Olive Young Black Friday: What Japanese and Taiwanese Travelers Buy, and the Real Discount Rate
CJ Olive Young announced that foreign purchases at its domestic offline stores topped 1 trillion won on a cumulative basis from January to August 2026. Each foreign customer bought 6 items on average per transaction. Japan is among the top 5 countries by purchase amount (listed alphabetically). Taiwan holds the number one spot for foreign visitors in the single city of Busan, separate from the national ranking. The sale event named Black Friday is a standalone November event, distinct from the Olive Young Sale and Olive Young Day. The most recent Black Friday ran from November 1 to 7, 2025, with 776 brands and 6,589 products participating and discounts of up to 60%. The 2026 schedule and discount rates will be announced a few days before the event starts, in the "Black Friday" notice on the official Olive Young app.
What Foreign Customers, Including Japanese Travelers, Buy
According to CJ Olive Young, foreign sales from January to August 2026 rose 47% compared to the same period the year before. The share of foreign customers in total offline sales grew from 2% in 2022 to 33% in August 2026.
Skincare topped the purchase list, followed by color cosmetics and hair care. One in three customers (35%) spent 100,000 won or more in a single transaction. The top 5 countries by purchase amount (listed alphabetically) were the United States, Singapore, Japan, China, and Thailand.
The Pattern Taiwanese Travelers Create at Busan's Seomyeon
According to Busan city figures, 3,643,439 foreign tourists visited Busan in 2025. That is a 24.4% increase from 2,929,192 in 2024, and it set a record high.
The Busan Development Institute analyzed credit card data and found that Taiwanese travelers grew from 257,049 people in 2023 to 687,832 in 2025, spending a combined 298.35 billion won on cards. In 2025, average spending per foreign visitor was highest among Americans at 487,000 won, followed by Taiwanese at 434,000 won and Singaporeans at 368,000 won.
A staff member at the Olive Young store in Seomyeon said Taiwanese visitors make up the largest share of foreign customers. One Taiwanese customer said his wife stopped by the store to buy aftercare products following a dermatology procedure at a nearby clinic. Customers show the product name or a photo directly on their smartphones to pick out items.
The Derma and Sun Care Corner Customers Visit After Dermatology Treatments
Olive Young introduced its "Advanced Derma" shelf section in late March 2026 and expanded the dedicated section to 650 stores nationwide within four months. June sales in this category rose more than 260% compared to April, and foreign customers accounted for about 70% of those sales.
Central Myeongdong Town, a global flagship store, carried the Advanced Derma section from the moment it opened. Busan's Nampo Town also placed 3 beauty consultants who handle skin diagnosis and consultation, and put the "Advanced Derma specialty zone" and "Mask Pack Library" at the front of the store.
The single product foreign customers bought most at Olive Young stores in major tourist commercial districts was Round Lab's "Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen." In traditional shopping districts like Myeongdong and Dongdaemun, skincare led sales. In newer districts like Apgujeong and Seongsu, color cosmetics and inner beauty products performed strongly.
Sources: Olive Young expands "Advanced Derma" to 650 stores, builds up K-derma (Dailian)
Black Friday Is a Separate Event From the Quarterly Olive Young Sale
Olive Young runs 3 types of regular sale events. The "Olive Young Sale," with about 1,500 participating brands, runs in March, June, September, and December. "Olive Young Day" issues coupons by membership tier from the 25th to the 27th of every month. "Black Friday" is a separate event held only in November, with a relatively higher share of overseas and premium brands than the other two.
| Event name | Timing | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Young Sale | March, June, September, December | About 1,500 brands participate, quarterly regular discount |
| Olive Young Day | 25th to 27th of every month | Coupons issued by membership tier |
| Black Friday | November (2025 ran November 1 to 7) | Standalone event focused on overseas and premium brands |
The most recently completed Black Friday ran from November 1 to 7, 2025. According to shopping guide unpa.me, 776 brands and 6,589 products took part, with discounts of up to 60%. The 2026 schedule and discount rates will be announced a few days before the event starts, in the "Black Friday" notice on the official Olive Young app.
Sources: Olive Young Black Friday 2025: Full guide to sale dates, recommended items, and discount benefits
Calculating the Real Discount Rate, Tax Refund Included
151 stores nationwide (as of August 2026, more than 10% of all stores) are designated "Global Tourism Zone" stores, where foreign-language-capable staff are assigned first. Stores in Myeongdong, Hongdae, Gangnam, and Busan are included in this designation.
At these stores, foreign customers who present a passport and spend 15,000 won or more get an instant refund: the register deducts the 10% VAT on the spot. The instant refund applies to purchases under 1 million won per transaction, up to a cumulative 5 million won per stay. Items bought at stores without the instant refund option are refunded afterward at the airport refund counter.
Combining the Black Friday discount with the instant tax refund increases the effective discount. For example, a product priced at 30,000 won sells for 18,000 won at a 40% discount, and the customer then gets the VAT portion refunded from that amount.
Sources: K-beauty & Olive Young Tax Refund Guide (Hani Seoul)
Sources: Taiwan tops foreign visitor count, followed by China, Japan, and the US (Segye Ilbo, July 6, 2026)
Sources: Olive Young expands "Advanced Derma" to 650 stores, builds up K-derma (Dailian)
Sources: K-beauty & Olive Young Tax Refund Guide (Hani Seoul)
Sources: Report on Olive Young's 151 Global Tourism Zone stores (Insight, August 31, 2026)