Musinsa, Korea's leading online fashion platform now pushing into beauty under its "Next Beauty" strategy, is rapidly expanding its presence in the beauty market. By significantly increasing brand partnerships — from indie labels to global names — and leveraging an exclusive pre-launch strategy alongside offline expansion, the platform is establishing itself as a major beauty destination.
According to Musinsa, its online specialty section "Musinsa Beauty" has released an average of more than 1,000 new products per month from last year through February this year. That amounts to over 30 new beauty items debuting every day. Products exclusively pre-launched on Musinsa before any other retail channel averaged around 100 per month. Participating brands ranged from indie labels to global names such as Lush and Maison Margiela Parfums.
Given that Musinsa's core customers are trend-conscious consumers in their 20s and 30s, the platform has become a key channel for rapidly building initial awareness and buzz around new products. Beauty device brand "View&D" pre-launched a collaboration product with character brand "Esther Bunny" on Musinsa in January, reaching No. 1 in same-day sales rankings. View&D's transaction volume in January and February surged roughly fourfold year-on-year.
"Anoetic Beauty," a new brand launched last year, claimed the No. 1 sales spot immediately after exclusively releasing a new product on Musinsa last month. Global brand MAC entered Musinsa in January and debuted two exclusive lip color products that sold out within three days.
Offline growth has been equally notable. "Musinsa Beauty Space 1," a dedicated beauty pop-up venue operated by Musinsa on Yeonmujang-gil in Seoul's Seongsu district, hosted pop-ups for approximately 30 brands last year, drawing an average of more than 16,000 visitors per month.
Skincare brand "Luvum" held a pop-up at the space in January to mark a new product launch, and its transaction volume during the pop-up period surged more than eightfold year-on-year. "Clime Beauty," which held a 12-day pop-up last month to celebrate its new entry on Musinsa, attracted around 8,000 visitors during the event.
"Demand for Musinsa Beauty Space 1 has been so strong that reservations for this year are almost fully booked," a Musinsa official said. "We are providing small and mid-sized beauty brands with opportunities to engage with more customers in Seongsu, a symbolic location."
Musinsa plans to accelerate its offline push this year to further strengthen its market influence. Specifically, the company will open its first permanent beauty store within the "Musinsa Megastore Seongsu" by the second quarter, showcasing around 800 brands. In the second half, standalone beauty select shops will open in key commercial districts including Seongsu and Hongdae.
Global expansion, identified as a core pillar of the "Next Beauty" strategy, is also picking up speed. Musinsa plans to broaden its sales channels through overseas online and offline platforms, extending its reach beyond North and South America — where K-beauty demand is strong — into emerging markets such as the Middle East. The company also intends to deepen the integration of fashion and beauty to build a distinctive brand identity unique to Musinsa Beauty.
Musinsa Beauty's gross merchandise value grew more than 50% year-on-year last year, underscoring its rapid expansion. "This year, through expanded investment across online and offline channels and entry into global markets, we will clearly establish Musinsa's vision of 'Next Beauty' in the market," a Musinsa official said. "Built on the solid customer base and brand collaboration expertise accumulated in fashion, Musinsa Beauty is going beyond being a simple sales channel to present new beauty trends."
