A Must-Have After Cosmetic Procedures: What Foreign Visitors Are Clearing Out of Korean Convenience Stores

Sales of porridge, pumpkin juice, and red bean tea are climbing at Korean convenience stores and beauty retailers, driven by a wave of foreign visitors coming to South Korea for cosmetic procedures. What starts as a clinic visit is turning into a broader shopping habit, from post-procedure meals to drinks associated with managing swelling.

According to industry data released on Aug. 23, sales of porridge, pumpkin, and red bean products at Korea's three major convenience store chains rose sharply between January and August, particularly in neighborhoods popular with foreign tourists. At 7-Eleven, sales of pumpkin juice and red bean tea jumped 105 percent in Gangnam and Myeongdong, while porridge sales climbed 32 percent. GS25 reported a 120 percent year-over-year increase in related health food sales from January to July across its 30 stores with the highest foreign customer traffic. CU saw a 40 percent rise in pumpkin and red bean beverage sales across the five Seoul districts with the highest foreign spending.

Olive Young, South Korea’s leading health and beauty retailer, is seeing especially strong demand for tea products. Foreign customer sales in the tea category rose 104 percent year-over-year in July, while locations in Gangnam and Myeongdong posted increases of 165 percent and 131 percent, respectively. Online search volume tells a similar story. Searches for pumpkin red bean tea rose 237 percent, followed by red bean tea at 89 percent, pumpkin tea in English at 80 percent, and pumpkin tea in Korean at 46 percent.

The driver behind the trend is a sharp rise in medical tourism. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2.01 million foreign patients visited Korea last year, marking the first time the figure has topped two million since tracking began. Dermatology accounted for 1.31 million of those visits, or 62.9 percent of the total. As more foreign visitors travel to Korea specifically for cosmetic procedures, their spending is extending into food and wellness products associated with pre- and post- procedure care.

Pumpkin and red bean, in particular, are widely known in Korea as foods believed to help manage post-procedure swelling. Both are rich in potassium, which plays a role in regulating sodium and fluid balance in the body. "As medical tourism grows, we are seeing more customers looking for health- and beauty-related products," a retail industry official said. "We plan to keep expanding this category."

Japanese travel and beauty outlets covering Korea are promoting the same products by name. Porridge chains such as Bonjuk and Jook Story appear in guides as recommended post-procedure meal spots, and pumpkin porridge is highlighted as a food associated with swelling management. Pumpkin juice and pumpkin tea are being pitched as "downtime drinks" to sip after a procedure, and Japanese guides are encouraging readers to buy them directly in Korea rather than at home.

Together, the numbers point to a quiet but fast-growing corner of Korea's beauty economy, one where a convenience store fridge and a pharmacy-adjacent tea shelf are becoming part of the medical tourism itinerary.