If you already know what you want, or you're buying in bulk or as gifts, the mart is generally cheaper and less crowded, with proactive free sampling. If you want to discover new or indie brands, Olive Young's much broader range is the better stop โ go there instead.
Most visitors looking for Korean skincare head straight to Myeongdong or Olive Young, Korea's largest health-and-beauty chain โ a hybrid of a pharmacy and a skincare boutique, with over 1,300 stores nationwide. It's unmatched for discovering new and indie brands. What most visitors don't realize is that Korean marts carry serious skincare too, often at significantly lower prices, with less foot traffic and free sampling as a standard perk. For the basics on getting to a mart in the first place, see what to buy at a Korean mart.
The two options, side by side
| Korean Mart | Olive Young | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Generally lower | Mid-range |
| Brand range | Broad, mainstream brands | Broader, including indie brands |
| Sampling | Free, proactive | Available, less aggressive |
| Crowd level | Lower | Busy in tourist areas |
| Gift packaging | Multi-packs, gift boxes | Single products mainly |
| Best for | Quantity, gift sets | Discovering new brands |
What to buy at the mart, by category
These are the categories worth shopping at the mart specifically, with the products and price ranges to expect.
- Toner pads (ํ ๋ ํจ๋) โ sold in multi-packs of 60โ100. Best picks: Mediheal Watermide Moisture Pad (highly recommended), Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0 (feels more luxurious), Cosrx One Step Pads (a global cult favorite, here at local prices). โฉ12,000โโฉ25,000.
- Sunscreen (์ ํฌ๋ฆผ) โ Korean sunscreens are known globally for lightweight textures and no white cast. Best picks: Round Lab Birch Juice Sunscreen and Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun are consistent favorites; Missha All Around Safe Block is a solid affordable option. โฉ8,000โโฉ18,000.
- Essence and serum (์์ผ์ค & ์ธ๋ผ) โ the core of the Korean routine. Best picks: COSRX Snail Mucin 96 Power Repairing Essence (globally famous, easy to find here) and Numbuzin No.5 Serum (a newer local favorite). โฉ18,000โโฉ35,000.
- Sheet masks (์ํธ ๋ง์คํฌ) โ flat, lightweight, and an easy gift for friends or coworkers. Look for 10-to-30-piece multi-packs from Mediheal, Abib, or Dr.Jart+. โฉ8,000โโฉ20,000 for a 10-pack.
- Lip tints (๋ฆฝํดํธ) โ small, strongly pigmented, budget-friendly. Best picks: ROM&ND Juicy Lasting Tint is the consistent favorite; Peripera Ink Mood Drop Tint and 3CE are good alternatives. โฉ6,000โโฉ14,000.
- Hand cream (ํธ๋ํฌ๋ฆผ) โ often sold in gift-box format at the mart. Best picks: Nature Republic Aloe Hand Cream and Innisfree Green Tea Hand Cream. โฉ3,000โโฉ12,000.
Several of these โ sheet masks and hand cream especially โ are also standard entries in Korean gift-set culture. If you're shopping for someone else rather than yourself, see why everything at a Korean mart comes as a gift set for the seasonal timing that changes what's on the shelf.
Mart private brands vs. Olive Young
Marts also sell their own private-brand skincare, which is where the price gap widens further. Jaju (์์ฃผ), Emart's lifestyle and home brand, is significantly cheaper than most Olive Young brands for equivalent categories โ the trade-off is fewer cult-status, buzzy products. It's reliable and good value rather than exciting, which makes it the smarter financial choice if you want to spend less and still bring home genuinely Korean skincare.
No Brand (๋ ธ๋ธ๋๋) is the most underrated find in the category: same factories, same ingredients as premium brands, sold without the branding markup. A No Brand toner pad costs roughly 40% less than the equivalent Mediheal product. For travelers buying skincare gifts for multiple people, No Brand is the practical call. You'll find it at Emart stores (the Yongsan B1 branch, for one) and at the standalone No Brand shop in Gotomall near Express Bus Terminal Station, about three minutes on foot from the Shinsegae B1 entrance.
Why Korean skincare feels different
Korean beauty follows a philosophy of layering several lightweight products rather than relying on one heavy cream, so skin ends up hydrated from multiple thin layers rather than one thick one. The ingredient focus tends toward plant extracts, fermentation technology, and gentle actives. For most European or North American visitors, the biggest surprise isn't a specific ingredient โ it's how lightweight everything feels compared to what they're used to.
So which one?
If you already have a shopping list โ a specific toner pad, a specific sunscreen โ or you're buying multiples as gifts, go to the mart: it's cheaper, less crowded, and the free sampling means you can try before you commit to a multi-pack. If you don't have a list yet and want to browse and discover something new, Olive Young's much wider brand range, including indie labels the mart doesn't carry, is the better use of your time. Neither replaces the other โ they're suited to different kinds of shopping trip.