CHICOR Korea Guide: The Sephora-Style K-Beauty Store Beyond Olive Young

• CHICOR (시코르) is Korea’s “Sephora” — a premium beauty select shop by Shinsegae, carrying 250+ brands and ~5,000 products across luxury, niche, and rising K-beauty.
• It’s where you find what Olive Young doesn’t: global names like Bath & Body Works, Hourglass, and NARS, plus premium K-labels like d’Alba, Toun28, Pleuvoir, and A ddct — with full shade ranges and CHICOR-exclusive colors.
• The vibe is department-store luxury, minus the pressure. Free, hands-on, cross-brand testing — no pushy sales staff.
• Foreigners get an instant tax refund (Shinsegae, on ₩15,000+), and CHICOR is deliberately opening in tourist hubs like Gangnam, Myeongdong, and Hongdae.
• Skip to the bottom for the exact brands and products worth your suitcase space.

Most foreigners plan a Korea beauty trip around one word: Olive Young. And you should go — we have a whole Olive Young 101 guide for that. But if you only shop Olive Young, you’re missing the more elevated half of Korean beauty.

That half lives at CHICOR. Think curated luxury, niche fragrance, pro makeup, and the K-beauty brands that are too premium or too indie for a mass drugstore shelf. Here’s exactly what it is, how it differs from Olive Young, and what to actually buy.

What Is CHICOR?

CHICOR is a premium beauty select shop (concept store) run by Shinsegae, one of Korea’s biggest department-store groups. Launched in 2016 and widely called “the Korean Sephora,” it brings department-store-quality curation to a walk-in street format — around 250 brands and 5,000 products spanning makeup, skincare, fragrance, hair, and body.

Originally CHICOR leaned heavily on foreign luxury (about 70% imports). But as K-beauty exploded, it flipped the mix — the newest flagships now stock more than half Korean brands, blending global names with cult indie labels. At its Hongdae store, raising the K-beauty share from 40% to over 60% sent monthly international sales up more than 90% year-on-year.

It’s a smaller player than the giant it’s chasing — roughly 19 stores and ₩100 billion (~$73M) in annual sales — but it’s expanding fast into exactly the neighborhoods tourists visit.

CHICOR vs Olive Young — What’s the Difference?

Short version: Olive Young is the drugstore; CHICOR is the department-store beauty hall. They overlap on trendy K-beauty, but they’re built for different shoppers.

🛍️ CHICOR at a glance

• Positioning: Premium “Korean Sephora”
• Scale: ~19 stores · ~₩100B ($73M) sales
• Brands: Luxury + niche + premium K-beauty
• You can find here (not at Olive Young): Bath & Body Works, Hourglass, NARS, d’Alba, Toun28, Pleuvoir
• Price: $$–$$$ (mid to premium)
• Experience: Immersive, free cross-brand testing — no pressure
• Tax refund: Instant (Shinsegae), from ₩15,000
• Best for: Gifts, fragrance, makeup, “treat yourself”

🧴 Olive Young at a glance

• Positioning: Mass-market health & beauty (drugstore)
• Scale: ~1,370 stores · ~₩4.8T sales
• Brands: Mostly mid-market & indie K-beauty
• Strength: The widest everyday selection, frequent sales
• Price: $–$$ (budget to mid)
• Experience: Fast, functional, busy
• Tax refund: Instant 9%, from ₩30,000
• Best for: Everyday skincare, bulk hauls

The simplest way to think about it: go to Olive Young for your routine, go to CHICOR for the special stuff — the fragrance you can’t get back home, the pro makeup, the gift that looks expensive because it is. Many locals (and smart tourists) do both in one afternoon.

Why Shoppers Love CHICOR

1. Brands you literally can’t find at Olive Young. This is the real reason to go. Global names like Bath & Body Works, Hourglass, and NARS sit next to premium Korean labels a drugstore won’t stock.

2. Full shade ranges — and CHICOR exclusives. Because it’s curated like a department store, CHICOR often carries the complete shade lineup for a brand, plus occasional CHICOR-only colors you won’t see anywhere else.

3. Test everything, pressure-free. Like Sephora, the whole floor is built for hands-on sampling. You can swatch across ten brands without a single staff member hovering — a big relief if department-store counters usually stress you out.

4. A genuinely good in-house line. CHICOR Collection, the store’s own brand, makes pro-grade makeup brushes, tools, and skincare that punch well above their price — an easy, affordable souvenir.

Best Brands to Buy at CHICOR Korea

Focus your CHICOR trip on things that are hard to get elsewhere or simply better to buy in person. Here’s the shortlist.

1. d’Alba — the white-truffle tourist favorite

Probably the easiest CHICOR win. d’Alba (d’Alba Piedmont) is a premium, vegan Korean skincare brand built around white truffle. Two heroes to grab: the White Truffle First Spray Serum — a fine mist-serum you spray and press in for instant glow — and the Waterfull Tone-Up Sun Cream (SPF50+ PA++++), a hydrating, brightening sunscreen with no white cast. Elegant enough to gift, good enough to keep.

d’Alba White Truffle First Spray Serum 

2. Toun28 — sustainable, vegan, and genuinely different

If you care about clean and eco, Toun28 is the standout. Founded by a cosmetics researcher after she developed a chemical allergy, it’s a vegan-certified brand with biodegradable, near-plastic-free packaging and a minimalist philosophy. Look for its cult mineral sunscreen and its season-based skincare designed to suit the current weather. It’s the kind of thoughtful K-brand a drugstore rarely carries.

Toun28 Haenam 404 Glow Gream & Serum

3. Pleuvoir — the fragrance & hair mist to gift

Pleuvoir (French for “to rain”) is a lifestyle fragrance brand built around calming, nature-inspired scents. The star is its Hair Perfume Mist — clinically tested for 24-hour longevity, with hyaluronic acid so it conditions while it scents — plus its Eau de Parfum in signatures like Rose Wood and Hinoki Leather. Beautiful packaging, instantly giftable, and exactly the “quiet luxury” you go to CHICOR for.

Pleuvoir Body Lotion Rose Wood

4. Tamburins — the sculptural fragrance & hand cream to gift

Tamburins is the art-gallery-style Korean fragrance and body brand you’ll recognize instantly from its striking, sculptural packaging and high-fashion campaigns. Its perfumes and cult hand creams are the definition of a “looks-expensive-because-it-is” gift — exactly the kind of premium label a drugstore won’t stock.

Tamburins Perfume White Darjeeling

5. A’DDCT — the niche fragrance to make your own

A’DDCT (에이딕트) is a Korean niche fragrance house that treats perfume as personal self-expression. Its signature claim: Korea’s first perfume line free from denatured alcohol, which makes it gentler on skin and easier on sensitive noses. Layered, distinctive scents in beautifully minimal packaging — instantly giftable, and exactly the “quiet luxury” discovery you go to CHICOR for.

A ddct Solid Perfume Naked Sandalwood

CHICOR Shopping Tips for Foreign Visitors

• Bring your passport for the tax refund. As a Shinsegae store, CHICOR offers an instant VAT refund on purchases of ₩15,000 and up — ask at the counter before you pay.
• Pay in Korean won, not your home currency, to avoid a worse exchange rate.
• Go to a flagship. Selection varies by store; the Gangnam flagship is the fullest experience, and the Hongdae and Myeongdong stores are the most tourist-friendly.
• Use it for gifts. CHICOR’s fragrance and premium packaging make far more impressive presents than a drugstore haul.
• Test first, then buy. This is a “try everything” store — take advantage of it before committing, especially for base makeup and fragrance.

Honest Limitations — What CHICOR Isn’t

It’s not the cheapest. If you want ₩3,000 dupes and bulk sheet masks, that’s Daiso or Off Beauty territory. CHICOR is about premium and exclusive, not rock-bottom prices.

Fewer locations. With ~19 stores, CHICOR isn’t on every corner the way Olive Young is. Plan to visit a specific flagship rather than assuming you’ll pass one.

Not a full department-store luxury counter. For the absolute highest-end houses (Sulwhasoo flagship service, La Mer counters), the actual Shinsegae/Lotte department-store beauty halls still go deeper.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CHICOR in Korea?

CHICOR (시코르) is a premium beauty select shop run by Shinsegae, often called the “Korean Sephora.” Launched in 2016, it carries around 250 brands and 5,000 products across luxury, niche, and rising K-beauty, with a hands-on, free-testing store experience.

What is the difference between CHICOR and Olive Young?

Olive Young is a mass-market health-and-beauty chain with ~1,370 stores and everyday, mostly mid-market products. CHICOR is a premium select shop with ~19 stores that carries luxury and niche brands Olive Young doesn’t — like Bath & Body Works, Hourglass, NARS, d’Alba, Toun28, and Pleuvoir. Use Olive Young for your routine and CHICOR for special or premium items.

What should I buy at CHICOR?

Focus on premium K-brands that are hard to find elsewhere: d’Alba (White Truffle Spray Serum and Tone-Up sunscreen), sustainable vegan brand Toun28, Pleuvoir fragrance and hair mist, and beauty-tech brand THOME. CHICOR also carries global exclusives like Bath & Body Works, Hourglass, and NARS, and is a great place to swatch everything in person.

Is CHICOR cheaper than a department store?

CHICOR sits between a drugstore and a full luxury counter. It’s pricier than Olive Young or Daiso but offers a curated, boutique experience, and as a Shinsegae store it provides an instant tax refund for tourists on purchases of ₩15,000 or more.

Where are the CHICOR stores for tourists?

CHICOR is deliberately expanding into tourist-heavy areas. The Gangnam flagship offers the fullest range, and the Hongdae and Myeongdong locations are especially convenient for foreign visitors. Store count is growing, so check the latest before you go.

Can foreigners get a tax refund at CHICOR?

Yes. As a Shinsegae store, CHICOR offers an instant VAT refund on eligible purchases from ₩15,000, processed at the counter with your passport. Always pay in Korean won for the best rate.

Related Reading

• Olive Young 101: A Foreigner’s Guide to Korea’s Biggest Beauty Store
• Off Beauty: Korea’s K-Beauty Outlet (Up to 90% Off)
• Daiso Beauty Korea: Best K-Beauty Under ₩5,000
• MUSINSA Beauty Guide: Korea’s Indie K-Beauty Platform
• More K-Beauty Trends from Yogi Korea

Final Word

CHICOR is the piece most foreign beauty itineraries leave out — and it’s the one that makes your haul feel special rather than just cheap. It’s where Korea keeps its fragrance houses, its pro makeup, and the premium indie brands that never make it onto a drugstore shelf. So do both. Run your everyday skincare list at Olive Young, then walk into a CHICOR flagship and treat yourself. It’s the easiest way to bring home the elevated side of K-beauty.

Have you shopped CHICOR? Tell us your best find in the comments — we’re always building the next must-buy list. 👇