Peep Korea
Skin
One Label. Four Products.
A Seoul skin booster menu puts PN, PDLLA, hyaluronic acid and exosomes under one word. What each is, how Korea regulates it, and how the price is built.
Glass skin is a result people photograph. It is not something a clinic can sell you in a vial.
The confusion starts on the price tile. A Gangnam dermatology menu lists Rejuran, Juvelook, "skin booster" and "exosome" side by side, each with a won figure. A Kakao reply says "booster package, three times." Nobody says which gel, how many cc, or how deep. Visitors fly home on Sunday with bumps and no idea what was in the syringe.
If you remember one test, remember this. Ask for the product name, its category in Korea, the amount per session and the number of sessions. A clinic that answers all four is selling a treatment. A clinic that answers "our glass booster" is selling a word.
A skin booster is an injection aimed at skin quality rather than shape. The goal is hydration, texture, fine lines and elasticity, not a fuller cheek or a sharper jaw. That is the line between a booster and dermal filler, which is sold by the syringe to add volume. Our Korean skin treatments guide covers where boosters sit next to lasers and devices.
Dermatology is the biggest reason foreign patients come: 62.9% of the 2.01 million foreign patients Korea counted in 2025, about 1.313 million.1, 2 Boosters fit a trip: a short appointment, numbing cream, no stitches.
Under the one word sit four families with different ingredients, rules and plans.
| Menu name | What is in it | Category in Korea | How it is placed | Plan in published studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rejuran (PN) | Polynucleotide: long DNA fragments from fish, a thick gel3 | Medical device3, 4 | Many small injections into the dermis | Most common: 3 sessions, 4 weeks apart5 |
| Juvelook (PDLLA + HA) | Poly-D,L-lactic acid microparticles plus non-crosslinked hyaluronic acid, mixed from a powder7 | Reported in Korean press as a medical device6 | Injected into the dermis | 2 to 3 sessions, 4 weeks apart, in a 16-patient study7 |
| Profhilo (hybrid HA) | 32 mg high- plus 32 mg low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid in 2 mL, without chemical crosslinking8, 9 | Not confirmed by us; ask for the Korean label | 5 points per side of the face | 2 sessions, 4 weeks apart8, 9 |
| "Exosome" | Cell-derived vesicles, often a freeze-dried cosmetic10, 12 | Cosmetic, not an approved injectable10 | Applied to the surface, often after a laser or microneedling | No approved injection protocol11, 12 |
Composition and plans as described in the cited studies, regulator notices and press. Not a product recommendation.
That is why there is no single booster to ask for. Each row is a different material under a different rule.
Rejuran is PN, a polynucleotide gel made from purified fish DNA, regulated in Korea as a medical device.3, 4 It is used for fine lines, texture and elasticity. If the PN versus PDRN labels confuse you, our PDRN guide explains them; this page will not repeat it. In a survey of 235 Korean dermatologists, the most common PN plan was three sessions four weeks apart.5
Juvelook is a different material. It is a powder of poly-D,L-lactic acid (PDLLA) microparticles with non-crosslinked hyaluronic acid, mixed with fluid before injection.7 The hyaluronic acid adds water at once. The PDLLA is meant to prompt the skin to build its own collagen over the following weeks. In a preliminary study of 16 patients given two or three sessions four weeks apart, dermatologists reported improvement in fine wrinkles, texture and redness, skin samples showed more collagen and elastic fibers, and there were no severe adverse events.7 Korean press has described Juvelook as a medical device and also mentions a separate "Juvelook Volume" product, so ask which one is in the vial.6
Profhilo is hyaluronic acid, but not a filler gel. It mixes high- and low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid at 3.2%, made without chemical crosslinking, and is injected as small boluses at five points on each side of the face.8 A 64-woman study of two sessions four weeks apart reported improved skin measures through week 16.9 It is an Italian product, and in July 2026 its US rights were licensed to a US company to seek FDA approval, so it is not FDA-approved.13 We could not confirm its Korean approval status, so if a Seoul clinic offers it, ask to see the Korean approval on the box.
Plain hyaluronic acid boosters are thin gels placed as many tiny droplets. For American readers, the FDA approved one such product in 2023 to improve cheek skin smoothness in adults 21 and over.14
None of these lifts sagging skin. If the problem is a fallen jowl, the conversation is devices, threads or surgery.
Not as an injection of the exosome products sold to clinics. Those products are registered as cosmetics, meant to be applied to the skin. In June 2025, a Seoul court upheld a three-month license suspension that the Ministry of Health and Welfare gave a doctor who injected a cosmetic exosome product into a patient's face. The court cited the high risk of injecting a product made for application.10
The regulator has tightened the wording too. In January 2025, Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) banned "exosome cosmetic" and other wording that suggests human-derived ingredients in cosmetic ads, along with needle and microneedle language.15
The US position is similar. The FDA says there are currently no FDA-approved exosome products.11 A 2025 case report described skin necrosis and scarring after intradermal injections of a Korean-made exosome product.12
So when a menu says "exosome booster," ask one question: injected, or applied on the surface after a laser? If injected, that is your answer.
By product, by amount and by session. The unit changes with the product, which is why two tiles with similar won figures can buy very different treatments.
Other lines move the bill: numbing, hand injection versus an injector device, who injects, and any laser booked the same day. This guide prints no won ranges. The figures online come mostly from clinics' own pages, and we have not found a neutral, dated source. Ask for an itemized quote in writing.
One 2026 change matters. The special VAT refund on cosmetic procedures for foreign tourists covered treatment supplied by 31 December 2025 and was not extended.16, 17 Ask whether VAT is inside the quote. Do not subtract 10 percent in your head.
One session, not a whole plan. Every plan in the table is a series spaced weeks apart.5, 7, 9 A single session on a four-day trip is the start of a series, and a clinic should tell you that before you pay for a package you cannot finish.
Plan the flight around the marks. Bumps and bruises are the usual travel cost, and published PN studies describe side effects as mostly mild and short-lived.18 Ask how long they last for your product.
Combining is common: 79% of the surveyed dermatologists using PN combined it with lasers, radiofrequency or HIFU.5 Ask what each line is for. If you want a gentle same-day glow without needles, an Aqua Peel is a different appointment. Afterward, sunscreen is part of the treatment, and Korean sunscreen is easy to buy.
Send this before you pay a deposit:
A brand and a number is a treatment. A glow is a photo.
A skin booster is an injection aimed at skin quality, such as hydration, texture, fine lines and elasticity, rather than volume or shape. In Korea the word covers PN (Rejuran), PDLLA with hyaluronic acid (Juvelook) and hyaluronic acid boosters, so ask for the product name.
Filler adds volume or changes shape and is usually sold by the syringe. A skin booster is placed in many small, shallow injections to work on skin quality. Our filler guide covers filler quotes.
Yes. Rejuran is a PN (polynucleotide) skin booster, regulated in Korea as a medical device.3, 4 It is not the same as PDRN, even though both come from fish DNA. Our PDRN guide explains the difference.
You can ask, and it is a fair ask. A sealed box or vial with the product name on its Korean label tells you what is going into your skin, not what the menu called it. Take a photo of the label, because if a bump appears after you fly home, the product name is the first thing a doctor there will need.
Profhilo is an Italian injectable of high- and low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid at 3.2%, made without chemical crosslinking and placed at five points on each side of the face.8 The usual starting plan in studies is two sessions four weeks apart.8, 9 It is not FDA-approved in the US, and we could not confirm its Korean approval status, so ask the clinic to show it.
The exosome products sold to Korean clinics are registered as cosmetics for application, not as approved injectables. In 2025 a Seoul court upheld a three-month license suspension for a doctor who injected one.10 The FDA says there are no FDA-approved exosome products.11 Ask whether any exosome step is injected or applied on the surface.
Yes, one session fits a short trip. But every common plan is a series weeks apart, so one session is the start of a plan, not the whole plan. Ask what a single session can do before you buy a package.
By product, by amount and by session. PN is often quoted by cc, Juvelook by vial, Profhilo by syringe, and exosome steps as an add-on, so similar won figures can buy very different treatments. This guide prints no won ranges because we have not found a neutral, dated source. Ask for an itemized quote in writing.
Not always the same line on the bill. Some clinics place booster droplets with an injector device that fires many tiny doses, others inject by hand, and the quote can price them differently. The method changes how the product is spread and what you pay, not what is in the syringe, so ask which product, how many cc go in, and who holds the device.
Usually little, but not none. Numbing cream is common. Expect needle marks, small bumps and possible bruising; side effects in published PN studies were mostly mild and short-lived.18 Ask how long marks last before you book near a flight.
Korean dermatologists commonly use PN for fine lines around the eyes.5 Bags and deep hollows are a different problem; our under-eye guide explains which ones need surgery.
No. Skin Botox is botulinum toxin placed in many shallow points; a booster is not a toxin. Our Botox guide explains skin Botox and how it is quoted.
It is not designed to. Boosters are studied for fine lines, texture, hydration and elasticity, not for lifting tissue.7, 9, 18 For sagging, ask about devices, threads or surgery; see our thread lift guide.
Often. In a survey of Korean dermatologists, 79% of those using PN combined it with lasers, radiofrequency or HIFU.5 Combining raises the bill and can change the downtime, so ask what each part is for.
No product can promise that. Boosters are a slow, modest change judged over weeks, and results vary from person to person. Daily sunscreen and a realistic plan matter as much as the syringe.
Anyone pregnant or breastfeeding, anyone with an active skin infection where the needle goes, and anyone allergic to the product, its fish source or the anesthetic should talk to a clinician first. If you take blood thinners or have an autoimmune condition, say so before treatment.
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This article is for general education and is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a promise of outcome. It prints no prices; ask the clinic for an itemized quote. Products and brands are named to explain what they contain and how Korea regulates them, not to recommend a product or clinic, and results vary. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a fish allergy, an autoimmune condition, or take blood thinners, speak to a qualified clinician before any injectable treatment.
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