Frequently Asked Questions

We key every listing to a barcode rather than a name, because names get recycled across markets, and we record the market a product was made for as a field in our catalog rather than as a slogan. When your order arrives, read the barcode and the production code off the package yourself.

It depends on the brand, so we publish the route on each product page. Medicube prints a QR code on the inner box. COSRX runs its own lookup on cosrx.com. Anua uses a holographic seal that the HiddenTag app reads. We never point you at a decoder that does not support your product.

No. Duties are prepaid, so nothing is owed at your door and no carrier will invoice you after delivery. The small parcel exemption that once let shipments from Korea arrive duty free has ended, which is why orders sent direct from Asia can now arrive with a bill attached.

Standard delivery is 3 to 5 business days once your order is dispatched. Because stock sits in our California warehouse rather than in Korea, your parcel travels domestically and clears no border on the way to you. Tracking is emailed as soon as the label is created.

Shipping is free on orders over 100 dollars. Below that a flat rate is calculated at checkout before you pay, so you see the full cost with duties already included. There is no separate import fee, brokerage charge, or handling surcharge added later.

Your order ships from our California warehouse. The products themselves are bought for the Korean market and imported in bulk, so the unit in the box is the one made for Korean shelves even though the parcel starts its journey in California.

Yes, within 30 days, provided the item is unopened and its seal is intact. Skincare is applied to skin, so an opened jar or bottle cannot be resold or restocked safely. We pay the return postage and send you a prepaid label, so changing your mind costs you nothing. Start a return by contacting us first.

We fix it and you pay nothing. Send us a photo of the item and the packaging within 7 days of delivery and we will send a replacement or refund you in full. You will not be asked to pay return postage, and in most cases you will not need to ship anything back.

Usually not, outside of sunscreen. We checked the twelve brands we researched in August 2026 against their own sites and independent ingredient databases and found no documented case of a different formula shipping to the United States in the categories we sell. Our guide to Korean and US formulas sets out what we found.

Korean market packaging is printed primarily in Korean, which is part of how you can tell what you are holding. The barcode and the production code are intact exactly as they left the factory. We intend to add an English over label carrying ingredients and contents for the US market.

The EAN barcode identifies the exact unit a brand released, and we key every listing in our catalog to it rather than to a product name. Names get reused across markets and reformulations, so a barcode is a far more reliable way to know which release you are buying.

We stock 305 Korean brands, including COSRX, Beauty of Joseon, Anua, Medicube, SKIN1004, Purito Seoul, Isntree, Round Lab, Biodance, VT Cosmetics, Dr. Althea and Centellian24. Every product listed is the release made for the Korean market. Browse the full catalog to see every brand in stock now.

Email contact@korean-pharmacy.com and a person reads it. We reply within one business day, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 Pacific. Include your order number and the name the order was placed under.