Sephora is set to exit Korea, according to a message on its website for the region.
The LVMH-owned beauty retailer said it would be closing its offline and online shops, as well as mobile app stores serving Korea from 6 May.
That date will also be the last day customers can place an online order, as detailed in a FAQ section.
Loyalty members will lose any unused points and have their information deleted at that time, while Sephora’s customer service team in Korea will continue operating until mid-August for returns and refunds.
The message ended with a shout-out to customers, reading: “Thank you so much for loving us for five years, we are very sad to leave you.”
Sephora launched in Korea in 2019 and currently operates five brick-and-mortar stores in the country, having shut down two stores in recent years.
Sephora’s step-back from Korea echoes that of fellow Western beauty giant Boots’ withdrawal in 2020.
Boots opened its first branded stores in Korea in 2017, but shuttered all 33 in the country just a few years later due to sluggish profitability.
The Korean beauty market is dominated by retailer CJ Olive Young, which operates more than 1,300 stores across the country.
Cosmetics Business has reached out to Sephora for comment.
