Importing Korean skincare into the United States
What the border charges, where each shop stops charging for shipping, and what the two together mean for the order you were going to place anyway.
Which K-beauty shops pay the US tariff for you? →
What does the United States charge on an imported parcel?
US import duty on Korean goods.
There is no exemption to fall under, so every parcel is dutiable: 12.5% on the whole value of the goods, from the first dollar. Shipping is not taxed.
Customs rule last checked on 2026-10-03. The rule read was Section 301 forced-labour action, notice of 2026-07-23 (de-minimis suspended 2025-08-29) (Office of the US Trade Representative) — the notice itself. These change — the US $800 exemption was suspended on 2025-08-29 — so treat an old date as a reason to verify.
Duty, tariff, customs, import fees — which is which
Duty and tariff are the same charge, and "customs" is both the agency that collects it and the everyday word for it. It is a percentage of what the goods are worth, decided by the border rather than by the shop.
VAT and GST are a different tax. A country can charge duty, a consumption tax, both, or neither, which is why there is a page per country rather than one rule for everywhere. Into the United States, the charge nuvy quotes is one thing: US import duty on Korean goods.
"Import fees" is an umbrella — it covers everything above, and it is also where one charge hides that nuvy does not quote: a courier's own fee for clearing the parcel and fronting the tax. That one is the courier's, not the border's, and it is not in any total on this page. Everything nuvy does put a number on is above.
Where does each shop's free-shipping line fall?
| Shop | Free shipping from | Fee below | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| YesStyle | $35.00 | $6.00 | 8–14 days |
| Stylevana | $48.00 | $5.79 | 8–15 days |
| BuyBeautyKorea | $75.00 | $9.00 EST | 7–16 days |
EST marks a figure this shop does not publish for this country — it is nuvy's estimate, not a quote.
What does a real routine cost at your door?
A 6-step dry-skin routine — one of the four nuvy builds, and the middle one by price — delivered to the United States:
| Shop | Products | Import | At your door |
|---|---|---|---|
| YesStyle | $70.68 | $8.84 | $79.52 |
| BuyBeautyKorea | $134.70 | shop pays | $134.70 |
Every shop here ships this order free.
YesStyle lands $55.19 less than BuyBeautyKorea at the door. BuyBeautyKorea pays the duty for you and is still $55.19 more — the gap between the shops' own prices is wider than the border's cut.
What will your order cost at the door?
Type your order total. Each shop's own shipping line and what the United States adds, side by side. This compares what each shop adds on top of the same order value — the same products can be priced differently at each shop.
Every shop, in detail
Other countries
- Importing into Singapore
- Importing into the Philippines
- Importing into Canada
- Every shop and country nuvy checks
Questions people ask
How much import duty does the United States charge on Korean skincare?
US import duty on Korean goods. There is no exemption to fall under, so every parcel is dutiable: 12.5% on the whole value of the goods, from the first dollar. Shipping is not taxed.
Which shop has the lowest free-shipping threshold for the United States?
YesStyle ships free over $35.00, or $6.00 below that; Stylevana ships free over $48.00, or $5.79 below that; BuyBeautyKorea ships free over $75.00, or $9.00 below that.
When was this customs rule last checked?
On 2026-10-03, against Section 301 forced-labour action, notice of 2026-07-23 (de-minimis suspended 2025-08-29) (Office of the US Trade Representative). Customs rules change, so an old date is a reason to verify before ordering.