What Korean private label skincare really costs in 2026 — unit cost, MOQ, timeline
A sunscreen that retails for ₩22,400 in Korea costs about ₩2,700–3,500 to make at 5,000 units. A sheet mask at ₩15,000 costs ₩1,800–2,300. Here is the number for seven categories, what the usual MOQ is, and how long the first order really takes.
At 5,000 units per SKU, a Korean-made product that sells for ₩15,000–25,000 at retail typically costs ₩1,800–3,900 per unit to make, bulk, container and carton included. The usual MOQ is 5,000 units per SKU; 1,000-unit runs are possible for some formats but are quoted case by case. A quote takes one to two days and a sample about seven days. A retail private-label project with a fixed target price and spec usually reaches its first purchase order in one to two months; a new brand that still has to settle concept, formula and packaging takes four to seven.
Start from the number buyers actually ask for
Every sourcing conversation starts with the same question: what will it cost per unit? Most answers you find online are ranges like "$2 to $8" that cover everything from a toner to a serum in an airless pump. That is not useful for a line review.
We track Korea's top-selling products every day and estimate what it would cost to make a matching product at 5,000 units. Here is the current reading for seven categories.
| Category | Median retail (Korea) | Est. cost to match, 5,000 units |
|---|---|---|
| Sunscreen | ₩22,400 | ₩2,700–3,500 |
| Sun stick | ₩19,900 | ₩2,400–3,100 |
| Sheet mask | ₩15,000 | ₩1,800–2,300 |
| Toner | ₩20,000 | ₩2,400–3,100 |
| Toner pad | ₩25,000 | ₩3,000–3,900 |
| Cleansing foam | ₩16,500 | ₩2,000–2,600 |
| Shampoo | ₩24,000 | ₩2,900–3,700 |
The estimate covers bulk, primary container and unit carton. It reads the spec off the product page — size, format, container — so a 50 ml airless serum and a 150 ml bottle toner are not lumped together. Live numbers for 41 categories are on the category pages, updated daily.
Three things move the number more than anything else: the container (a glass dropper or an airless pump costs several times a plain PE bottle), functional claims that need testing, and run size below 5,000.
MOQ: 5,000 is the baseline, 1,000 is a conversation
For skincare, 5,000 units per SKU is the quantity Korean factories plan around, and it is the quantity behind the costs above. At that volume a buyer usually gets a better price through a sourcing partner than by walking into a factory alone, because the partner buys bulk from the factory at a partner rate and sources the container separately.
Runs of around 1,000 units can be reviewed for some formats. The honest caveat: development, sampling and project management cost the same whether you make 1,000 or 50,000, so small runs are accepted selectively and the per-unit price is noticeably higher.
Formats with heavy line setup — sheet masks, sun sticks — tend to sit above the 5,000 baseline.
Timeline: two different clocks
Retail private label. The buyer arrives with a target price, a reference product and a spec. Quote in one to two days, sample in about seven. If the sample and the price land, the purchase order follows. First inquiry to first PO: one to two months.
New brand. Concept, texture, claims, container and artwork all still have to be decided, and each decision usually takes a sample round. Samples take seven to ten days per round. First inquiry to first PO: four to seven months, longer if design drags.
Retail buyers move faster not because they are treated differently but because they have already made the decisions.
When direct-to-factory is the better deal
If you need one or two SKUs and you have found the right factory, go direct. You will likely pay less than through anyone in between.
The arithmetic flips at five SKUs or more. A single factory rarely makes a sunscreen, a sheet mask and a shampoo equally well. Containers come from one supplier, cartons from another, and the whole set has to land on the same ship. The value of a sourcing partner is not the factory list — it is putting two or three factories, two or three container makers and a packaging supplier on one schedule at one price.
Get a real number
Pick a category above, open the product you would like to match, and press Make one like this. You will get a brief and a cost estimate for that exact spec, and a sample request if you want to go further. No account needed.
Open the category pages → · See the 30 formulations ready for sampling →
Questions people ask
It depends on the format more than the brand. From our daily ranking data, the estimated cost to match a top-30 product at 5,000 units is ₩2,700–3,500 for sunscreen, ₩1,800–2,300 for a sheet mask, ₩2,400–3,100 for a toner, ₩2,000–2,600 for a cleansing foam, ₩3,000–3,900 for toner pads and ₩2,900–3,700 for shampoo. Those are landed costs for bulk, container and carton — not bulk alone. Add functional claims, special containers or very small runs and the number moves up.
5,000 units per SKU is the normal baseline for skincare, and it is the quantity at which the costs above are quoted. Runs of around 1,000 units can be reviewed for some formats, but the development and management effort is the same as for a large run, so they are accepted selectively and cost more per unit. Sheet masks and sun sticks tend to have higher minimums because of line setup.
Two very different clocks. A retail private-label buyer who arrives with a target price and a spec usually gets a quote in one to two days and a sample in about seven, and reaches a purchase order in one to two months. A new brand that still has to decide concept, texture, claims and packaging goes through sample rounds, design and artwork, and typically needs four to seven months.
For one or two SKUs, often yes — find the right factory and deal direct. The arithmetic changes with five or more SKUs, because a single factory rarely covers every format well, and containers, cartons and logistics have to be coordinated on top. That is where a sourcing partner that assembles two or three factories, two or three container suppliers and a packaging supplier into one schedule earns its margin.
Bulk formula, primary container and unit carton at 5,000 units, based on the spec visible on the product page — size, format and container type. It does not include outer cartons, freight, duties, testing or registration, which vary by destination.