"China, even this is a knockoff?" Olive Young-style 'Only Young' store shocks shoppers

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According to Financial News, as CJ Olive Young has established itself as a "K-beauty shopping mecca" for foreign tourists visiting Korea, a copycat brand has reportedly emerged in China. Concerns are being raised that this goes beyond a similar concept, with the name, logo, and overall store layout imitating Olive Young to the extent that it could undermine trust in K-beauty brands.
Ajunews reported on the 13th that a beauty store in Changsha City, Hunan Province, named "Only Young (ONLY YOUNG)," which strongly evokes Olive Young, has opened and is now expanding its outlets. The store, which advertises nationwide free delivery, is also said to be operating a branch in nearby Liuyang City.
The store’s appearance and operating style are reported to be similar to Olive Young. Not only the store name but also the logo design, signature color, and product display methods are so alike that they immediately call Olive Young to mind.
There are also concerns that even the color and design of the shopping bags are so similar that foreign consumers who are not fully aware of the brand information could easily mistake Only Young for the Korean brand Olive Young.
Its marketing approach also leverages the image of Korean brands. Only Young has opened an official brand channel on Douyin, China’s short-form content platform, where it posts promotional videos using K-pop as background music to emphasize a Korean brand image. It has been confirmed that the store sells products from global beauty brands such as NARS, Christian Dior, and Kiehl's.
Industry insiders say this is not just a similar brand but a case of "deliberate imitation" premised on consumer confusion.
In particular, they believe it is taking advantage of the gap left after Olive Young withdrew from the Chinese market. Olive Young once operated offline stores centered on Shanghai and even established OLIVE YOUNG (Shanghai) Corporation in 2013, but its business shrank due to the Hallyu Ban following the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in 2016. As a result, it pulled out its offline stores, and OLIVE YOUNG (Shanghai) Corporation was liquidated last year.
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter