K-Beauty is big business and now one of Korea’s biggest exports, up there with K-Pop, K-Drama and amazing Korean food!
Latest reports indicate that for the first time, exports of Korean beauty products were in excess of $10 Billion USD last year.
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Not surprisingly, one of the most asked questions in our South Korea Travel Planning Facebook group is which salons should they go to and which are the best products to buy in stores like Olive Young or InnisFree.
So from colour analysis to booking apps, skin tests to scalp treatments, here is our guide to the best Seoul / South Korean K-Beauty treatments and Korean beauty experiences.
This article was originally published on cktravels.com on 13 April 2025.
South Korea checklist
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For booking tours, transfers and SIM cards we recommend Get Your Guide, Viator, Trazy or Klook.
For booking rental cars visit Discover Cars. For private drivers and taxis, check out our Transfer guide >
Check out our South Korea travel booking resources >
All set for South Korea? Do one final check with our Seoul first timers guide and our South Korea packing list
Popular K-Beauty stores in Seoul, South Korea
Olive Young
Perhaps the most famous Korean beauty brand, Olive Young has over 1,400 stores across South Korea.
The K-beauty shop Olive Young has become so well known all over the world that many flock to Seoul with empty suitcases just to fill them up with ‘miraculous’ moisturiser or blinged body scrubs.
Such is Olive Young’s popularity with overseas visitors, they now have dedicated Olive Young Global stores (including two in Myeongdong).
These stores are specifically aimed at overseas tourists with all their best-selling lines in massive volumes, signs in English, plus multilingual staff and lots of duty-free shopping kiosks.
In 2025, a brand new 5-floor “Olive Young” opened in Seongsu-dong, which might be South Korea’s biggest Olive Young store!
South Korea Hallyu Tip – remember to bring your passport if you want a tax refund! Travellers to South Korea can get up to 10% off / cashback when you spend between 30,000 KRW to 500,000 KRW.
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Nature Republic
With over 500 K-beauty stores in South Korea alone and a huge product range, you’ll see Nature Republic shops everywhere, heavily marketed around its natural ingredients like aloe vera and green tea.
This is also one of the few Korean beauty retailers that has it own stores outside of Asia (a Nature Republic opened in London recently for instance).
Revitalize yourself with Trazy’s K-Beauty deals >
Daiso – for cheaper Korean beauty products
Many Korean beauty products can be quite expensive but if you are looking for K-Beauty on a budget, try Daiso, one of South Korea’s biggest discount retail chains.
Here you’ll find body care products galore from moisturisers to face masks, hair care to stick on nail art – but all very cheap!
As well as local K-beauty brands, you’ll find branded products like Nivea and Vaseline. Vaseline face masks sell for as little as 1,000 Won per mask whilst other face masks in Daiso start from 500 Won.
If you are staying in Myeongdong, you can do some beauty shopping in the 12 storey Daiso in Myeongdong >
Other shops
Other popular Korean beauty retail shops include InnisFree, The Face Shop (founded in the 1940s and a pioneer of the K-Beauty scene) plus big shopping malls in Seoul and South Korea like Shinsegae and Lotte (both of which you can find next door to each other in Myeongdong).
Check out these top Seoul beauty experiences with Klook >
Beware of fake K-Beauty products
One reason why so many people shop at the well known K-Beauty shops like Olive Young is that there are some stores (usually less well known brands) that sell counterfeit beauty products, especially those serums and creams that are very expensive.
To counteract counterfeits, some of the bigger brands have introduced QR codes on the packaging which you can scan to verify they are real (although some have reported fake QR codes now too…)
So if something seems too good to be true or it is a stall on a street corner, maybe consider whether it wise to buy it.
You might like – 30+ best South Korea travel apps including taxis and public transport >
Popular Seoul K-Beauty make up experiences and hair treatments
If you’d like to just go straight into a Korean / K-beauty experience, there are many salons and providers that offer a range of services, from make-up to perms. They’ll also give you step-by-step skin care pointers and daily beauty regimen.
There are many advantages of booking a K-beauty session through providers like Klook, Get Your Guide or Trazy is that you can use international debit /credit cards, sometimes get instant confirmation, plus you can check the reviews of each service.
Please note some of these salons may try to upsell you K-beauty products but feel free to decline and seek them potentially elsewhere.
You might like – 50 top things to do in South Korea >
Scalp treatments
Usually a combination of a spa experience plus medicated shampoo to nourish hair, South Korea scalp treatments (scalp regeneration) are very popular.
After careful analysis, your scalp is massaged and often your head is exfoliated before special shampoos and hair products are recommended.
Popular scalp treatment salons in Seoul include Eco Jardin, Green Scalp Treatment and one of our South Korea Travel Planning Facebook group members recommended Moclock in Gangnam:
“ I recently visited Moclock for a scalp/hair spa treatment and I absolutely love it! They did a thorough scalp examination and recommended the perfect treatment for me. Paid $80 for 50 minutes, and I was able to book same-day reservations!”
Click to book your Moclock Premium Scalp and Hair Loss Treatment Center with Klook, starting from £52 / $68 USD.
Alternative options include:
EcoJardin: Stem cell head spa experience in Jamsil, Seoul >
Scalp treatment with Lee Moon Won Clinic in Gangnam via Klook (over 2k sold) >
Traditional Korean hair and scalp care beauty tour in Hapjeong, Seoul >
Or get your hair styled without the scalp treatment:
Myeong-dong Hair Styling Experience at Herique (Franck Provost) >
Seoul JUNO HAIR Hongik Univ. Station Branch >
Lulu Korean Premium K-Pop Idol Hair Salon in Gangnam >
And one for the boys:
Boy K-Style Celeb Experience: Hair and Makeup and Photo Shoot >
Colour Analysis
Another common question in our Facebook group is Color Analysis – this is when a specialist helps you coordinate which colors harmonise and highlight your individual skin tone and colour best.
They often look at hair color, jewellery, clothing, glasses styles and eye shades as part of their own unique color analysis. They then give you results and color references which you can incorporate into your daily beauty regimen.
Personal Color Analysis and Makeup by Color Signal in Gangnam (over 1k sold) >
Personal Color, Fashion, and Make-up Analysis Session in Myeongdong with Get Your Guide or Klook.
Colorize Personal Color Analysis in Myeongdong >
Color of You: Personal Color Analysis Experience in Hongdae >
Seoul Personal Color and Body and Face Fit Analysis in Gangnam >
Seoul Personal Color Body Type Analysis by PIC Color Branding Center near Yeouido >
And if you are visiting Busan, check out this Personal Color Analysis (+ Makeup/Fashion Feedback) >
Seoul K-Beauty Make-Up Experiences
The ‘foundation’ of good skin can be found in various K-beauty make up experiences most of which include appliance techniques, personally curated skin-care shopping lists plus demonstrations.
K-Beauty Make Up Experience at ROA.MAKEUP >
Hair Styling / Idol Hair / Make-up K-Beauty in Hongdae >
K-Style Make-up and Hairstyling Experience at Normalshop in Gangnam >
Seoul Apgujeong Celebrity Makeup Experience K-Beauty Tour >
Get Your Hair and Makeup Done Like a Korean Celebrity at Jenny House, Gangnam >
K-beauty 101: Skin Care & Make-up Class with a Korean TV Host, Gangnam >
Seoul: K-Beauty Tour / K-pop Hair & Makeup Tour / No.1 shop >
Personalized Korean-Style Makeup Experience in Myeongdong >
Seoul Hair Styling & Make-Up Experience by Rolling Jay >
K-Beauty: Lienjang Professional Facial Acne & Aqua Peel + Blackhead Care >
Personalized perfumes
Perfumes are another big seller in South Korea and an excellent scentful souvenir of your trip.
You can buy off-the-shelf scents from big brand perfume stores like Tamburins and Diptyque Paris, but many visitors prefer to create their own personalized perfume.
Create your own special scent in a hanok style lab using natural oils >
Make your own perfume with professional guide in Gangnam >
Make your own perfume in Seocho >
Seoul Spa Beauty Treatments
Finally, if you want to treat yourself, here are some recommended spa treatments in Seoul.
O HUI&WHOO SPA & Massage in Myeongdong (over 9k booked) >
UNNI Korean Beauty App
We have a list of over 30 apps to consider when travelling to South Korea – the number 1 Korean beauty app is UNNI, which has over 1 million reviews and recommendations from visitors and patients who have undertaken K-Beauty procedures.
You can book procedures via the app plus get real-time consultations – however a few users online have reported what look to be fake reviews plus higher than average prices so always do your research before booking on UNNI.
Korean Photo Booth
Finally, after you’ve had your treatment or are looking like a K Beauty queen, be sure to preserve the moment with a selfie snapped in a photo booth.
Time to get ‘snap happy’ at a Korean photo booth – whether you are looking for a superb selfie or glam group shot with your friends or fellow travellers, Korean photo booths are easy to use and inexpensive.
Better yet, half the fun is in the taking of the pictures, with a wide variety of props or backdrops to choose from; just remember not to mess up your new hair or smudge your make-up; you can even be pictured with your favourite K-Pop band or cartoon character.
Literally located on every street corner, read our ultimate guide to using photo booths in Korea >
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