seems to be a new texture, shade or brand getting attention.
Cushion foundations are another category worth checking if you’re interested in Korean makeup.
One thing I like about visiting the store in person is that it gives you a better sense of what is actually popular in Korea.
Online, you might keep seeing the same five viral products.
Inside Olive Young, you realize there are dozens of brands competing for attention.
That’s why I wouldn’t recommend following a “Top 10 Olive Young Products” list too strictly.
Use those lists as a starting point.
Then look around yourself.
You might find something much more interesting.
4. Don’t ignore the hair and scalp care section
Foreign visitors often focus on skincare and makeup, but Olive Young also has a surprisingly large selection of Korean hair care products.
Shampoo, treatments, hair masks, scalp products, hair essences…
There’s a lot to explore.
Hair and scalp care is becoming one of the Korean beauty areas I find particularly interesting because there are so many products and treatments that travelers may not know about yet.
If you’re interested in Korean hair care or Korean head spas, this is a section worth looking at.
5. Learn to read the Olive Young promotion signs
You’ll probably notice a few words over and over again while walking around the store:
SALE
1+1
Special Set
BEST
Koreans pay attention to these too.
I definitely do.
But I wouldn’t buy something just because it says SALE.
Check what’s actually included.
Sometimes a special set is a good deal.
Sometimes you’re getting an extra product you don’t really need.
And sometimes you see a promotion and suddenly convince yourself that you absolutely need something you had never heard of five minutes earlier.
That happens.
A lot.
This is what I call the Olive Young problem:
You enter for one thing. You leave with a full shopping bag.
6. What should foreigners buy at Olive Young Korea?
There isn’t one perfect shopping list for everyone.
Your skin type, budget and interests matter.
But if this is your first visit, these are the categories I would personally explore first:
- Korean sunscreen
- Toner pads
- Sheet masks
- Lip tints
- Cushion foundation
- Hair and scalp care
- Travel-size beauty products
- Korean beauty tools
You don’t need to buy something from every section.
In fact, I think Olive Young is more fun when you leave some room for discovery.
7. Check the price before you assume it’s a bargain
Olive Young is known for promotions, but I wouldn’t assume every product is automatically cheaper simply because you’re buying it in Korea.
Look at the actual price.
Check whether it’s a single product or a bundle.
Compare the size.
And if you’re buying several items, take a moment before heading to the checkout.
This is especially useful because Olive Young stores make it very easy to keep adding “just one more thing.”
I’ve done it many times.
8. What about the Olive Young tax refund?
If you’re visiting Korea as a foreign traveler, check whether your Olive Young purchase is eligible for a tax refund.
Look for a “Tax Refund” or “Tax Free” sign and ask the staff before paying, since the available refund method can vary by store.
Eligible purchases generally start at KRW 15,000, and the products must remain unopened and unused. Travelers must leave Korea within three months of the purchase date.
For an immediate refund at a participating store, present your passport at checkout. A single payment must be under KRW 1 million, and total immediate-refund purchases during the trip must not exceed KRW 5 million.
Tax refund rules can change. Check the official VISITKOREA tax refund guide before shopping.
9. You don’t always need to visit the busiest Olive Young in Seoul
When foreigners search for Olive Young in Seoul, they often hear about famous locations like Myeongdong.
Those large stores can be convenient because they have a wide selection and are used to international visitors.
But they can also get busy.
Very busy.
If your goal is simply to look at products slowly and shop without feeling rushed, a regular neighborhood Olive Young can actually be a great choice.
The store I visited for this guide wasn’t a famous tourist flagship.
It was just a normal Olive Young that local people visit during their everyday lives.
And honestly, I like that kind of store too.
It’s easier to walk around and actually look at things.
Myeongdong, Seongsu or a neighborhood Olive Young?
It depends on what kind of experience you want.
If this is your first time in Korea and you want a large, tourist-friendly store, Myeongdong can make sense.
If you want Olive Young to feel more like a K-beauty destination in itself, Seongsu is worth exploring.
But if you’re already walking around Seoul and you see an Olive Young nearby?
You can just go in.
There’s no rule saying you need to visit the most famous branch.
In fact, I think exploring different branches is part of the experience.
We’ll be comparing more Olive Young stores around Seoul on JUST KOREA in the future.
What I would tell a friend before their first Olive Young visit
Don’t build a shopping list with 30 products before you arrive.
Start with a few things you’re curious about.
Then walk around.
Check the prices.
Look at the BEST displays.
Look at the promotions.
Try products when testers are available.
And don’t be afraid to look at Korean brands you’ve never seen on TikTok or Instagram.
Sometimes the most interesting thing you find in Korea is the thing you weren’t searching for.
Is Olive Young worth visiting in Korea?
For me, yes.
Especially if you like K-beauty.
Even if you don’t buy much, Olive Young is an easy way to see what kinds of skincare, makeup and beauty products are popular in Korea right now.
It’s convenient.
It’s fun.
And yes, it can be a little dangerous for your wallet.
But there’s one thing I want visitors to remember.
Olive Young is not the whole Korean beauty scene.
There are brand flagship stores.
Department stores.
Small beauty shops.
Independent Korean brands.
Pop-up stores.
And entire neighborhoods like Seongsu where new beauty spaces seem to appear all the time.
So if Olive Young is your first K-beauty stop in Korea, that’s perfect.
Just don’t make it your last.
Olive Young is a great first stop.
But it should not be your last.
There’s a lot more waiting outside those green Olive Young doors.
What I Actually Saw at an Olive Young in Gangnam
Planning to shop in Gangnam? Read my firsthand guide to Olive Young Central Gangnam Town.
I visited this branch on August 13, 2026. This is not a ranking or a list copied from online reviews—the notes below come only from what I could see in the store and in the photos I took.
Skincare: Torriden, Round Lab and ISOI were given prominent eye-level space on the main skincare wall. Wellage, Laneige, Mamonde and AHC were also visible on the same fixture.
Sun care: The store had a dedicated summer sun-care display organized around benefits such as tone-up, soothing and cooling. I also saw two-item planning sets alongside regular products.
One price I could verify: A Beauty of Joseon sunscreen was marked down to KRW 14,500 in the photo I took. Because promotions change, treat that as the price I saw on August 13—not a guaranteed current price.
Sheet masks: Mediheal occupied a large part of the mask wall, with collagen, hyaluronate, vitamin C and madecassoside options clearly separated. Several visible single-mask tags were around KRW 2,000–3,000.
Makeup: Kiss Me had a large dedicated fixture, with ETUDE also clearly visible. A separate “Light” summer makeup display featured fwee and COSNORI, with 20% and 21% discount signs on the fixture.
Hair and scalp care: The shelf mixed shampoos, treatments, masks, oils and scalp products across many brands. In this branch, the category felt broad rather than dominated by one obvious bestseller.
The photos do not let me verify which products were official bestsellers, which section foreign shoppers viewed most, or whether every bundle was a 1+1 deal, so I have not labeled them that way.
What I would take from this visit: compare the regular item with the planning set, check the price label instead of relying on the display headline, and remember that a large display shows what the store is promoting—not necessarily what will suit your skin or hair.