How to tell if your Korean skincare is fake

Korean skincare got popular here quickly, and fakes followed just as quickly. The best-known products are the ones copied most: snail essences, heartleaf toners, rice sunscreens. A fake might simply do nothing. Or it might contain something that irritates, or that nobody would knowingly put on their face.

We sell Korean skincare, so we have an obvious interest in this subject. Everything below is a check you can do on any product from any seller, us included.

The price tells you first

Every genuine imported product has a price floor. The brand charges a wholesale price, the importer pays customs duty and VAT, then shipping, then everyone along the chain needs a margin. Nobody can sell a real product far below that floor for long without losing money on every bottle.

So when one page sells a famous serum at half what every established shop charges, the likeliest explanations are that it's fake, expired, or was never stored properly. "Direct from Korea", "factory price" and "stock clearance" are phrases that turn up a lot on those pages. A small discount is normal. A huge one is the warning.

Before you order

Look at the seller's own photos, not the brand's. A seller with real stock can photograph the actual box, the back label and the batch code. If every picture is a polished brand image lifted from the internet, ask for a photo of the real unit. A genuine seller won't mind.

Ask what the expiry date is on the unit they would send you. A seller with stock in hand can read it off the box in a minute.

Check that you can return it. A seller who won't take back an unopened product isn't confident in it.

When it arrives

Compare it against the brand's own photos on its official website or verified Instagram page. Fakes are usually right at a glance and wrong in the details.

• The print. Genuine packaging has sharp, even text. Blurry letters, colours that are slightly off, a logo in a slightly different font, or spelling mistakes in English or Korean are classic signs.
• The batch and expiry codes. Most products print a batch or lot code and an expiry or manufacturing date on the box and again on the bottle or tube. The two should match, and they should be printed or embossed, not on a loose sticker over something else.
• The seal. Look for a shrink wrap that has been re-applied, a cap that turns too easily, or a missing inner seal on a product that normally has one.
• The shape. Cap shape, pump length, the shade of the plastic and the size of the bottle should match the brand's photos exactly.
• QR codes. Many brands print one. Scan it and look at the address bar: a real code goes to the brand's own website, not to a lookalike address or nowhere at all.

When you open it

Texture and smell are hard to fake well. If you've used the real product before, compare. A serum that's suddenly runnier or thicker, a cream that's a different colour, a fragrance-free product that smells of perfume, or anything that separates or smells sour is a reason to stop.

If a product burns, stings far more than you'd expect, or brings out a rash, wash it off and stop using it, whether or not you think it's fake. If the reaction is strong, see a doctor and take the product with you.

Cash on delivery helps here

On a cash-on-delivery order you can open the parcel in front of the delivery rider before you pay. Check the seal, the product and the expiry date. If anything is wrong, refuse the parcel. You pay nothing and there's nothing to argue about later.

What we do

How we source our own stock, what we check before a product is listed, and how to verify what you receive from us are all on our authenticity page. If something you bought from us looks wrong to you, send us a photo of the box, the batch code and the product, and we'll compare it with our own stock.

Buying from a smaller range you can trust beats chasing the cheapest price on a product you'll put on your face twice a day. If you're not sure which product you actually need, our skin test and routine order guide are a good place to start.