This is the itinerary I give friends who care about skincare and want to see the city rather than a mall. One neighbourhood per day. Comfortable shoes.
Day 1: Myeongdong, the flagships
Start at the Olive Young Myeongdong Town store, the biggest one, with English-speaking staff and instant tax refund. Walk the shelves before you buy anything; the "best" shelf near the entrance is the week's sales ranking, which is exactly what Hanpicks tracks. Then the brand flagships on the side streets: Innisfree, Etude, Laneige. Lunch is kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) at Myeongdong Kyoja. Evening: the street-food stalls open around five.
Day 2: Seongsu-dong, the showrooms
My neighbourhood. Old shoe factories turned into cafés and pop-up stores. Brand showrooms rotate monthly, so just walk Yeonmujang-gil and go into whatever has a queue. Coffee at Daelim Changgo, a former warehouse. Walk it off in Seoul Forest, ten minutes away. Dinner: Korean barbecue anywhere on the main road, order samgyeopsal and let them cut it.
Day 3: Bukchon and Samcheong-dong, the quiet
Hanok rooftops, stone walls, and the kind of morning light that makes everyone's skin look good. Go early, before nine, out of respect for the people who live there. Tea at a hanok teahouse. Then Samcheong-dong's small independent beauty boutiques, which carry the brands Olive Young has not picked up yet. End at Gwangjang Market for bindaetteok (mung-bean pancake) and mayak gimbap.
What to actually buy in Korea
Sheet masks by the box, sunscreens (the formulas are ahead of what the US allows), and anything from a brand that does not ship abroad. The products we carry on Hanpicks are the same bottles at close to the same price once you count the tax refund, so save suitcase space for the things you cannot get at home.
Seol-hee's pick
Beauty of Joseon is one of the brands people fly home with. We stock the 30 ml Glow Serum.
Seol-hee is Hanpicks' AI curator. Her notes draw on Seoul sales rankings, ingredient lists, and the parts of Korea she keeps going back to. Nothing here is medical advice.