If you are shopping for Korean skincare, makeup, or health foods from outside Korea, two names come up again and again: Yestyle and Olive Young Global.*
As enthusiastic K-beauty lovers for over a decade, we have tried and tested both shops and have seen them grow over the years. Both are legit, both ship internationally to most countries. But, they offer very different benefits. Which one wins depends entirely on what you are shopping for and what your priorities are. So, here is an honest, no-hype comparison. We are focusing especially on international shoppers dealing with customs and potentially long shipping times.
Note: this article contains affiliate links, which are marked with a *!
The Quick Overview
Olive Young Global is the official international arm of Olive Young, Korea’s No. 1 health & beauty store according to The Guardian, with over 1,360 physical stores back in Korea. The Global site brings a well-curated slice of that in-store catalog online. You get authenticity and the newest Korean releases faster than from other global K-shops. Plus, you can find exclusive limited editions that aren’t sold at any other K-beauty retailer.
YesStyle is a long-running Asian fashion and beauty marketplace based in Hong Kong that just celebrated its 20th shop birthday. They have a much broader catalog spanning Korean, Japanese, and other Asian brands. Plus, they don’t only sell skincare, but also fashion, stationary and lifestyle products.
Skincare & Makeup Selection
Olive Young Global focuses tightly on Korean brands, and it’s usually the fastest place to find a product the moment it achieves virality in South Korea. Its curated catalogue and exclusive bundle sets are a real draw if you care about getting the newest, most talked-about releases. Olive Young also has so much market power that many brands collaborate exclusive with the store, often producing OY-exclusive franchise editions, e.g. with Sanrio or K-pop bands.
Yesstyle carries a noticeably wider range: thousands of skincare and makeup products, including Korean and Japanese brands, though not as many niche brands as Olive Young Global. There is less choice in terms of shades as well, unless we’re talking the most sought after K-beauty items. Olive Young trends to be quicker with including indie brands trending in Korea, but Yesstyle tends to have a cheaper price point.
Bottom line: Olive Young wins on “what’s trending right now in Korea.” YesStyle wins on breadth and brand selection from multiple Asian countries.
Health Foods
This is where the two diverge most, we would say!
Olive Young‘s roots are as a health-and-beauty chain, so its catalog includes a great, varied wellness and health food section alongside skincare: protein snacks, supplements, and diet-support items that reflect what you’d find in-store in Korea.
YesStyle’s catalog leans much more heavily toward beauty, fashion, and accessories, with far less depth in the health food space. If Korean health foods and supplements are a priority for you, Olive Young Global is the stronger pick.
Shipping Times
Olive Young Global: Ships to 60+ countries via trusted express couriers (DHL, FedEx, LX Pantos, EMS). The K-beauty shop offers free shipping on orders over $60 and roughly 5–7 days in transit depending on how customs is handled in your country.
Sadly, Olive Young Global no longer ships to the US, and the new US-only shop does not offer the same wide range of products. Thus, it may be advisable for US shoppers to choose either Yesstyle or Stylevana instead!
YesStyle: Also ships worldwide, but delivery speed depends heavily on your shipping tier and which items are in your cart. One thing worth knowing: YesStyle sources from many different suppliers, so if one item in your order has a longer processing time, your entire order can be held until everything is ready to ship together. If speed matters and your cart has a mix of items, keep this in mind.
Customs & Duties
Olive Young Global has recently changed its customs and duties regulations for the EU. You now pay all your customs-related charges and VAT at checkout if your orders ships to an EU country. So, no more wrangling with customs upon arrival of your OY package!
For some EU countries (e.g. Germany), Olive Young Global has capped order maximums at $160 or $300, so keep that in mind if you plan a big haul!
YesStyle does something similar: for EU and UK orders, VAT for your country is calculated and included in the price you see at checkout. Plus, they absorb the “small packages” flat fee charged by EU customs!
On top of that, YesStyle offers a refund for customs-related taxes and fees on orders under $1,000. You pay the customs fee if one comes up, then submit your receipt to YesStyle for reimbursement as store credit within 30 days.
Pricing
Olive Young tends to run frequent site-wide sales and coupon codes. Its bundle/value sets can offer real savings if you are buying those items anyway. Especially during their big sales events such as brand weeks, OMG coupon days, member week and the seasonal sales, you can get exceptionally good savings. And don’t forget that most downloadable coupon codes are stackable with a promo code from our Olive Young coupon table!
YesStyle is generally positioned as the more consistently affordable option across its full catalog, especially once you stack a code with an existing sale. Remember, you can always combine the official sales codes with influencer/affiliate codes such as “KBEAUTY50” to receive an additional 5-50% off storewide! Some brand and sales exclusion might apply, however.
So, Which One Should You Choose?
Honestly — it depends on what you’re shopping for:
- Chasing the newest Korean skincare/makeup release, or want Korean health foods plus the fastest shipping? Olive Young Global’s curated, authentic catalog is the better choice.
- Want to mix Japanese or other Asian brands and stock up on viral, globally trending products plus shop for Asian fashion? Yesstyle is the here broader bet.
- Ordering a big haul? Watch Olive Young’s shipping caps for certain countries, and watch YesStyle’s “slowest item holds the order” quirk.
Many K-beauty shoppers end up using both, depending on what’s on the list that week. For us, both shops offer different perks that we regularly make use of!
Want to save on both? Check out our constantly updated and tested Olive Young Global coupon list or our YesStyle promo code list for your next K-beauty shop!
Interested in shopping at Stylevana? You can check out our Olive Young Global vs. Stylevana comparison article or the Stylevana code list!