Olive Young holds its big Olyoung Sale four times a year, in March, June, September and December, with more than 1,500 beauty brands taking part. The company’s own releases from the March 2026 and August 2025 sales show how a sale week is built: daily one-day brand deals, New Arrivals and Steady Seller specials, coupon packs and first-come coupons, and a parallel sale on Olive Young Global.
The calendar
The Korea Times reported on June 22, 2026, using figures released by CJ Olive Young, that the Olive Young Sale runs quarterly in March, June, September and December, with more than 1,500 domestic beauty brands at discounted prices. The December sale is the next one in that pattern.
The two most recent sale announcements in CJ’s newsroom came very close to the first day. CJ announced the March 2026 sale on Friday, Feb 27, two days before it began on Sunday, March 1 and ran through Saturday, March 7. The August 2025 sale was announced on Thursday, Aug 28 and began the next day, Friday, Aug 29, running through Thursday, Sept 4. In both cases the dates became public only a day or two before the start.
An Asia Business Daily headline on Aug 28, 2026 reported a sale starting on the 30th with 34,000 products at up to 70 percent off.
What a sale week contains
CJ’s Feb 27, 2026 release says the March sale covered about 30,000 beauty and wellness products. Its structure had several layers:
| Layer | How it works in the March 2026 release |
|---|---|
| Today’s Special Deal | Six or seven brands a day get an extra one-day discount; the first day started with Biodance, and more than 40 brands rotated through, including Delight Project, Round Lab, Mediheal, Anovv, Estra and Clio |
| New Arrivals Special | Products launched since the last sale |
| Steady Seller Special | Bestsellers |
| Double planning bundles | Some promotions use bundles or gifts with purchase |
| Olive Young Global | A concurrent sale on the global mall, plus a Buy Now promotion at tourist-district stores in Myeongdong, Seongsu, Hongdae, Busan and Jeju featuring 15 products |
| Olive Better | The wellness platform joined through its Gwanghwamun flagship store and an app-in-app service, with extra discounts in six categories |
How the coupons work
In March 2026, offline stores released four discount coupon packs on specific dates, worth up to 40,000 won off on an offline basis. Online, special coupons were issued first come, first served three times a day, at 00:00, 12:00 and 18:00 Korea time.
The August 2025 sale used a different mix. Its coupon pack ran for seven days instead of three and was worth up to 34,000 won. First-come coupons worth up to 20,000 won were issued at 00:00 and 18:00 on days one through six, and two bonus coupons for all members replaced them on the last day. A pre-sale coupon was given randomly through a balance game concept, claimable until 11:59 p.m. on Aug 28 and usable only on day one.
| March 2026 sale | August to September 2025 sale | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | Mar 1 to Mar 7 | Aug 29 to Sept 4 |
| Scale | About 30,000 products | About 20,000 items at special prices |
| Coupon pack | Up to 40,000 won (offline) | Up to 34,000 won, claim period extended to 7 days |
| First-come coupons | Online at 00:00, 12:00 and 18:00 | At 00:00 and 18:00 on days 1 to 6, up to 20,000 won |
| Special deals | Today’s Special Deal, New Arrivals, Steady Seller | Brand Day, Flash Special, Steady Seller, New Arrival, Half-Price Special, Luxe Edit week |
The August 2025 deal types
The Aug 28, 2025 release lists the types in more detail. The Luxe Edit special week covered about 100 products from 11 premium brands at up to 30 percent off. Brand Day Special gave one to three brands a day extra discounts, starting with Amuse, Too Cool for School and Clio. Flash Special offered one representative product per day for one day only, and Steady Seller Special covered 30 top-selling items from September 2024 to June 2025 for seven days.
New Arrival Special covered more than 400 products launched since the June sale, and the Half-Price Special put products across categories at more than 50 percent off regular prices. Season-off pricing applied to cooling cosmetics and deodorants.
Offers aimed at visitors
Both releases include tourist offers. In August 2025, a promotion called Bu¥ No₩ offered six items selected for foreign tourists at stores in tourist districts, including masks from three brands and select skincare and sunscreen products, and payments with Alipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay or WOWPASS at some tourist-district stores earned instant extra discounts based on the purchase amount.
The March 2026 release adds the Buy Now promotion on 15 products, including skincare devices, sheet masks and cleansing foams, in Myeongdong, Seongsu, Hongdae, Busan and Jeju.
Why visitors time trips around sales
The Korea Times report of June 22, 2026 says foreign repeat visits to Olive Young stores are 11 times higher than three years ago, and repeat visits by overseas shoppers have more than doubled each year since 2023. Last year 6,200 foreign travelers shopped at Olive Young three or more times during its discount events. During the June sale, foreign customer sales at stores outside the capital region rose 72 percent, against a 45 percent nationwide average, and visits to the Olive Young Global Mall rose more than 180 percent from a year earlier.
The same report explains the refund rule behind some of that behavior. The Korea Customs Service refunds domestic taxes, including value-added tax, to foreign shoppers. Eligibility requires a customs verification of export goods at an airport or port, with departure from Korea within three months.
How to prepare for the next sale
- Remember the pattern: March, June, September and December.
- Watch Olive Young’s official channels for dates, since the last two announcements in CJ’s newsroom came one to two days before the first day.
- Make a list of the products you want and check which deal type might cover them: Today’s Special Deal for a single brand, New Arrivals for recent launches or Steady Seller for bestsellers.
- Plan coupon times. In March 2026 the online coupons arrived at 00:00, 12:00 and 18:00 Korea time.
- If you shop as a visitor, keep your passport and receipts together for the tax refund, which requires departure within three months.
- Next sale month noted: December
- Product list sorted by deal type
- Coupon times converted to my time zone
- Passport and receipts ready for a tax refund
Frequently asked questions
How often does Olive Young hold its big sale?
Four times a year, in March, June, September and December, according to the Korea Times report of June 22, 2026.
How many products were in the March 2026 sale?
About 30,000 beauty and wellness products, from March 1 to 7.
What time do online coupons drop?
In March 2026 they were issued at 00:00, 12:00 and 18:00. In August 2025 first-come coupons came at 00:00 and 18:00 on days one through six.
Is there a sale for overseas shoppers?
Olive Young Global ran a concurrent sale in March 2026, and tourist-district stores ran Buy Now and Bu¥ No₩ promotions.
How long do I have to leave Korea to claim a tax refund?
The Korea Times says eligibility requires customs verification at an airport or port and departure within three months.
Sources
- CJ Newsroom: Olive Young’s first sale of 2026, March 1 to 7 (Feb 27, 2026)
- CJ Newsroom: Olive Young sale, Aug 29 to Sept 4, 2025 (Aug 28, 2025)
- Korea Times: Foreign repeat visits to Olive Young Sale surge 11-fold in 3 years (June 22, 2026)
- Asia Business Daily: Olive Young sale from the 30th (Aug 28, 2026, headline)
Dates and figures checked against these pages on Oct 27, 2026. Weekdays were confirmed with a calendar calculation. The Aug 28, 2026 item is cited from its headline.