10 Korean Words Often Written on Korean Skincare Product Boxes

These are the ones you’re likely to come across most often. I’ll include how to pronounce them, too.

1. 수분 (subun) = moisture, hydration
2. 진정 (jinjeong) = calming, soothing the skin
3. 미백 (mibaek) = brightening/whitening care
4. 주름 개선 (jureum gaeseon) = wrinkle improvement
5. 자외선 차단 (jawoeseon chadan) = UV protection
6. 저자극 (jeojageuk) = low-irritation
7. 민감성 피부 (mingamseong pibu) = sensitive skin
8. 세럼 / 앰플 (sereom / aempeul) = serum / concentrated serum
9. 사용기한 (sayong gihan) = expiration date
10. 개봉 후 사용기간 (gaebong hu sayong gigan) = period of use after opening. If you see an open-jar symbol with “12M,” it means the product is best used within 12 months of opening.

“미백” and “주름 개선” are claims used for functional cosmetics in Korea, but they don’t guarantee visible results. When traveling, it’s also useful to be able to read 사용법(sayongbeop = directions for use) and​전성분 (jeonseongbun = full ingredient list). Next, I’d also like to see a guide to “testers, shade numbers, and refills” that’s useful in stores.