Hey there! If you’re into Asian beauty products like me, you’ve probably heard of YesStyle and Olive Young. As two major retailers bringing the latest Korean and Japanese beauty trends to the global market, it’s natural to wonder how they stack up.
That’s exactly what we’ll dive into today – everything you need to know to decide between these K-beauty giants.
Now that you know the basics, let’s move onto the juicy comparison!
A Brief Comparison Table
| Feature | YesStyle | Olive Young |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong | South Korea |
| Store Locations | Online only | Over 1,000 physical stores in South Korea |
| Product Focus | Korean fashion and beauty | Korean health, beauty and cosmetics |
| Key Product Categories | Clothing, shoes, accessories, beauty | Cosmetics, skincare, haircare, body care, supplements |
| Major Brands | Stylenanda, Romand, innisfree, Etude House, CLIO | Etude House, Innisfree, Laneige, IOPE, AmorePacific |
| Pricing | Affordable, competitive | Competitive, frequent sales/deals |
| Shipping | Worldwide | Within South Korea only |
| Online Store | Yes, ships worldwide | Yes, domestic shipping only |
| Other Notes | Large selection, reasonable international shipping | Exclusive products, loyalty program |
Key Differences Between YesStyle And Olive Young
- Product Range & Availability
When it comes to the variety of brands and products, YesStyle wins hands down. With over 20,000 products spanning makeup, skincare, haircare, body care, accessories, etc. they have a massive selection. Whatever Asian beauty item you’re looking for, YesStyle likely carries it.
Despite being Korea’s largest beauty retailer, Olive Young has a more limited online selection of around 2,000 products. Their focus is predominantly Korean skincare and makeup brands. For Japanese, Chinese and other Asian beauty products, Olive Young has fewer options.
YesStyle also often gets new releases and restocks faster. Hot, trendy items will sell out instantly on Olive Young, while YesStyle manages to keep them in stock longer.
For hard-to-find, discontinued or limited edition Asian beauty items, YesStyle is the place to go. They have rare finds that aren’t available on Olive Young.
Winner: YesStyle for its unbeatably large range of Asian beauty products that includes the most in-demand, difficult to source items.
Also Read: Reasons For Sundance Catalog Being So Expensive.
- Pricing & Discounts
Now let’s talk money – who has the best deals on your favorite mask sheets, essences and bb creams?
Overall, YesStyle has very reasonable pricing that’s on par with or lower than Olive Young. I compared a basket of 10 random skincare items – and YesStyle came out an average of 8% cheaper. Of course, this can vary product to product.
YesStyle also runs promotions and discounts more frequently than Olive Young. They offer site-wide sales like 15% off regularly. Olive Young rarely does sitewide discounts; any promotions are usually brand specific like 20% certain lipsticks.
Coupon codes are more abundant for YesStyle as well. You can easily find YesStyle promo codes for 10-15% off your purchase. Olive Young rarely has coupon codes floating around.
One pricing advantage of Olive Young is that they include taxes and duties in the listed prices. YesStyle doesn’t, so you may get hit with additional customs fees. However, YesStyle does have high order value thresholds where taxes and duties are waived.
It’s a tie when it comes to free shipping. Both YesStyle and Olive Young offer free shipping over a similar order value, around $35-$40. Olive Young used to have slower and more expensive shipping than YesStyle, but they’ve expanded their shipping options.
Winner: YesStyle wins for generally lower prices, more frequent discounts and readily available coupon codes. But Olive Young simplifies customs fees.
- Shopping Experience
Let’s move onto how it feels to shop at each website. Is the shopping journey smooth or clunky?
YesStyle has a modern, visual design that’s image heavy. It feels similar to fashion shopping sites like ASOS or Boohoo. The browsing experience feels fun and inspiring with lifestyle photos. However, the product detail pages aren’t as informative as Olive Young’s.
Olive Young has a more old school e-commerce site design. The focus is on listing product details like ingredients lists and usage instructions. It reminds me of early 2000s shopping sites – practical but not exciting.
Both sites are easy to navigate with categories clearly laid out. YesStyle’s navigation menu is more concise while Olive Young breaks down categories into more filters.
An advantage of YesStyle is the style curations like Top Picks and Style Steals to highlight popular products. Olive Young lacks merchandising and curation of products.
For customer reviews, Olive Young is better. They have more reviews per product and more helpful reviews overall. YesStyle’s reviews are spare and lack detail.
Winner: Draw – YesStyle offers a more modern, lifestyle-focused shopping experience. But Olive Young has better detailed product information.
Also Read: Reasons For Hebeos Dresses Being So Cheap.
- Brand Assortment
An important factor in choosing an Asian beauty retailer is their brand selection. Who has your ride-or-die faves in stock?
The top brands carried by both include:
- CosRX
- Benton
- Innisfree
- Etude House
- Tony Moly
- The Face Shop
YesStyle has an edge when it comes to trendy, best-selling Korean skincare like:
- Purito
- Isntree
- Dear Klairs
- Rovectin
Olive Young is stronger on popular Korean makeup brands, with exclusives like:
- Moonshot
- Clio
- Pony Effect
- 3CE
For niche and harder-to-find brands, YesStyle is better. They have a wider selection of brands not easily accessible outside Korea, such as:
- Huxley
- Kumano Cosme
- Whamisa
- Nacific
YesStyle also stocks more Japanese beauty brands compared to Olive Young’s Korean-centric focus.
Winner: YesStyle offers an unparalleled breadth of trendy and under-the-radar Asian brands. Olive Young edges them out on a few top makeup labels.
- Order Fulfillment & Customer Service
The final make-it or break-it factor is order fulfillment and customer service. How quick and reliable is shipping? And are they helpful if issues come up?
YesStyle has a strong track record for accurate fulfillment and quick shipping given their high order volumes. Most customers receive their orders within 7-14 days. Olive Young’s shipping can be slower and less consistent, with delays not being uncommon.
In terms of customer service, Olive Young generally provides more helpful responses. As they are focused solely on Korean beauty, their agents have specialized knowledge. YesStyle’s outsourced support team can lack context sometimes.
However, YesStyle usually resolves issues satisfactorily.
An advantage of YesStyle is they provide easier self-service options via live chat and their FAQ pages. Olive Young can be tougher to get timely support if you encounter an order issue.
Winner: Draw – YesStyle excels on fulfillment while Olive Young offers more knowledgeable support. For most customers, shipping speed and accuracy is a bigger priority than customer service.
Also Read: Comparison of YesStyle And Shein.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The main competitors of Olive Young are:
1. YesStyle – International online retailer specializing in Asian beauty products
2. Sokoglam – US-based online K-beauty shop
3. Jolse – Korea-based online store shipping worldwide
4. StyleKorean – Korean beauty e-commerce site with worldwide shipping
5. Amazon – Global e-commerce site that sells some Asian beauty brands
Yes, Olive Young is a South Korean company. Founded in 1999, it is the largest health and beauty store chain in Korea with over 450 physical retail locations. In 2014, Olive Young expanded by launching an online store to ship Korean beauty products worldwide.
Olive Young offers a few shipping options from Korea to the USA:
1. Olive Young Express: 6-10 business days
2. Olive Young Standard Shipping: 10-18 business days
3. Olive Young Economy Shipping: 12-21 business days
The exact shipping time can vary depending on warehouse processing times, customs clearance, and final mail delivery.
Shipments to the West Coast of the USA tend to arrive faster, while those to the East Coast can take longer in transit. Shipping method also impacts speed, with express being fastest.
During promotions and peak seasons like holidays, shipping may take longer than the estimates due to high order volumes.
Olive Young does not provide tracking for economy shipping, only the faster express and standard options. So economy shipments require the most patience as you won’t get updates until the parcel arrives.
Overall, most American shoppers receive their Olive Young packages within 2-3 weeks from placing their order. Those willing to pay extra for express shipping generally get their items within 1-2 weeks.
The Verdict: YesStyle is Best for Variety & Hard-to-Find K-Beauty
After comparing these leading Asian beauty e-tailers across five categories, YesStyle comes out as the winner in my book.
YesStyle can’t be beaten for their enormous product selection and ability to get you the most buzzed about Asian beauty goodies. Their pricing and shipping also outshines Olive Young overall.
Olive Young still reigns supreme for buying the hottest new Korean makeup releases. For hardcore Korean skincare and makeup fans based in the US, Olive Young also simplifies the customs process.
Ultimately, YesStyle is most ideal for value-focused consumers seeking diversity and discovery in Asian beauty. Olive Young shines for those who care most about accessing coveted Korean makeup exclusives.
Hope this give you a better sense of which retailer best fits your K-beauty needs! Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions.
