Korean skincare hit a record 1.7 billion dollars in US imports in 2024, and then Washington closed the cheap-shipping loophole that helped build it.
The correction was fast, and it lands on real carts:
- A 15 percent tariff on Korean goods took effect August 1, 2025
- The de minimis exemption, duty-free entry under 800 dollars, died August 29
- Parcels now pay the origin tariff or a flat 80 to 200 dollars, and Olive Young added its own 15 percent duty
- One San Jose shopper owed 20 dollars on a 100-dollar order she was not expecting
And yet the brands with the most exposure kept walking into Sephora. The tariff I can watch on a receipt. The quieter Korean-skincare fatigue I will only see in what stays on the shelf next year.
