How to Spot Fake K-Beauty Products
The counterfeit market isn't limited to just Kylie Jenner Lip Kits and M.A.C eyeshadows anymore.
Much to our dismay, knockoff or fake Korean beauty products have been on the rise. Spotting fake K-beauty isn’t easy, especially when most of our K-beauty shopping is done online, so I’ve come up with some tips to help you make sure that you aren’t putting your hard-earned money on fake K-Beauty products!
1. Look for trusted, reputable sellers
This is by far the most important tip when shopping for any K-Beauty product. Whenever you are shopping online, especially on Amazon or eBay, always read reviews and make sure the seller is an authorised seller, or a reputable one (in a good way, of course)! As extra precautions, you can also do a quick Google search to check other customers’ experiences with the seller, and make sure that they’ve never been linked to any fake products!
2. Check, check, check!
Counterfeit products will often have mismatched fonts, misspelled words, or inconsistent patterns or colours, so make sure to cross-check the item you have with the one on the brand's official website. However, don’t be alarmed if it is different though, as some K-beauty products go through frequent rebrandings, and brands like COSRX do change their packaging quite frequently.
One other biggest giveaway for a fake product is also its texture and scent. Most of the time, the fake will have a completely different consistency and smell than the genuine product. If you suspect that a product is fake, check the reviews online and see what bloggers have said about the texture, colour or scent, and make sure it’s similar to the one you have. Fake products also don’t always have batch codes and manufacturing dates, so look out for these little details on the packaging.
3. Is the deal too good to be true?
There’s a saying that if it’s too good to be true… then it probably is. Trust me, you’re never going to find a full size Laneige Water Sleeping Mask for $20. In general, dirt-cheap prices is a dead giveaway to identifying a product as fake. While we all want to score a good deal, the risk of getting an allergic reaction and possibly endangering your own health to save a few dollars is just not worth it.
You have to also remember that when you use a product and it breaks you out or cause an allergic reaction, this does not necessarily mean that it is fake. More than likely, your skin is just allergic or sensitive to a particular ingredient. So before you use any product, double check the packaging and make sure you’ve bought from a reputable seller, and you’re good to go!
Have you ever bought a fake K-beauty product? What are your best tips for spotting fake Korean beauty products? Share your experiences with us below!
4 comments
Same I have received a klairs vitamin c which doesnot have a barcode at the back of the bottle but has one on the outer packaging which I scanned and was true is it a fake product? Would really greatful if someone can clarify.
i would like to ask is klairs vitamin c packaging has a barcode at the back? because i ordered (carethy) i received it but it doesnt have barcode at the back and the other one im using at home has a barcode. is this fake?
Yep, Just got scammed of Yesstyle! I bought a Secret Key, and it burned my face, so I thought it was from another cause, till I realized my Mint choco lip mask from Laniege wasn’t the same. It wore off too quickly, and seemed like a little too goopey. I decided to do some online research to see if these were knock offs considering. Sure enough, the Lip mask wording was very off, much like the fakes sold on Amazon, and the Secret Key rose edition was a tougher spot. I found the differences were in the font on Secret Key at the bottom of the front of the bottle. Especially the K. The K on the authentic is curvy and elegant font, whereas the fake has a slanted K. Its subtle but obvious if you look for it then you will find other differences too. While searching to see if others were scammed. I found more recently there are reports of this, like with SK11, and others. However you will only see positives reviews when you visit Yesstyle’s site. The lady scammed with Sk11 got her money back on Paypal after she fought it. I will have to do the same. It’s a shame because it seems up until recently Yesstyle didn’t do this kinda thing. Guess maybe a new CEO, or Idk??? I encourage people to compare box and bottles fonts and images before ordering overseas!
Interesting. Laneige full size water sleeping mask costs pretty much 20$.
