Sephora to exit Korea this spring

Sephora is exiting Korea, according to the retailer’s website for the region. The beauty retailer will begin phasing out its online, mobile app and store operations starting May 6, which will also be the last day customers can place an online order, per a translation of an FAQ about the closure.

Loyalty members will lose any unused points and have their information deleted at that time as well. Sephora’s customer service team in Korea will continue operating until mid-August for returns and refunds. The Sephora Korea site lists five stores in the country. An about page on Sephora’s Singapore website boasts “an expanding base of over 200 stores” in the Asia Pacific region, which also includes China, Australia, Thailand and other countries.

The news comes as Sephora’s U.S. rival Ulta recently announced an expansion into Mexico, planned for 2025. Competition between the two has heated up over the past few years as both retailers pursue large-scale shop-in-shop partnerships — Sephora with department store Kohl’s and Ulta with mass merchant Target.

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