Bought 2 of these sets (1 for me, 1 for my mom) when I was in Osaka in May 2013. I didn't really research on Japan's duty free shopping perks for tourists before my trip. But I knew that the SK-II Aura Whitening Set is priced RM499 in Malaysia. Anyway, the 1st set I bought from Daimaru, the 2nd set I bought on the last day from a duty free shop in Kansai International Airport (KIX). Comparison of price (pls note that exchange rate was v good in May 2013):
Malaysia: RM499
Daimaru (Osaka): JPY15,750 (RM475.35)
KIX: JPY12,000 (RM361.99)
The set that I bought from Daimaru does not qualify for tax refund because it falls under 'consumable items'. Copied this off the Internet:
"Duty free shopping is available to foreign tourists only at a small number of licensed stores (typically major department and electronics stores in major cities) when making purchases of over 10,000 yen. Usually you pay the listed price at the cashier, and then take your receipts and your passport to a customer service desk to receive the tax refund. Consumable items including cosmetics, food, alcohol, cigarettes, medicine, film and batteries do not qualify for the tax refund."
So, now you know, my dear Malaysian readers (if any, haha), just buy your cosmetics from the airport when in Japan ! They have limited selection compared to the SK-II counters in town (in fact I'm not sure if there even was a SK-II Sales Assistant, I jz grabbed it fr the rack as soon as I saw the price & paid for it).
The SK-II Aura Whitening set consists of the following:
1) Cellumination Essence EX - 30ml
2) Facial Treatment Essence - 30ml
3) Whitening Source Derm-Revival Mask - 1 pc
4) Cotton - 10 pcs
