Olive Young’s new Seongsu store is a one-stop haven for all things beauty — even for men

The new Olive Young N store in the trendy Seongsu neighborhood has it all, from experiences to expertise and even exclusive lounges.

Olive Young N Seongsu in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, will open its doors to the public on Friday. The branch is cosmetics retailer Olive Young's biggest in size and offers services and brands that are exclusive to the store. [YONHAP]

Olive Young’s newest store near Seongsu Station in eastern Seoul comes with the biggest collection of brands and on-site interactive experiences the cosmetics retail giant has to offer yet.

Two large mirrors fill up a corner of the “Men’s Edit” zone. An array of grooming knives and brow liners are on display on the counters, while a beautician armed with makeup tools hovers nearby, ready to dish out expertise on the newest trends.

Olive Young N's "Brow Bar" in the Men's Edit zone [KIM JU-YEON]

Named the “Brow Bar,” the mirrored area is where professionals give personalized brow styling and care tips. They also give beauty tips based on aesthetic personas that customers choose from a digital lookbook. It’s the health and beauty store's first hands-on beauty experience exclusive for men, and is just one of many features that sets Olive Young N, set to open its doors to the public on Friday, apart from other branches.

The Seongsu store is CJ Olive Young’s largest, spanning 4,628 square meters (49,800 square feet) over five floors. It is the first Olive Young N shop – the “N” symbolizing exponentiation and standing for “New,” “Next,” “Nest” and “Network” – and was created with a mission to be a playground and incubator for health and beauty products and trends, as well as a networking space where beauty lovers meet.

“Olive Young N is in the heart of the trendy Seongsu neighborhood as a K-beauty landmark,” a company spokesperson said to reporters on a tour of the shop on Thursday.

Olive Young N Seongsu's "Perfume Library" zone [KIM JU-YEON]

The second and third floors, named “Beauty & Culture” and “Skin & Wellness,” respectively, are divided into 12 different zones that display products curated to each theme.

Other than the standard perfume, skincare and cosmetics divisions other drugstores typically have, Olive Young N also has a “K-pop Now” zone with a photo zone and K-pop merchandise for sale; a “Hot & New Express” station just for customizable accessories; and a “Wellness Edit” space focused on athletics and rest that currently sells yoga and sleep wear.

Olive Young N Seongsu's K-pop Now zone features girl group izna from Mnet audition program "I-LAND 2." [KIM JU-YEON]

Its cosmetics are further divided into the “Luxe Edit” zone with upscale brands like Jung Saem Mool and Hera, while the “Color Makeup” corner has brands that are more affordable targeting a younger audience and where customers can see live voting results for the best reviewed products. Its vast collection of skincare brands is also divided in zones according to their more specific functions such as the “Active Skincare” or “Daily Skincare” stations.

The “Men’s Edit” zone’s selection is still small among the glut of choice in the other zones in the store that primarily stock items for women, but still has a wide array of men’s beauty products centered around hair styling and skin care.

Customers can make customizable accessories at the Hot & New Express zone [KIM JU-YEON]

Around 160 brands including Simihaze Beauty and Santa Maria Novella are exclusive to the Olive Young N branch, according to the retailer.

The new store notably makes a push for interactive experiences for customers. Professional makeup consultation sessions such as at the Brow Bar or at the Skin Scan Pro, which analyzes customers’ skin or scalps and recommends products based on their type, run on an on-site reservation basis.

Olive Young N Seongsu has a lounge that is only open to Gold Olive Young membership card or Olive Young Hyundai Card holders on the fourth floor. [KIM JU-YEON]

Also new to Olive Young N is the “networking” aspect. A members-only lounge that is open to Gold Olive Young membership or Olive Young Hyundai Card holders is situated on the fourth floor, which also contains a film studio where creators are invited to make content.

Staff members fluent in English, Chinese and Japanese will be stationed at the store, and all employees carry live translators that can translate 16 languages. Multilingual kiosks and paper store guides are placed around the store for navigation and brand locating as well as QR code systems that will connect customers to Naver Booking to make reservations for on-site consultations.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]