Controversy has arisen as it has come to light that a beauty store in China is operating with not only a similar appearance, name, and color concept as Olive Young, Korea's leading health and beauty (H&B) store, but also similar marketing strategies. The use of green signboards and interior design, a store name emphasizing "Young," and even promotional strategies utilizing K-pop have led to a series of reactions noting that the store strongly reminds people of Olive Young.

‘Olive Young’ Clone Appears in China

Green Signboard, Shopping Bags, and Interior Also Resemble Original

Store Emphasizing 'Young', Green Fruit Image

According to the retail industry on January 14, a beauty store named "ONLY YOUNG" is currently operating in Changsha and Liuyang, Hunan Province, China. This store primarily sells cosmetics and beauty-related products, focusing on well-known overseas brands.

The store's signature color is green, which is prominently used not only for shopping bags and signboards but also for the interior design. This aspect is similar to Olive Young, which also uses green as its symbolic color, raising concerns that foreign consumers may mistakenly believe the store is a Korean brand.

The store's name is also considered reminiscent of Olive Young. Not only does the English name "ONLY YOUNG" evoke a similar concept, but the Chinese name "Qingning Xiaoyang" also follows suit. The first two characters, "Qingning," refer to lime, which, like Olive Young's "Olive," conjures up the image of a green fruit.

Overseas Cosmetics-Centered H&B Store Format

K-Pop Background Music SNS Promotional Video Posted

Douyin Accumulated ‘Likes’ 156,000

The store is also actively leveraging the Hallyu (Korean Wave) image in its marketing. Its Douyin (Chinese TikTok) account features numerous promotional videos using K-pop as background music, with the total number of accumulated "likes" reaching 156,000.

In fact, a social media user who visited the store posted on December 4, "I came to Changsha, China, and what is this?" adding, "I was surprised at how similar it was."

Concerns Raised About Potential Misleading of Foreign Consumers

Past Marketing Controversies Such as 'Mumuso' Resurfaced

Debate Ignited Over Commercial Exploitation of Hallyu Image

A similar case has also occurred in the household goods industry. Previously, the Chinese lifestyle goods company "Mumuso" sparked controversy by using Korean-style branding and marketing despite not being a Korean company. Recently, it was also revealed that the "KR" designation was used in stores in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Seo Kyungduk, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, pointed out, "This is an example of exploiting the renewed attention on Hallyu content."

Meanwhile, Olive Young has already withdrawn from the Chinese market. Olive Young entered China in 2013 by opening its first store in Shanghai, but after the deployment of THAAD in 2016 and the subsequent impact of the "Korean Wave ban," the company scaled back and eventually closed its local operations.