Original research
The K-Beauty Price Index
How much the same Korean beauty product costs at different US-reachable retailers — measured on daily observed prices across our tracked catalog. What you see is a pricing difference, not an authenticity one.
Data as of August 19, 2026.
Headline finding
The same K-beauty product's price varies by an average of 27.1% across US retailers.
Across 4,858 products carried by two or more US-reachable retailers on August 19, 2026, the average spread between the lowest and highest listing was 27.1% — an average gap of $7.68 per product, and 1,104 products varied by more than 40%.
This measures observed retail spread across retailers — not a claim of MAP violation. We don't know any brand's MAP floor, only that the same product sells at very different prices on the same day.
4,858
Products compared
Two or more US-reachable retailers
17
US retailers tracked
Captured daily
27.1%
Average price spread
Lowest vs. highest listing
$7.68
Average overpay
Per product, same day
Widest brand spreads
The brands whose products swing the most between the lowest and highest US listing on the same day.
| Brand | Products | Avg spread | Products 40%+ | Widest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I'm From | 14 | 47.4% | 10 | $22.74 |
| DERMA FACTORY | 17 | 44.5% | 11 | $14.90 |
| SKINFOOD | 17 | 44.3% | 10 | $21.69 |
| Pyunkang Yul | 10 | 43.8% | 8 | $16.83 |
| Isntree | 33 | 42.4% | 26 | $15.33 |
| peripera | 21 | 41.7% | 4 | $7.59 |
| Dr.Jart+ | 9 | 41.3% | 6 | $24.73 |
| Papa Recipe | 8 | 41.0% | 4 | $20.40 |
| SKIN1004 | 40 | 40.9% | 23 | $20.18 |
| Dr.Melaxin | 30 | 38.3% | 13 | $36.43 |
| numbuzin | 29 | 38.2% | 14 | $19.80 |
| Torriden | 15 | 38.1% | 9 | $23.57 |
Average price spread across US retailers, per brand. As of August 19, 2026.
What it means for shoppers
A spread this size means the store you happen to open first is usually not the cheapest one — and paying more buys you nothing extra.
Compare on the price you actually pay (product plus shipping), not the sticker price. A cheaper item shipping from Korea can end up costing more than a slightly pricier US listing.
Check stock and date. A price is only useful if the item is in stock at that retailer, which is why every figure here is stamped with its capture day.
Start from the full catalog, or read how we rank on value in how we compare.
Questions this data answers
How much do K-beauty prices vary between sellers?
Across 4,858 Korean beauty products carried by two or more US-reachable retailers on August 19, 2026, the average spread between the lowest and highest listing was 27.1% — an average gap of $7.68 per product. 1,104 products varied by more than 40%.
Is it cheaper to compare K-beauty prices before buying?
Usually, yes. On the typical tracked product the spread between the lowest and highest listing is 27.1%, about $7.68 on the same product — so the store you happen to open first is often not the cheapest one.
Why is the same Korean skincare product a different price at each store?
Retailers set their own prices, buy on different wholesale terms, run different promotions, and ship from different places — the US, Korea, or a third market. Shipping counts toward the price a shopper actually pays, so the lowest sticker price does not always win. It is a pricing difference, not an authenticity difference.
Methodology (v1.1)
- Daily observed price. We capture one representative in-stock price per retailer, per product, per day from each US-reachable retailer's listings, recorded in price_history_by_retailer.
- Spread = (high − low) ÷ high for one product on one day, across the retailers carrying it.
- Coverage thresholds. A product needs at least 2 retailers to enter a category number, and at least 3 to appear in a per-brand report.
- Category exclusions. Sheet masks, pads, sheets, stickers and jellies are excluded because single-unit and multipack listings aren't reliably distinguishable and would overstate the spread.
- Outlier guard. Any single listing below 0.5× or above 1.8× the product's cross-retailer median is dropped unless a second retailer corroborates it.
- Completeness guard. If a retailer's coverage collapses on a given day, that day's numbers are aborted rather than published.
- Date-stamped. Every figure is stamped to a validated capture day and recomputed only on a validated capture day. We never accept payment for ranking.
This measures observed retail spread across retailers — not a claim of MAP violation. We don't know any brand's MAP floor, only that the same product sells at very different prices on the same day.
Cite this research
Journalists, bloggers, and researchers are welcome to reference these figures with a link back to this page. Please cite the snapshot date, since the numbers are recomputed on each validated capture day.
The K-Beauty Price Index — The K-Beauty Plug, August 19, 2026. https://www.kbeautyplug.com/research/k-beauty-price-index