Korean cosmetics: how to distinguish a fake from the original and find a brand for the right budget?

Korean cosmetics continue to dominate the Russian beauty market. In August 2022, RBC Life wrote that more than 100 new brands of Korean products will appear in the perfume and cosmetics chains. But the more there are, the harder it is to navigate and find the right ones for you.

The fact that the K-beauty label is being used, among other things, by Russian companies that produce cosmetics here also complicates the choice. And only one legal entity’s registration address can be related to Korea.

We spoke with Svetlana Son, the author of the book “Korea”. The founder of the Bohicare cosmetic brand, all the subtleties about how to navigate in Korean cosmetics, not to find a fake and the best brands in the middle price segment ”and.

Svetlana Son, beautician, entrepreneur, founder of Korean premium cosmetics brand Bohicare

How to navigate in Korean cosmetics?

There are three main rules.

— examine foreign resources. This is necessary in order to understand which tools are now not only popular, but also really effective. Including Korean online stores. They often label a high-demand product with a bestseller or #1 badge. This is partly a marketing ploy, but in 80% of cases, such products have earned the trust of Koreans rightfully. And their level of expertise in skincare is above average.

— Explore the Hwahae Platform. It presents an analysis of the ingredients of cosmetic products and customer reviews that form an overall assessment of the product. Through the application, the user can find the product he is interested in and see how many “stars” he has received.

— Choose products with proven effectiveness. In such cosmetic products, the result after the use of active ingredients has been proven not only by the results of focus groups, but also by clinical trials. In Korea, such products are called so-called functional cosmetics. To obtain this title and related certifications, the manufacturer must submit multiple documents to the KFDA (Korean food and drug administration).

How not to find a fraud?

Counterfeiting is one of the main problems of the modern beauty market. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish copies from the original at a glance for visual identity. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the details here.

Korean manufacturers are famous for their increased attention to the packaging of their products. Gold embossing on the box, stamping (technology for creating relief images) and other techniques are expensive design solutions. Companies that produce counterfeit products save on this. Therefore, among fakes you will not find such a quality as the original.

Pay attention to the font. To be clear, not blurry. The packaging must, of course, contain information in the language of the country of origin. Strange to see a “Korean product” without a single Korean word. The first digits of the barcode on the box of the original products always start with 880.

Packaging is not only aesthetic, but also an indicator of originality and quality. For example, we additionally make branded tamper evident labels for Bohicare products. It seems that this is a small detail, but it is one of them that testifies to the originality of the product.

Simple but perhaps the most important advice: Try to buy cosmetics from reliable places. It is best to have official representatives. If the price difference between the site you want to buy the product from and the price of the manufacturer reaches 50%, this is a clear reason to think.

Korean cosmetic brands for different budgets

When we talk about budget and brands, it is useful to first clarify what kind of funds we are talking about. Maintenance is active and simple. An active (serum) will always cost more than a base (clean) even if it is the same brand. If we are talking about high-quality anti-aging care, it cannot be cheap at all, since the cost of active substances is high. So which brands are in the category up to 1000, 3000 and 5000 rubles?

There is no brand that I am ready to recommend in the category up to 1000 rubles. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find them. There are enough of them on the market. But before you buy, put yourself in the seller’s shoes. When pricing, you should take into account the cost of the product, shipping costs, the commission of the selling site and put at least a minimum profit. And if active care products cost about 600 rubles, the question arises about the quality of the components used.

But there is also good news. In this quantity range, you can find good cleansers from good brands.

– Brand Banila CO Clean It Zero produces excellent cleansing balms. The product is universal, suitable for all skin types.

– A syrup similar to this Heimish. It handles even the most stubborn make-up with ease.

– you cosrx nice foams and toner pads that help fight acne. It is also suitable for young skin.

– Similar pads, but already peeling aimed at exfoliation, are offered at: neogene. This skin resurfacing method is much safer and more gentle than a scrub.

Among the brands in this category, you can already find very valuable active care products.

Round Laboratory

Founded in 2017, RoundLab focuses on pure formulas that suit even the most sensitive skin. The brand’s products will suit the care of young girls very well.

Beauty of Joseon

Beauty of Joseon uses traditional Korean ingredients and functional ingredients in its products. They have great SPFs and serums that target specific issues.

Torriden

Torriden is dedicated to pure beauty. It gained its popularity thanks to care products aimed at moisturizing.

Mary and May

Mary & May is a young brand that relies on the safety of formulations. It also has tools with popular functional components in its arsenal. The choice of products for all stages of care is quite wide.

innisfree

Innisfree, a brand that is part of the Korean large conglomerate Amore Pacific, is already familiar to the Russian consumer. They recently rebranded and launched serums with the best ingredients: retinol, peptides and vitamin C.

tokobo

Tocobo is a young and vibrant brand that has proven itself as an exceptional SPF in stick form. In general, the products of this brand are well suited for young skin up to 30 years old.

Doctor G

Dr.G can be attributed to the medical and cosmetic brand. Care is aimed at combating age-related changes. Suitable for dry and sensitive skin.

medical peeling

Medi-Peel is a fairly well-known Korean cosmetic brand with almost professional products for home care and salon treatments.

Mamonde and Laneige

Mamonde and Laneige are two other brands of the Amore Pacific holding. Here are high-quality products and well-thought-out lines with working compositions. It is worth noting the design of the funds. The packaging stands out from other brands that will please the true aesthetic.

d’Alba

d’Alba is a brand that has managed to enter the river twice. It has been on the market for a long time, but only in the last two years has it really shown itself well. The breakthrough was the best-selling spray serums for the face.

p:make a rem

Make p:rem is not a typical Korean brand that chooses the Swedish lagom philosophy as its guide: the idea of ​​simplicity and harmony in everything. Therefore, their approach to creating cosmetics is appropriate: minimalist packaging design, vegan formulations, clean beauty policy. The brand has excellent cleansers. It is especially worth paying attention to the foam.

bohicare

The Bohicare brand combines Korea’s most advanced innovative technology, proven ingredients and herbal ingredients. The brand is still quite young compared to others, but this does not prevent it from taking very confident steps. Including the Russian market.