Two weeks ago we published a Black Friday watchlist predicting which K-beauty products would see meaningful Canadian discounts. The sales weekend has passed, the receipts are in, and this is the post-mortem. Which predictions held, which surprised us, and which deals were actually worth the cart.
This review pulls pricing data from our own site and two major Canadian competitors (one e-commerce only, one with physical locations). Percentages below are the best verified discounts across the three sources over November 28 through November 30.
What we called correctly
1. COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence (25 to 40 percent predicted, 35 percent delivered)
The most reliable K-beauty Black Friday discount hit exactly where we expected. At 35 percent off, the 100 mL essence dropped to around $20 CAD from $30 regular. Our team bought two bottles each. Ships well, lasts months.
Snail Mucin: a filtered secretion from cultivated snails, rich in glycoproteins and peptides that support skin repair. See full entry.
2. Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum Propolis + Niacinamide (15 to 25 percent predicted, 22 percent delivered)
Exactly in the predicted range. At around $16 CAD from $20, not a deep discount but worth the stock-up for regular users.
3. Torriden DIVE-IN Low Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Serum (20 to 30 percent predicted, 25 percent delivered)
Middle of the predicted range. Worthwhile but not extraordinary.
4. Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Cleanser (20 to 30 percent predicted, 28 percent delivered)
Good discount on a cleanser that lasts 3 months. Solid stock-up buy.
5. Lip tints across Korean brands (25 to 40 percent predicted, 35 percent delivered across most lines)
Korean lip tints had the strongest category-wide discount. Rom&nd, Peripera, and Etude all discounted around 30 to 40 percent. Good window for experimentation.
What surprised us up
6. Numbuzin peptide serums (20 to 30 percent predicted, 40 percent delivered)
Deeper than expected. Numbuzin No. 3 Skin Softening Serum and No. 5 Peptide Serum both saw 40 percent off at one major Canadian retailer. This was the deal of the weekend for anti-aging starters.
See our peptide serum guide.
7. Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream (15 to 25 percent predicted, 30 percent delivered)
Already cheap at regular retail, Illiyoon dropped to around $15 CAD for a 200 mL tub. Budget winter cream at student-budget pricing.
Ceramide: the dominant lipid in your skin's barrier. Winter essential in Canada. See full entry.
8. Mediheal sheet mask boxes (no prediction, saw 45 percent off)
The deepest discount of the weekend that we tracked was on Mediheal mask multi-packs. Our 10-pack Mediheal N.M.F went from $30 CAD to around $16 CAD at one retailer. Stock-up winner.
See our sheet mask ranking.
What underdelivered
9. Korean sunscreens (predicted to skip, confirmed)
As predicted, sunscreens saw modest discounts (10 to 15 percent). Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun was 15 percent off. Not a stock-up moment.
Spring sales will be deeper. Wait.
10. PDRN serums (10 to 20 percent predicted, 10 to 15 percent delivered)
PDRN remained the premium category that resists Black Friday pressure. Most PDRN serums at Canadian retailers saw only 10 to 15 percent off. If you wanted to try PDRN, it was still a reasonable entry point but not a stock-up.
See the PDRN guide.
The three deals we regretted missing
Transparent self-reflection for next year.
Abib Heartleaf Spot Pad (35 percent off, sold out by Saturday)
Our team hesitated on this one and it sold out across multiple retailers by Saturday morning. Next year we will put it on our watchlist and pre-stock.
Skin1004 Madagascar Centella line (30 percent off on bundles)
Skin1004's centella ampoule plus toner bundle was 30 percent off at one retailer but we were focused on individual products and missed the bundle pricing.
Mixsoon Bean serum (35 percent off)
Not in our watchlist at all. Mixsoon has quietly become a strong mid-tier brand and we will add them for 2026.
The three deals we avoided (correctly)
Gift sets with inflated regular prices
Several brands offered "50 percent off" on holiday gift sets where the individual products at regular price added up to less than the discounted set. Math before marketing, always.
Unfamiliar no-name K-beauty brands at 70 percent off
A handful of unfamiliar brand names appeared on major e-commerce platforms at deep discounts. These are often grey-market or rebrand products. Authorized retailers and established brands are worth the modest premium.
Expired-year SPF formulations
Some retailers cleared 2023 SPF stock at steep discounts. Sunscreen has a stability window after opening. Old stock at discount is false economy.
What we actually bought
Because transparency matters, here is what our three-person team actually put in carts this weekend.
Person A: Two COSRX snail essences, one Numbuzin peptide serum (at 40 percent), one Mediheal mask box.
Person B: One Illiyoon ceramide cream (two tubs), one Abib heartleaf toner, two lip tints.
Person C: One cushion compact refill (25 percent off), one Skin1004 centella ampoule, one Beauty of Joseon glow serum.
Total spent across the team: around $280 CAD. Estimated undiscounted total: around $410 CAD. Real savings: roughly $130.
What is still coming
Boxing Day (December 26 through early January) typically offers deeper discounts on daily staples - the products we buy for ourselves rather than as gifts. Our team's plan is to hold for Boxing Day on a few specific items.
Items we are holding for Boxing Day:
Vitamin C serums. Expect 30 to 40 percent off across Korean derivatives at Boxing Day.
Full-size cushion compacts (not refills). Compact hardware tends to discount on Boxing Day as retailers clear models.
Holiday gift sets. Boxing Day sees 50 to 70 percent off on unsold holiday inventory.
See our Boxing Day team shopping cart for our December planning.
The shipping note
Canada Post delays during Black Friday weekend ran 3 to 5 days on most orders. If you ordered on Friday, expect delivery mid to late this week in most provinces. Atlantic provinces and northern Ontario are seeing longer delays.
For holiday shipping deadlines, see our shipping cutoffs guide.
Lessons for 2026
Three things we are taking into next year's planning.
First, expand the watchlist. We tracked 16 products this year. A few surprises (Mixsoon, Mediheal) tell us the list should be 20 or 22. Next November we will expand.
Second, pre-stock the deep-discount regulars. COSRX snail essence is always discounted. Next year we are setting reminders for Thursday night Black Friday pre-sale pricing rather than waiting until Friday morning.
Third, track category-wide discounts more carefully. Lip tints and sheet masks had broader cross-brand discounts than we predicted. For 2026 we will pay more attention to categories than specific SKUs.
Bottom line
Black Friday 2025 was a decent year for Canadian K-beauty deals. Not extraordinary, but real. Our watchlist held up at about 70 percent accuracy. The surprise winners were Numbuzin peptides, Mediheal masks, and Mixsoon serums. Sunscreens and PDRN held their prices as expected. Boxing Day will offer a second window on different categories. Watch this space December 26.