From Ingredient Labels to Customs Rules: 4 K-Beauty Questions Visitors Often Ask
Choosing cosmetics, paying at a duty-free counter, or packing your suitcase for the flight home can raise procedural questions that visitors to Korea often overlook. This week's Q&A rounds up four such questions -- about Korea's cosmetics labeling system, VAT refunds, carry-on liquid limits, and rules on taking prescription medicine out of the country -- based on official government sources.
At a glance: liquids on flights must be in containers of 100ml or less, one clear 1L zip bag per passenger (Incheon International Airport); the instant VAT refund limit is KRW 1 million per purchase and KRW 5 million in total (as of January 2024, Korea Customs Service); the minimum purchase amount at tax-refund shops is KRW 15,000.
Q. How can I check a cosmetic's full ingredient list and its "functional cosmetic" mark? -- A. Under Korea's Cosmetics Act, every cosmetic product must list all ingredients used in manufacturing on its packaging, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). If a container is too small to fit the full list, the seller is required to keep a phone number, website, or printed booklet with the full ingredient list available on request, so shoppers can ask staff to check it on the spot. Products verified for whitening, wrinkle-care, or UV-protection effects -- called "functional cosmetics" -- are legally required to carry the words "functional cosmetic" or an MFDS-designated symbol on the packaging. If that mark is missing, the product has not gone through the functional review process, so it's worth checking for the mark before buying something for a specific effect.
Q. What's the difference between refunds at downtown duty-free shops and ordinary stores? -- A. Airport and downtown duty-free shops sell goods with VAT already excluded from the price -- a "duty-free" sale. Department stores and regular shops, by contrast, charge the full tax-included price and refund it later, a system called "tax-refund" retail; confusing the two and trying to claim a refund twice will simply be denied. At tax-refund stores, showing your passport lets you choose between an "instant refund," where the tax is deducted right at checkout, or a "refund on departure" at the airport. Per Korea Customs Service, the instant-refund cap has been KRW 1 million per purchase and KRW 5 million in total since January 2024, with a minimum purchase of KRW 15,000. Higher-value purchases must go through the airport refund counter instead.
Q. How much liquid skincare -- toner, lotion and the like -- can I carry onto the plane? -- A. According to Incheon International Airport, liquid and gel cosmetics such as toner, lotion, and essence must each be in a container of 100ml or less; even a nearly empty bottle is barred if the container itself exceeds 100ml. All such containers together must fit inside a single, transparent 1L zip-top bag per passenger. The one exception is liquid items bought at an airport duty-free shop and sealed in a designated duty-free liquid bag, which face no volume limit -- so buying larger skincare items at duty-free on departure day can be one way to save luggage space.
Q. Can I take prescription medicine from my dermatologist home with me? -- A. Even a legally prescribed medicine can be restricted from export without MFDS approval if it contains a substance regulated under Korea's Narcotics Control Act, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Travelers who need to carry such medicine for treatment are advised to obtain an English-language prescription or medical opinion from their doctor and keep it with them, and to carry only the minimum amount needed for the trip. Whether a given medicine requires approval, and how to apply for it, can be checked in advance through the e-petition section of the Drug Safety Korea portal (nedrug.mfds.go.kr).