From Danish discounts to a K-beauty boat: Prague is changing how it gets glam

When Prague's first K-beauty boat, KVASOUL, docks on the Vltava on Friday, shoppers will be able to test a selection of emerging Korean cosmetics, including brands not yet available elsewhere in the Czech or Central European market, all aboard a working brewery boat.

It is an unusual setting for a beauty launch. But the idea behind it is familiar to anyone who's witnessed their teens' Sephora haul: For shoppers in Czechia, the novelty of buying is all part of the experience.

So is standing in lines, apparently. In August, when Danish discount chain Normal opened its first Prague stores hundreds of shoppers queued for the launches, with some waiting overnight for gifts and vouchers.

And the fever for influencer-endorsed lotions and potions shows no signs of slowing as German drugstore Müller has also signalled interest in the Czech market, while "Czech beauty candy store" Vivantis opened its first store at Westfield Chodov last year, reporting CZK 7.6 million in net profit for its latest financial year.

It's a long way from the Czech drogerie of yesteryear, when beauty shopping was mostly about replacing the Alpa Francovka or a tube of nettle shampoo. Today, the hunt for something new can be the main reason to shop in the first place.

Opening its first Prague stores at Atrium Flora and Galerie Butovice in August, the Danish Normal chain carries more than 5,000 permanent products and introduces roughly 100 new products each week.

Its assortment stretches from household goods and snacks to cosmetics and personal care, with brands including L'Oréal, Maybelline, Nivea, Gillette, Colgate, and Garnier.

Rather than allowing shoppers to cut directly from one department to another, the stores uses a fixed route through the store, creating the labyrinth-like experience that helped Flying Tiger become a retail fixture.

The prices make that browsing relatively painless; shoppers can find Libresse pads for CZK 24, Colgate toothpaste for CZK 24, Elvital shampoo from CZK 112 and Japanese products from CZK 347.

Speaking to iDnes.cz, Normal CEO Jakob Frølich Maarbjerg said that the chain's pricing philosophy is based on offering branded products at consistently low prices rather than relying on short-term discount events.

The assortment goes well beyond beauty, too. Shoppers can find household products, detergents, and even American snacks, including boxed macaroni and cheese.

Korean and Japanese cosmetics are also prominently featured at Normal, which makes sense from a business perspective. Czech imports of Korean cosmetics almost doubled between 2022 and 2024, reaching USD 27.9 million, according to Korean trade data.

Imports continued to surge in 2025, rising 96.6 percent in the first seven months of the year compared with the same period a year earlier.

The K-beauty boat is tapping into that growth, but with a different proposition: discovery rather than simply stocking established names.

HARUNARU, the company behind the pop-up, is using the boat to introduce small Korean brands to Czech consumers and test whether they could find a longer-term market here.

“We believe there is a gap between growing online interest in K-beauty and the opportunity to discover emerging Korean brands in person,” says Heokwoon Hanroy, CEO of HARUNARU.

The eight participating brands are not established Korean names being relaunched in Prague. HARUNARU describes them as emerging brands that are being introduced to Czech consumers and local buyers for the first time.

And the prices are not necessarily out of reach. Products at the pop-up range from CZK 97 to CZK 873, with cosmetics starting at CZK 221.

Among them is ILSO's 1/3 Saving Cotton Pad, while the highest-priced products are GASH Air Bubble Masks.

The K-beauty boom is, of course, closely tied to social media. TikTok, Instagram and influencers can introduce a product to thousands of potential customers before it ever reaches a Czech shelf.

But Hanroy believes that online discovery is only part of the equation.

“TikTok, Instagram and influencers play an important role in K-beauty discovery and education,” he says.

Younger shoppers may arrive already knowing the ingredients, brands or routines they want to try. But seeing a product on a screen is different from putting it on your skin.

“Consumers may encounter products and skincare routines through social media, but they still want to test textures, ask questions and understand whether a product genuinely fits their needs,” he says. K-beauty, he explains, known for specific product concepts, lightweight, and sensorial textures, lends itself well to hands-on sampling.

That is where influencers can also make a difference, particularly when they demonstrate how a product is actually used rather than simply appearing with it.

“Influencers are most valuable when they demonstrate genuine product use and clearly explain who a product is – and is not – suitable for,” Hanroy says. “Simply appearing at an opening is less useful than helping consumers understand how a product works in real life.”

For Czech shoppers, he says, the appeal isn't simply about chasing the next viral product.

But none of this means Czechia is abandoning the drogerie. dm remains the country's leading drugstore chain, reporting CZK 19.4 billion in Czech revenue in its 2024/25 financial year, up 6.75 percent year on year. Its 261 stores attracted an average of more than 164,000 shoppers a day.

“The interest surrounding new international retailers such as NORMAL suggests that consumers are curious about new formats, unfamiliar brands and products that may not yet be widely available through traditional channels.

“We also believe consumers are becoming more comfortable mixing different price levels. Someone may invest in one premium product that they consider particularly important while choosing more affordable products for other parts of their routine.”

K-beauty boat: Sept. 4–8 | Vltava, Prague | Featuring eight emerging Korean beauty brands, product testing, advice, food, culture and live programming. Reserve here.