CJ Olive Young, the retail unit of South Korea's food-to-cosmetics conglomerate CJ Group, is riding the K-beauty wave. As South Korea’s largest beauty retailer cements its plans for the US with its first location set to open in May 2026 in Los Angeles, it looks to the Middle East.  The retailer entered the market in 2023 launching its cosmetic brand WakeMake at Sephora and Faces in the United Arab Emirates. Under an agreement with Life Healthcare Group (LHG), a major healthcare company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), two companies plan to distribute Korean cosmetics and beauty products across 580 stores of Life Pharmacy, a drugstore chain operated by LHG.CJ Olive Young will use the partnership to strengthen its network of local distribution partners and provide broader support for promising K-beauty brands seeking to enter or expand in the Middle East market."As people in the Middle East are familiar with Korean culture, the region's beauty and health care industries have strong growth potential for Korean beauty brands," a CJ Olive Young official said. "Through cooperation with LHG, which has built a robust distribution infrastructure across the UAE, we expect to accelerate the overseas expansion of domestic small and medium-sized cosmetics brands," the official added.Currently, CJ Olive Young sells its own skincare and cosmetics brands, such as Bring Green, WakeMake, and Colorgram, in Middle Eastern markets, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, through local retailers. Its products are also available through its cross-border e-commerce platform Olive Young Global.