Guides
Buying K-beauty in Korea: shelf tags, gifts and the tax refund쇼핑·택스리펀드
Read the price tags at Olive Young and other Korean beauty shops, and get the tax back at the till. Foreign visitors bought ₩1 trillion of goods at Olive Young in the first eleven months of 2025 alone — here is how to join them without overpaying.
Instant tax refund calculator
For shops that offer the refund at the till (look for a Tax Free sign).
VAT included in this receipt
₩5,636
Eligible for the instant refund.
The refund you get is this VAT minus the refund company’s fee, which Korea’s National Tax Service approves. Your receipt shows the exact amount.
The rules
- Who: foreign visitors who are non-residents of Korea. Diplomats, UN and US forces personnel based in Korea, and companies, are excluded.
- Minimum: a single purchase of ₩15,000 or more, tax included.
- Instant refund at the till: each purchase must be under ₩1,000,000, tax included, and your instant-refund purchases since you arrived in Korea can total up to ₩5,000,000. Bigger purchases can still be refunded, but not instantly at the till.
- Show your passport. The shop checks it and sends the sale to customs electronically.
- Take it home within 3 months. If goods bought tax-free are not taken out of Korea within 3 months of purchase, you lose the instant refund on later purchases.
The per-purchase limit rose from ₩500,000 to ₩1,000,000, and the total from ₩2,500,000 to ₩5,000,000, on 1 January 2024.
In the shop: price tags and the till
Words on shelf tags at Olive Young and other Korean beauty shops.
- 정가jeong-garegular price
- 판매가pan-mae-gaselling price
- 할인가hal-in-gasale price
- 세일se-ilsale
- 할인hal-indiscount
- 1+11+1buy one, get one free
- 2+12+1buy two, get one free
- 증정jeung-jeongfree gift included
- 사은품sa-eun-pumfree gift with purchase
- 기획gi-hoekspecial set (a bundle, often with extras)
- 단독dan-dokexclusive (only at this shop)
- 한정han-jeonglimited
- 리필ri-pilrefill
- 대용량dae-yong-ryanglarge size
- 본품bon-pumfull-size product (not the gift)
- 미니mi-nimini size
- 테스터te-seu-teotester
- 품절pum-jeolsold out
- 재입고jae-ip-goback in stock
- 신상sin-sangnew arrival
- 베스트be-seu-teubest-seller
- 쿠폰ku-poncoupon
- 멤버십mem-beo-sipmembership
- 포인트po-in-teupoints
- 계산대gye-san-daecheckout counter
- 영수증yeong-su-jeungreceipt
- 교환gyo-hwanexchange
- 환불hwan-bulrefund
- 여권yeo-gwonpassport
- 면세myeon-setax-free
- 즉시환급jeuk-si-hwan-geupinstant tax refund (at the till)
- 쇼핑백syo-ping-baekshopping bag
Before you buy
- Check 사용기한 (use-by date) or 개봉 후 사용기간 (period after opening) on the box — the label decoder reads both.
- 기획 sets often bundle a full-size product (본품) with minis or refills. Compare the volume (ml) with the single product.
- Want a specific ingredient? Search the Korean name in the ingredient dictionary and look for it in 전성분.
Questions
What is the minimum purchase for a tax refund in Korea?
₩15,000 for a single purchase, tax included.
What is the limit for the instant tax refund at the till?
Under ₩1,000,000 per purchase and up to ₩5,000,000 in total since you arrived in Korea.
What does 1+1 mean in a Korean shop?
Buy one, get one free.
Sources
- Special rules on VAT and excise for foreign tourists (외국인관광객 등에 대한 부가가치세 및 개별소비세 특례규정), Articles 2, 3 and 6 — in force 2 January 2026
- Enforcement Rule of the same special rules, Article 2 — the ₩15,000 minimum
- The Korea Times — “Korea to double tax refund limit for foreign tourists” (27 November 2023)
- Cosmorning — Olive Young’s purchases by foreign visitors reach ₩1 trillion (3 December 2025)
Checked 26 October 2026. Rules change — the official texts above are the final word.