Korean skincare and makeup usually cost less in Korea than in the United States, but not by a fixed amount. On the 11 products we could price in both countries on October 21, 2026, Olive Young Korea’s online sale prices came to about 47% to 92% of the lowest OLIVE YOUNG US price that day, and 7 of the 11 fell between 57% and 70%, for the same or a bigger pack. Use the table to decide what is worth buying on a trip, what a friend should bring back, and when a US sale is already close enough.
How we check
- Where the numbers come from
- Olive Young Korea’s online store (oliveyoung.co.kr) and OLIVE YOUNG US (us.oliveyoung.com), read without logging in on the date shown. Korean column: list price, then the price with that week’s online promotion. App coupons and member prices are not included. “Not checked yet” means we could not open the Korean page that day.
- Exchange rate
- About ₩1,350 to the US dollar, from Banque de France reference rates for October 15, 2026. Card issuers add their own margin.
- What is not in the table
- Shipping, US sales tax, and import duty on parcels sent from Korea (roughly 10% of the declared value as of October 2026, plus a carrier fee). Amazon prices change daily, so they are not in this table; the Amazon column links to the listing instead.
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Korea vs US prices, checked October 21, 2026
| Product | Korean sale price in USD | OLIVE YOUNG US | Olive Young Korea online (list → sale) | Amazon | Pack and stock notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask, 4 masks | $12.60 | $19.00 | ₩20,000 → ₩17,000 | Amazon US (paid link) | Korea also lists 7+1 packs at ₩28,200 and 16 masks at ₩55,900. |
| Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum, 30 ml | $20.40 | $29.00 | ₩58,500 → ₩27,500 | Amazon US (paid link) | Korean price is a 30 ml + 30 ml refill set (60 ml); the US price is a single 30 ml bottle. US refill set (60 ml ×2) is $53. |
| LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask, 20 g | $11.30 | $24.00 | ₩22,000 → ₩15,200 | — | Korean October offer includes three minis. |
| COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, 100 ml | $14.60 | $20.90 | ₩23,000 → ₩19,660 | — | Same size in both stores. |
| medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0, 70 pads | $13.00 | $22.00 | ₩24,500 → ₩17,500 | Amazon US (paid link) | US refill set listed at $34.90 (sale $32.90). |
| TIRTIR Mask Fit Red Cushion, 18 g | $15.50 | $25.00 | ₩29,000 → ₩20,880 | — | 20 shades in both stores. |
| rom&nd The Juicy Lasting Tint, 3.5 g | $7.30 | $15.00 | ₩13,000 → ₩9,900 | Amazon US (paid link) | Korean price is for the Sanrio edition; the regular tint has the same list price. |
| Torriden Dive-in Low Molecule Hyaluronic Acid Serum, 50 ml | $12.20 | $24.00 (sale $21.49) | ₩22,000 → ₩16,500 | — | Korean offer includes 10 multi pads. US price is for the 50 ml option. |
| ROUND LAB 1025 Dokdo Toner, 200 ml | $10.00 | $17.00 | ₩15,000 → ₩13,500 | — | Korean offer includes a 50 ml bonus. |
| mixsoon Bean Essence, 50 ml | $22.00 | $26.50 (sale $24.00) | ₩35,000 → ₩29,700 | — | Same size in both stores; a US set with a 20 ml centella essence was $27 (sale $23) but out of stock. |
| SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule, 55 ml | $11.30 | $17.00 (sale $14.45) | ₩18,000 → ₩15,300 | — | Korea also lists 100 ml at ₩22,100; the US 100 ml is $25 (sale $21.25). |
| Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics, 50 ml | $11.10 | Not stocked | ₩20,000 → ₩15,000 | — | Korean offer includes a 20 ml bonus. Not on OLIVE YOUNG US, and no longer sold by the brand in the US (its US formula is Day Dew); see our Korean vs US version guide. |
| numbuzin No.3 Skin Softening Serum, 30 ml | $11.80 | Not stocked | ₩28,000 → ₩15,900 | — | Not on OLIVE YOUNG US at our check (only the No.5+ serum was listed). |
| Dr.Althea 345 Relief Cream, 50 ml | $18.15 (set) | $27.00 | ₩29,000 → ₩24,500 (50 ml + two 10 ml minis) | — | Olive Young Korea lists it under the Korean name 닥터엘시아 as a value set with two 10 ml minis (October 25, 2026). Costco US sells a two-pack; see our Costco vs Korea guide. |
| medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask, 75 ml | — | $21.90 | Not checked yet | — | Korean price to be added at the next check. |
| Abib Gummy Sheet Mask Heartleaf, 1 sheet | — | $4.00 (sale $2.49) | Not checked yet | — | Korean price to be added at the next check. |
| VT Reedle Shot 100, 30 ml | — | $20.16 (sale $17.14) | Not checked yet | — | Korean price to be added at the next check. |
| THE SAEM Cover Perfection Tip Concealer, 6.5 g | — | $6.99 (sale $5.85) | Not checked yet | — | Korean price to be added at the next check. 9 shades in the US store. |
Prices in won are shown as they appeared on the Korean site that day; promotions in Korea change weekly and in-store prices can differ from the website.
What the gap looks like in practice
LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask and rom&nd The Juicy Lasting Tint showed the widest gap, at 47% and 49% of the US price. Both are lip products.
7 of the 11 products landed between 57% and 70%: Torriden Dive-in Low Molecule Hyaluronic Acid Serum (57%), ROUND LAB 1025 Dokdo Toner (59%), medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0 (59%), TIRTIR Mask Fit Red Cushion (62%), Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask (66%), COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence (70%), Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum (70%, a 60 ml Korean set against a 30 ml US bottle). These are everyday skincare and base items. Korean promotions added extras on Torriden Dive-in Low Molecule Hyaluronic Acid Serum (10 multi pads) and ROUND LAB 1025 Dokdo Toner (a 50 ml bonus).
A US sale can nearly close the gap. At that day’s US sale prices, SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule (78%), mixsoon Bean Essence (92%) were close enough that a trip saves little on them.
Some products are in only one store at our check. Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics and numbuzin No.3 Skin Softening Serum are not on OLIVE YOUNG US. For numbuzin, check the brand’s US site; Beauty of Joseon no longer sells Relief Sun in the US, so see our Korean vs US version guide.
When buying in Korea wins
Planning your first haul? Our Olive Young shopping list under $50 turns a budget into three picks, with easy swaps for masks or gifts.
Buy in Korea when you are already there, especially during the quarterly Olive Young sale, which usually runs around the start of March, June, September and December (December 2026 dates were not announced at our check), and when a friend can carry products home in luggage (the US personal exemption for travellers still applies within its limits). Our Olive Young Korea shopping guide covers the tax refund at the counter, and our sales and coupons guide explains how to read a Korean offer. For what Koreans themselves are buying this month, see our Olive Young Korea top 20 against the US store, re-read monthly.
Buy in the US when you are not going to Korea. OLIVE YOUNG Global stopped shipping to US addresses on May 29, 2026, and the $800 duty-free rule for mail-order parcels is suspended, so a Korea-shipped order from another retailer adds roughly 10% duty, a carrier fee and shipping. On a small basket those costs can cancel much of the gap. Our comparison of Olive Young Korea, Global and US explains which storefront serves which country, and for holiday timing see our K-beauty Black Friday guide.
Update log
- October 21, 2026: first edition, 18 products, 11 priced in both countries, 4 Korean prices still to check.
Sources and update date
Updated October 21, 2026. Prices were read from public product and search pages on the two stores without logging in; nothing was purchased. Figures are observations for comparison, not offers.
View sources and photo credits
- Olive Young Korea online store: oliveyoung.co.kr search pages, read October 21, 2026 (Korean).
- OLIVE YOUNG US: us.oliveyoung.com search pages and product pages such as the Biodance mask listing, read October 21, 2026.
- Banque de France: daily exchange rate parities, October 15, 2026, used for the approximate won-to-dollar conversion.
- Myeongdong photo: Sgroey / Wikimedia Commons; resized for display · CC BY-SA 4.0