What Korean skincare OEM really costs

Reviewed by our formulation chemist team and Minjoon Koo, founder. Updated November 2026.

MOQ, unit price, samples, packaging and the fees nobody lists. Written by the team that writes the quotes.

Short answerAt KoreanOEM the minimum order is 500 units for serums, creams and essences, 1,000 for toners, cleansers, lotions and body lotions, 3,000 for sachets, 5,000 for modeling and clay masks, 10,000 for sunscreen, lip care, hydrogel masks and eye patches, and 10,000 for sheet masks. Filled unit costs start from about $2.89 for a toner at 1,000 units and $3.40 for a 30 mL serum at 500 units, and drop by about 40% at 10,000 units. An adjusted or fully custom formula is USD 399, credited against your first order placed within 6 months. Decoration, tests and freight are quoted as separate lines.

Most first-time brands email a factory with one question, "how much for a serum?", and get no useful answer, because a unit price depends on five decisions they have not made yet. This guide walks through those decisions so you can read a quote, compare two of them, and know what your first run will cost before you ask.

The five things that set a unit price

1. The formula. A library formula the lab already tested is cheaper than a custom development, and a formula with a few strong actives is cheaper than one with twelve. Concentration matters too: a 20% niacinamide serum costs more in raw material than a 5% one.

2. The container. A stock 30 mL dropper bottle is a few cents. A frosted glass jar with an inner lid is more. Airless pumps sit in between. Custom colors, coatings and printing add decoration fees and time.

3. The quantity. Filling lines have set-up time and minimum batch sizes. That fixed cost is spread over the units you order, which is why 1,000 units cost less per unit than 500, and 5,000 far less again.

4. Tests and documents. Microbiology comes with every product, and a library formula the lab already runs is stability tested. Stability and preservative (challenge) tests, a safety assessment, SPF testing or a free sale certificate are added when your market or brand requires them, each with its own price. At KoreanOEM extra tests, for example a challenge test, are from USD 1,000 per formula, vegan certification is quoted per product, and market registrations such as MoCRA and CPNP are handled at a competitive price, quoted per product and market.

5. Where it ships. Ex-works, FOB Korea or delivered to your warehouse are three different numbers. A landed cost includes freight, insurance, duties and the broker.

Typical minimum order quantities in Korea

Large Korean OEM factories usually ask for 3,000 to 10,000 units per product, because their lines are sized for big brands. Platforms that resell factory formulas often list 5,000. Smaller labs that run their own products on the same lines can go lower. At KoreanOEM the minimum is 500 units for serums, ampoules, creams and essences, 1,000 for toners, cleansers, lotions and body lotions, 3,000 for single-dose sachets, 5,000 for modeling and clay masks, 10,000 for sunscreen, lip care, hydrogel masks and eye patches, and 10,000 for sheet masks.

What a low MOQ should not meanLower quantities should change the price per unit, not the quality. Ask any factory offering small runs whether the batch is made on the same GMP line and with the same raw material suppliers as their large runs. If the answer is a bench in a back room, walk away.

What a first run costs in practice

With a library formula, a stock container and a one-color label, typical filled unit costs from a Korean lab run start from about $2.89 for a toner at 1,000 units. A 30 mL serum starts from about $3.40 at 500 units, and the final price depends on the actives, the packaging and the quantity. Multiply by your quantity for the goods, then add three lines: decoration and boxes, tests and documents, and freight.

At KoreanOEM a stock container is included in the unit price. A custom container adds a USD 199 sourcing fee and a box a USD 149 sourcing fee, each covering up to 2 products and credited against your first production order placed within 6 months, plus the container or box price per unit.

500 units of serum at $3.40: about $1,700 in goods before packaging upgrades and freight.
1,000 units: expect roughly 20% less per unit than the 500-unit price.
3,000 units: about 35% less. 5,000: about 42% less. 10,000: about 50% less.

These are indicative price breaks for the same formula and packaging. Your written quote shows the exact numbers, and a good quote shows every line so you can remove what you do not need.

Fees that quotes often leave out

Development fees for adjusted and custom formulas, usually credited against the first order placed within 6 months. At KoreanOEM: USD 399 for an adjusted or fully custom formula, none for a ready one.
Sample shipping by courier, and paid revisions beyond the ones included (at KoreanOEM, 3 revision rounds are included, then USD 99 per revision).
Decoration plates and dies for silk screen or hot stamp, charged once per design.
Testing your market requires, such as a challenge test for the EU file or SPF testing.
Responsible person services in the EU or UK if you have no local entity.
Pallets, export packing and documents, and the broker on the receiving side.

None of these are unfair. They are only a problem when they appear after you have compared prices and chosen a partner. Ask for them up front, in writing.

How to compare two quotes

Line them up by the five decisions above. If one quote is ex-works and the other includes freight, they are not comparable yet. If one includes stability testing and the other lists it as optional, add it. Then look at what is not on the paper: sample rounds, revisions, reorder lead time, who owns the formula, and whether your questions are answered by the person who will run the project.

KoreanOEM's approachStarting prices are published for every product type before you ask. The written quote itemizes formula, container, decoration, tests, documents and freight, and arrives within 1 to 2 business days. Nothing is produced until you approve a sample.

Starting prices by product: serum, toner, moisturizers, sheet masks, sunscreen and every other product.

Get my written quote See unit cost by product