Cushion compacts are the format Korea invented and still does best, but the shade system is why so many overseas orders end up unused in a drawer. Numbers like 21 and 23 are not brand-neutral, and the undertone letter matters as much as the number does.
How the numbering works
The traditional scale runs 13, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25 and occasionally higher, with larger numbers meaning deeper. Most brands center their range on 21 and 23, which correspond roughly to light and light-medium in US terms. Shades above 25 exist but the shelf is far thinner there, and availability varies a lot by brand.
Undertone codes
N means neutral, C means cool or pink, W means warm or yellow, and some brands use V for a very cool-neutral tone. A 21N and a 21C from the same brand can look noticeably different in person, so read the letter code rather than matching on the number alone.
Matching without a swatch
Find your closest match in a US brand you already own, then look for Korean swatch comparisons of that exact pairing. Korean beauty communities publish side-by-side arm swatches constantly, and those photos are far more reliable than the retouched product image on a store page.
Refills are the real saving
A cushion case with one refill usually runs 25,000-42,000 KRW. Refill-only packs are typically 12,000-20,000 KRW and weigh about 25 g each. Buying one case plus three refills in a single order is the standard move for anyone shipping internationally.
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Start a buy-for-me order →Frequently asked
What if the shade is wrong?
Assume it is final. Ordering one cushion first, checking the match in daylight, then adding refills to a later box is the safe pattern.
Do cushions leak in air freight?
The sponge is saturated but sits under an inner cover and a snap lid, so leaks are rare. It is still worth asking for the compact to be bagged separately.
Are Korean shade ranges expanding?
Slowly. Several brands have added deeper shades in recent years, but the shelf remains weighted toward the lighter half of the range.