THE WHAT? A Chinese beauty retailer operating under the name “ONLY YOUNG” is drawing scrutiny for closely mirroring the branding and store identity of South Korea’s CJ Olive Young.
THE DETAILS The retailer reportedly uses green as its core brand colour across store signage, shopping bags and interiors, closely resembling Olive Young’s signature look. Its name is also seen as conceptually similar: the English name “ONLY YOUNG” and the Chinese name “Qingning Xiaoyang (青柠小漾)” reference “lime” imagery, echoing Olive Young’s “olive” branding.
The chain is also leveraging Korean Wave marketing, using K-pop music in promotional content on Douyin, where its account has reportedly generated around 156,000 likes. Online commentary has highlighted the similarity, with users describing the retail experience as near-identical to Olive Young stores.
THE WHY? The emergence of Olive Young-style retail formats in China reflects the continued pull of K-beauty merchandising and Hallyu-driven consumer culture, even as Olive Young itself has exited the market. The South Korean retailer withdrew from China in 2016 after entering in 2013, amid geopolitical tensions and restrictions on Korean cultural content. The situation also highlights ongoing concerns around brand imitation in Asia’s beauty retail sector as local players seek to replicate proven concepts.
Source: The Chosun Daily
