It’s no surprise that K-Beauty has reached cult status from continent to continent. In a beauty-obsessed country, the local beauty brands have to compete hard to capture the attention of discerning consumers. As a result, we’re spoiled by affordable, highly innovative brands like COSRX, Mediheal, Etude House, Innisfree, Missha, Sulwahsoo, Laneige, and Banila Co.
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When I moved to South Korea, I was overwhelmed and excited by all the unfamiliar brands. Don’t get me wrong. As a Korean-American, I kept up the best I could with all the ins-and-outs of K-beauty. Mama didn’t raise no fool. But back in the day, it was ha-a-rd to get a hold of the latest Korean beauty products in the United States, and they were only ever on sale in the local Koreatowns — probably smuggled in someone’s luggage.
Now that I’m living in Seoul, it’s a beauty playground. Strolling through shops like Olive Young, Chicor, and Aritaum in South Korea is like being a kid in a candy store. It’s a kaleidoscope of colors, shelved wall-to-wall.
I replaced all my favorite Western beauty products with better and cheaper equivalents in South Korea. Boy, was I happy! My skin has never been clearer, and my makeup has been on point.
My friends stateside always ask me questions about Korean beauty products and if I’m willing to ship them the “good stuff”. But you know what? Most of the popular K-beauty brands are available online with free international shipping or have even set up shop in the United States and other countries.
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What are the best shops to buy Korean beauty products in the United States?
There is a myriad of beauty stores that stock popular K-beauty products these days, but as long as you’re willing to wait, I would suggest first shopping at Olive Young that ships directly from Korea as they have the best selection. Definitely check out lesser-known (but popular in Korea) W.concept, too.
If you’re located in the United States and don’t want to wait or get hit by customs fees for large hauls, I suggest going to Ulta Beauty, Soko Glam, or your local branch of Sephora first.
Local offline retailers in the US that carry K-beauty these days? Target, Walmart, CVS, Sephora, Urban Outfitters, and Ulta Beauty have all jumped on the K-beauty train.
International Websites that Ship to the United States
Stores Located in Hong Kong
YesStyle
YesStyle is a Hong Kong-based online mall that sells Asian beauty products, clothing, shoes, and accessories. They’ve been around since mid-2006, and they’re legit. Their beauty selection includes popular Taiwanese, Korean, and Japanese brands.
Brands that YesStyle carries: COSRX, Neogen, Shiseido, Shu Uemura, Kanebo, Koji, DHC, SKI-II, SKINFOOD, Dr. Jart+, Nature Republic, Holika Holika, The Saem, Peripera, Too Cool for School, Mizon, Mediheal, Banila Co, The Face Shop, CNP Laboratory, Pony Effect, Jayjun, Im Meme, Dear Dahlia, Abib, Purito, Real Barrier, Make P:rem, Rom&nd, SkinRx Lab, Jung Saem Mool, Vely Vely, Mediflower, I Dew Care, Canmake, and more.
YesStyle ships to the United States.
You can get free express shipping (5-7 days to the US) for orders over $59.
Wide selection of K-beauty products.
Stores Located in South Korea
Aritaum
Aritaum is owned by Amore Pacific and headquartered in Korea. They do however have many US retail locations scattered coast-to-coast. I like to think of Aritaum and another beauty retailer, Chicor, as the Sephoras of South Korea, stocking a lot of the higher-end beauty products locally. Unfortunately, Aritaum’s US website doesn’t have quite the same selection as in Korea, but you can get brands like Mamonde, Iope, Mise-en-scene, and Ryo.
If you go to the Aritaum store in South Korea, you’ll find a much wider range of products — including Espoir, Laneige, Mamonde, Iope, Hanyul, Illiyoon, 3m Nexcare, Dear Dahlia, Happy Bath, Mise-en-scene, Kiss New York, Camex, Mediheal, Farmacy, Labo H, Vital Beauty, Primera, Rarekind, Stila, Hera, and more.
Brands that Aritaum US Online carries: Aritaum, Iope, Ryo, Happy Bath, Mise-en-scene, Mamonde.
Aritaum US ships to the United States.
Free shipping for orders over $40.
Offline stores in major cities in the United States.
Well-recognized store in South Korea.
Limited selection of brands on their US website.
Olive Young
You can find an Olive Young store on almost every other block in South Korea. The global version of the store ships internationally from South Korea, and they stock a wide variety of popular Korean skincare brands and cosmetics like Peripera, WAKEMAKE, and 3CE.
Unlike other stores, you can also purchase Korean cushion foundations. Be warned, Korean cosmetics do not usually offer a wide range of foundation colors, but that’s a mini-rant for another day.
If you’re itching to see what’s popular in South Korea, take a peek at the Korean Olive Young site where you can read reviews (with Google Translate on Chrome).
Brands that Olive Young Global carries: AHC, Abib, Aestura, Baby Foot, Acwell, Aromatica, Bepanthol, Byo, Carezone, Cell Fusion C, Cellapy, Charmzone, Chosungah22, Code Glokolor, CNP, Clio, Cosrx, Dashu, D’alba, Dear Klairs, Derma B, Dermalift, Dewytree, Dr. Jart+, Dr.forhair, Espoir, Etude House, Esther Bunny, Gletao Factory, Hada Labo, Herbacin, Hince, Hanskin, Hanyul, I’m Meme, Illiyoon, Isa Knox, Isoi, Jsoop, Jayjun, Jung Saem Mool, Kakao Friends, Kiss Me, Kerasys, Lacto-fit, Labo-H, Laneige, Line Friends, Lilybyred, Ma:nyo, Makeprem, Me Factory, Medicube, Mediheal, Melixir, Moremo, Missha, Nexcare, Nuxe, Parkjun Beauty Lab, Peripera, Physiogel, Rausch, Round Lab, Round A’round, Skinfood, Teazen, Tiger Blam, The Ordinary, Vodana, W.Dressroom, Wakemake, Wiggle Wiggle, 3CE, and more.
Olive Young Global ships to the United States.
You can get free shipping via DHL (7 days to the US) for orders over $60 USD.
Plentiful selection of popular and hard-to-find K-beauty brands.
Well-recognized store in South Korea.
Jolse
Jolse is another Korean beauty mall that ships directly from South Korea. They have a very wide variety of popular Korean beauty brands. Shipping times and costs can vary depending on whether you choose expedited, standard, or economy.
Brands that Jolse carries: A’pieu, Alive:lab, Aromatica, Audrey&Young, AwakeAsleep, Ample:N, A.D.G., Atopalm, Benton, Badskin, Banila Co, Beauty of Joseon, Bonajour, Charmzone, Cell Fusion C, Clio, COSRX, D’Alba, Dr. Jart+, Dr. G, Cell Fusion C, CNP Laboratory, Farmstay, From Nature, Grafen, Holika Holika, Huxley, History of Whoo, Hadalabo Gokujun, Hanyul, Haruharu, Illiyoon, Innisfree, Iope, Isoi, Isa Knox, I’m Meme, Laneige, Missha, Mamonde, Mizon, Neogen, Nature Republic, O Hui, Peripera, Primera, Real Barrier, Round Lab, Rovectin, Su:m37, Sulwhasoo, Tony Moly, Thank You Farmer, The Face Shop, The Saem, Tonymoly, Too Cool for School, Vely Vely, and more.
Jolse ships to the United States.
Prices are in USD.
Wide selection of K-beauty.
W Concept
W Concept is an incredibly popular fashion e-commerce store in South Korea. It’s honestly addictive, and you’ll most likely start rummaging through the endless Korean clothing and accessories before or after browsing through the Korean beauty section.
Fortunately for those located in the United States, they’ve also set up a site in English, catering to the US market, so you can shop ’til you drop and get your K-beauty fix delivered to your door ASAP.
Product selection is good as expected. In terms of Korean beauty brands, they stock some hard-to-find ones like Hera Beauty — which by the way, the Hera Black Foundation is A+. There are also the usual suspects like COSRX, DearDahlia, Espoir, Hanyul, Klairs, Laneige, and Vodana.
A lot of their items are shipped from overseas, so keep that in mind as it may mean a little extra wait time.
Brands that Wconcept US carries: ACWell, Andar, Blanc Pool, Chahong, Cosrx, DearDahlia, Espoir, Euyira, Face Factory, Femmue, Fillvoid, Hanyul, Hera, Headrang, Klairs, Lamuse, Laneige, Merrymonde, Needly, Niod, Piccasso, Rarekind, Roundlab, Sumano, The Lab by Blanc Doux, Yunjac.
Wconcept ships to the United States.
Very recognizable online shopping mall in South Korea.
Free shipping on all orders over $99.
Wide selection of K-beauty as well as trendy Korean clothing and quality accessories.
Wishtrend
Wishtrend is a Korean beauty e-commerce store that ships globally. They stock familiar K-beauty brands like Klairs and COSRX and offer their own in-house beauty products called “By Wishtrend”.
Wishtrend ships to the United States.
Popular K-beauty site among Americans.
Free shipping on all orders over $150.
My anti-virus software keeps popping up as the website may contain a trojan.
11street
The popular Korean e-commerce store, 11street, also ships globally. Since the platform is made up of many individual sellers like Amazon, I would double-check the seller so you know you’re receiving a genuine product. For example, one of the listed sellers, Amorepacific, is a Korean corporation that owns beauty brands like Sulwhasoo, Laneige, Mamonde, Etude, and innisfree.
11street ships to the United States.
Popular e-commerce site in Korea akin to Amazon.
Shipping and prices may vary dependent on individual sellers.
Stores Located in United States
iHerb
iHerb is an American e-commerce company that is probably most known for selling natural products and supplements globally. They have a pretty sweet K-beauty product selection, stocking brands like Innisfree, Missha, COSRX, Mediheal, Banila Co, Etude House, Holika Holika, Laneige, Mamonde, Mizon, Neogen, Nature Republic, Skinfood, The Face Shop, and more. All iHerb orders are shipped directly from their warehouses in the US located in California, Kentucky, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and one in South Korea.
Brands that iHerb carries: Missha, Too Cool for School, Dear Klairs, Aromatica, Banila Co, Beauty of Joseon, Atopalm, Benton, Charmzone, CNP Laboratory, D’Alba, Derma:B, Dewytree, Etude House, Farmstay, Haruharu, Huxley, I Woke Up Like This, Innisfree, Isntree, Jayjun, Klavuu, Laneige, Mamonde, Mizon, Nature Republic, Neogen, Purito, Rovectin, Secret Key, Skin&Lab, Skinfood, Son & Park, SkinRx Lab, The Face Shop, The Saem, Tony Moly, Wishtrend, and more.
iHerb is based in and ships to the United States.
Free shipping for orders over $20.
Popular global online health and food store that ships just about everywhere.
Peach & Lily
Again, this is a great website for Korean beauty if you’re just dipping your toes in. Brand selection is very limited, and they sell their own in-house Peach & Lily skincare products … Which, to be honest, I’m a little leery of when there are so many better products out there. Orders ship from the United States and they also offer free shipping for orders over $50.
Brands that Peach & Lily carries: Peach & Lily, Peach Slices, Ariul, Aromatica, Atopalm, Banila Co, Be the Skin, Eco Your Skin, Haruharu, Lagom, Leaders, May Coop, Miwaji, Real Barrier, Rootree, Saturday Skin, Shangpree, The Pure Lotus, and Troxederm.
Peach & Lily is based in and ships to the United States.
Free shipping for orders over $50.
Popular K-beauty website among Americans.
Limited selection of K-beauty.
Sephora
Sephora has really stepped up their game in the United States by offering product lines from Korean brands like Dr. Jart +, Amore Pacific, Belif, and Erborian. Sephora recently opened a location in Seoul in the last year and a half, but unfortunately, the Sephora in South Korea doesn’t ship outside the country. Nevertheless, you do get some of the heavy hitters of the K-beauty industry in stock at local Sephora stores in the United States.
Brands that Sephora US carries: Amore Pacific, Belif, Dr Jart+, Innisfree, Laneige, Primera, Sulwhasoo, and more.
Sephora ships to the United States.
Free shipping for orders over $50.
Retail locations all over the United States and the world.
Carries the biggest beauty brands around the world.
Limited selection of K-beauty in the US.
Soko Glam
I know that people love Soko Glam and for good reason. It’s extremely approachable, and the beauty guides provide a great introduction to Korean skincare. It’s a good start, but the makeup selection is paltry and the skincare lines are limited. Orders ship from the United States, so shipping may be much faster than alternatives. Orders over $35 also ship free.
Brands that Soko Glam carries: A’pieu, Ariul, ACwell, Banila Co, Benton, Beauty of Joseon, Cell Fusion C, Clio, COSRX, D’alba, Dewytree, Dr. Oracle, Erborian, Etude House, Goodal, Hanskin, Isntree, It’s Skin, Klairs, The Klog, Make P:rem, Mamonde, Missha, Mediheal, Neogen, Neo-Medical, Re:p, Round Lab, Rovectin, Skinfood, Saturday Skin, SkinRx Lab, SMD Cosmetics, Son & Park, Some By Mi, Son Reve, Thank You Farmer, Tony Moly, Too Cool for School, Unpa, and more.
Soko Glam is based in and ships to the United States.
Free shipping for orders over $35.
Carries some of the most popular K-beauty brands.
Limited selection.
Ulta Beauty
Ulta Beauty actually carries a decent selection of K-beauty brands like Belif, Banila Co, COSRX, Klairs, Erborian, Tony Moly, Too Cool for School, Skinfood, Mamonde, and Hanskin. Free shipping for orders over $35.
Brands that Ulta Beauty carries: Banila Co, Peach & Lily, DHC, COSRX, Hanskin, Belif, Peach Slices, I Dew Care, Klairs, Too Cool for School, Skinfood, Mamonde, SNP, and more.
Ulta is based in and ships to the United States.
Free shipping for orders over $35.
Retail locations all over the United States.
Carries the biggest beauty brands around the world.
Limited selection of K-beauty.
Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters has an itty-bitty selection of popular K-beauty brands like Tony Moly, Farmacy, and COSRX. I wouldn’t call it a one-stop-shop for K-beauty, but if you’re in proximity of an Urban Outfitters and stocking up on other goods, you might as well throw a Korean face mask in your cart or two.
Urban Outfitters is based in and ships to the United States.
Free shipping for orders over $50.
Retail locations all over the United States.
Limited selection of K-beauty.
K-Beauty Brands with Localized Websites
Stores in the United States
Banila Co
Popular Korean beauty brand, Banila Co, is most famous for its Clean It Zero line of sherbert-textured cleansers that promise to melt away makeup. Free shipping for orders over $35.
COSRX
Korean skincare brand, COSRX, is probably one of my most favorite discoveries while living in Korea. Almost all of their skincare products have been so good to me and incredibly affordable. I really like their Good Morning Gel Cleanser and their AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid. COSRX offers free shipping over $30 within the United States and free shipping over $40 in Canada.
Dr. Jart+
You can purchase Dr. Jart+ products directly from their US website. If you want to shop in-store, you can also pop by a Sephora in the United States and find their products stocked on shelves to play with. I really enjoy looking like an alien with the trendy Dr. Jart+ rubber masks, and their whole Cicapair line is solid. Free shipping for orders over $40.
Etude House
Etude House always has some of the cutest packaging and fun collaborations. Their recent collaboration with Hershey’s makes me wonder whether I’m hungry or want to play with makeup. There was a time when there was an Etude House shop literally next door to my apartment in Seoul, and I would stop by on my way home from work and pick up every lip tint imaginable. Their global site offers free shipping over $100 (excl. Vietnam).
Dear, Klairs
Klairs is a cruelty-free, vegan brand based in South Korea that has made a big splash internationally. Their Vitamin C serum, Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop, is ultra-popular. Their global website doesn’t offer direct shipping, but you can see their list of partners online and offline.
Innisfree
You can find the nature-based brand, Innisfree, all over South Korea. It has strong ties with Jeju Island, playing off the volcanic soil that the island is famous for. Innisfree also moved stateside with physical stores mostly in the coastal cities. Check out their volcanic masks. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with their tangerine body lotion which has been sitting at my office to offset my over-sanitized, super-dry hands (because of the pandemic.) It’s also owned by Amore Pacific. Free shipping for orders over $50.
Isoi
Isoi is all about natural, cruelty-free, science-based skincare. You can actually find Isoi at Whole Foods now which is one of the last places I expected to see this K-beauty brand. Free shipping for orders over $35.
Jung Saem Mool
JUNGSAEMMOOL, or Jung Saem Mool, is a renowned makeup artist in South Korea. Her products are definitely a K-beauty brand that you may not have heard much about, but they’re totally worth it. Their Nuder foundation cushion compacts are really, really nice.
The global website ships products straight from Korea. Free shipping on orders over $100. The only stores they have outside of Korea as of February 2021 are in Thailand and Singapore.
Medicube
I have an acquaintance who recently became a Medicube ambassador in the US, raving how the products really changed his life, but I’ve almost never seen their products stocked on shelves in Korea. That doesn’t mean anything though since Korean beauty brands pop up from seemingly nowhere, and it’s hard to keep up. Free shipping for orders over $80.
Mediheal
Mediheal makes some of the best Korean sheet masks. I’ve scared many friends while lounging about in my bathrobe at home, looking like a burn victim with my face mask on. My skin always feels as smooth as a baby’s bottom afterwards, so it’s 100% worth buying these in bulk. Free shipping for orders over $40.
Missha
Missha is an ultra-popular Korean beauty brand that is probably most famous for their Time Evolution line. Free shipping for members’ orders over $40.
Skinfood
Skinfood is another nature-based beauty brand that’s based in Korea. The store gives me The Body Shop meets L’Occitane meets K-beauty vibes. They use interesting ingredients like egg whites, royal honey (from bees), sake, ginseng, snail mucin, mugwort, caviar, and yuja. Free shipping over $50.
I like their Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence. I also once bought a horse fat face mask from Skinfood, and it wasn’t terrible.
Tony Moly
If you’re a Tony Moly fan, you can purchase their products directly off their US website. Funny enough, Tony Moly is one of those brands that are way more popular outside of Korea than in Korea, and you’d be hard-pressed to find their cutesy products in major beauty retailers here in Seoul. I am still a sucker for their whimsical packaging though. Free shipping for orders over $50.
Too Cool For School
Too Cool for School is a really solid K-beauty cosmetics brand that can also be found at Ulta Beauty. Their US website ships from California and offers free shipping over $35 purchase.
The Face Shop
The Face Shop is a natural K-beauty brand with shops all over South Korea. I got sucked into the Belif Moisturizing Bomb hype and The Face Shop was my main supplier in Seoul.
In the United States, you can find physical retail stores in the tri-state area. Free shipping for US orders over $75.
The Last Resort
Trust Issues with Third-Party Sellers
You don’t have to go through weird third-party sellers on Amazon.com or eBay.com to buy your favorite Korean beauty products outside of South Korea, and you probably shouldn’t. Counterfeit goods sold by unverified sellers are a real problem, and you almost never know what you’re actually buying.
Fortunately, more and more Korean beauty brands are making their retail splash in the diverse beauty industry of the United States or at least offering international shipping to meet the global demand.
E-commerce Sites
Amazon.com or eBay.com
You can purchase Korean beauty products from third-party resellers on global e-commerce platforms like eBay or Amazon, but expect long wait times and a mark-up. Due to the nature of unverified resellers, you’ll also want to diligently check the individual reseller’s reviews to make sure you’re not getting dangerous counterfeit goods.
I can’t help but stress this. The last, last thing that you would want to happen is that you end up purchasing counterfeit skincare products or cosmetics because those ingredients can cause allergic reactions or worse. I’ve heard awful stories about glue and feces being found in counterfeit goods, so keep that in mind when browsing.
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You are missing a big Kbeauty online store masksheets.com. They are located in New York and the shipping only take 1-5 days. Hope you could add this to your list 🙂
This has been so helpful! Very good details. Which products and brands are your staples? Which ones do you recommend that are effective and affordable? Just as a basic skin care routine. Hope you can answer 🙂
Oops, sorry for taking so long to answer this! I tend to mix Western and Korean beauty brands and alternate products in and out, but COSRX products like their cleanser have been in my routine lineup for a while. I used to spend a fortune on beauty/skincare at Sephora, but though my products have increased in quantity and use, they’re a lot cheaper.
Morning:
Cleanser – The COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser is cheap and gentle, so it’s been a good repurchase. I bought the Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam for my last trip just to have an extra cleanser for travel-only and to test it out. It was nice, but I still prefer my COSRX as it gives me a little squeakier clean feeling and it’s a gel vs more of a creamy feel in the Innisfree.
Toner – I also use COSRX Aha/Bha Toner (https://www.cosrx.com/products/aha-bha-clarifying-treatment-toner) as part of my morning routine to get rid of any dull skin and clear the pores which keep breakouts at bay. My skin is used to acids, and not overly sensitive so this is may not be suitable for everyone. Sometimes, I also use The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (Canada) because I had some issues a few years ago with cystic acne due to hormonal changes that were fortunately temporary, so this one fell into my routine.
Sunscreen – Sunscreen is also another part of my daily routine and an important one due to the retinol, Shiseido Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Skincare Gel (Japanese). This one I’ve stuck with after straying to try other brands because it doesn’t give me as much of an awful white cast as some “brightening” Korean formulas and sits nicely under my makeup. I really do think Japanese sunscreens are the best as it’s 100% in their culture NOT to get tan! I really notice that my skin stays fairer in the Summer if I consistently use the Anessa brand. It also doesn’t break me out which can be an issue with some others. Someone did a sunscreen test once, and it’s GOOD to know the Anessa held on strong! Check this out: https://preview.redd.it/zncq5vozik031.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=5a9473f6918cfbe6b43fd281cba3c99618907109
Moisturizer: I’ve also been liking the Aestura Ato Barrier moisturizer and just went through my supply, so will probably repurchase! There are so many Korean moisturizers that get hyped up that I tend to alternate my morning moisturizer routine just to test new products.
Evening:
Oil Cleanser – I always double-cleanse with either a Japanese or Korean oil cleanser to get rid of the makeup and heavy pollution in Korea. Manyo Factory Pure Cleansing Oil (Korean, available in the US here: https://manyo.us/products/pure-cleansing-oil) or DHC Deep Cleansing Oil (Japanese) have both been solid. I tend to stick to those two brands the most and wait to see which one goes on sale first.
Toner – I like to layer Hadalabo Gokujun Hyaluronic Lotion Moist (Japanese) and let it sit for a bit before applying a heavier moisturizer.
Moisturizer – At night, I tend to use a gel sleeping mask like Laneige, but often opt for the heavier Weleda Superfood because my apartment gets so dry due to the ondol heating (floor heating) even with a humidifier. Once every blue moon, I’ll throw on a Mediheal (Korean) face mask but my skincare routine is already so complex and probably overkill (lol) that I’m usually lazy to make this a regular part of my routine.
Retinol – I don’t use retinol every day, but because I’m 30+, I wanted to add it. It IS drying. I stock up on Differin while I’m in the US since it’s hard to get proper retinol in South Korea. I follow a few skincare groups on Reddit and this one tends to come up a lot since many other brands are too heavily marketed without giving much results.
You probably don’t need as many products, but those are some of my recs. I’ll probably make a lengthy blog post soon about how involved my skincare/makeup routine is xD There are so many products that get released annually that it’s hard to keep up!