Why Beauty Stores Are Adding Coffee Zones

Young consumers today aren’t just looking for products—they want an experience. As shopping habits shift, traditional beauty retailers are struggling to connect with a generation that values atmosphere, interaction, and brand storytelling as much as the products themselves. The solution? Blend beauty with café culture.

Across Asia, beauty retailers are adding coffee zones inside or next to their stores. These spaces serve not just drinks, but also create relaxed environments where shoppers can try makeup, relax, and build emotional ties to the brand—proving that a latte might be the key to selling skincare.

Asia’s Trend: Coffee Meets Cosmetics

In Asia, combining coffee and beauty isn’t just trendy—it’s strategic. In South Korea, the global flagship store of Innisfree , measuring 822 square meters across three floors in Shanghai’s Nanjing East Road, dedicates two full floors to a café-style area. Launched as the brand’s largest global mono-store, it’s less a traditional shop and more a lifestyle hub. Alongside Innisfree products, shoppers can buy imported pastries and coffee made with beans from Jeju Island, the brand’s origin. The space features minimalist, “kawaii” design elements, DIY corners, and selfie-friendly zones to engage younger, playful customers. It’s not just retail—it’s immersive brand storytelling.

Over in Seoul, Cafe d’MAKA near Hongdae offers a different model. This beauty-themed café targets women, letting them sample high-end makeup or get touch-ups from professional stylists. Its décor is inspired by cosmetics, displaying countless international brands—including limited-edition items. Here, the focus is less on selling coffee and more on offering a social space for beauty exploration.

Japan offers another take. BEAUTY LIBRARY, a single-brand cosmetics shop in Tokyo’s upscale Omotesando district, brings a library-like feel to cosmetics retail. Situated in the luxury-heavy neighborhood of Minami-Aoyama, it invites customers to stay awhile—offering food, drinks, and racks of beauty magazines alongside its product selection. The result? A hybrid space where shopping feels like leisure, and customers linger longer.

China’s Local Adaptations

In China, celebrities and entrepreneurs are joining the trend. Li Jing, host of the beauty TV show Beautiful Girls and founder of the brand JPlus , opened a beauty café where shoppers can test makeup while sipping coffee among friends. The goal is simple: create a casual space for beauty trials and girl-talk over lattes.

Down in Hunan province, the online skincare brand AimeeLu (run by founder Liu Lu) launched a physical café focused on skincare experiences. Positioned to attract potential customers in smaller cities, the shop combines a relaxing café atmosphere with the option to purchase products online. Liu Lu aims to build trust and emotional connection through comfort, style, and friendly service—key drivers for conversion in less dense markets.

Brick-and-Mortar Beauty Retail Fights Back

The coffee-beauty crossover isn’t limited to big brands. Independent and chain beauty retailers are experimenting too, especially as online competition and shifting loyalties hit foot traffic.

Kirin Cosmetics Chain , ranked as the second-largest beauty retailer in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, has added a dedicated coffee area inside its store. Founder Zhang Yunxia explains that as a mid- to high-end brand, Kirin’s target shoppers expect more than transactions. “If we’re just selling products, we’re not competitive,” she says. To fight waning loyalty amid the growth of cross-border e-commerce and mobile shopping, Kirin built a 50-square-meter “service zone” on the second floor of its Heqing branch. This multi-functional space includes a coffee corner, hair styling station, and nail salon—all wrapped in a fashionable design. Zhang’s vision? A one-stop environment where beauty-loving women can relax, shop, and enjoy premium services beyond just cosmetics.

Similarly, Bibei Mei , a beauty business group, plans to integrate coffee bars and even bars into its future store concepts. Co-founder Jia Bingqiang emphasizes that differentiation and service excellence will define the survival of small and mid-sized shops. “The future of retail isn’t just about selling—it’s about creating unique, irreplaceable experiences,” he notes, pointing to a strategy where multi-format retail becomes a core strength.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are beauty brands adding coffee areas?

Beauty brands are adding coffee zones to enhance customer experience, attract younger shoppers, and create emotional connections beyond just product sales. The café environment encourages relaxation, social interaction, and longer in-store dwell time, which helps build brand loyalty.

Which countries are leading this beauty-café trend?

South Korea, Japan, and China are at the forefront. In South Korea, Innisfree’s flagship store includes a major café area, while Japan’s BEAUTY LIBRARY offers a library-meets-beauty concept. In China, both celebrity-backed ventures and local chains like Kirin are adopting the model.

Do customers actually buy more in beauty stores with cafés?

While the article doesn’t provide direct sales data, the strategy is designed to increase dwell time, encourage product trials, and build emotional brand ties—all of which are known to boost conversion and customer loyalty in experiential retail.

Are these coffee zones run by professional baristas?

Some are—like those in dedicated beauty cafés (e.g., Cafe d’MAKA). In others, such as beauty chain add-ons (e.g., Kirin’s service zone), the coffee may be more of a supplementary offering, though still part of the overall premium experience.

Is this trend only for big brands?

No. While major players like Innisfree and JPlus have large flagship locations, smaller chains such as Kirin Cosmetics and online-turned-offline brands like AimeeLu are also adopting coffee zones to enhance customer experience and compete with online retailers.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Beauty Café Atmosphere

Pair your beauty café’s vibe with FrontStreet Coffee’s Ethiopia Humbera for a bright, floral cup with citrus and jasmine notes—perfect for energizing makeup chats. For a smoother, dessert-friendly option, try the Yirgacheffe with its soft berry and stone fruit tones, ideal alongside light pastries. Or opt for the Classic Blend, a balanced espresso blend with caramel sweetness that works well in lattes. All beans are roasted in small batches for freshness. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.