How to tell authentic Korean products in Bangladesh: seven checks

A fake Korean product costs you twice: the money, and the skin. A fake sunscreen has no SPF; nobody knows what is in a fake cream. The most faked are the best sellers: Relief Sun, snail essence and cream, the popular sunscreens.

Before buying

1. 1Price. Below the Korean price, or "70% off": almost certainly fake. Genuine products do not carry that margin.
2. 2Source. Can the shop say where the product comes from? An authorised distributor or direct import from Korea; ours is written on every brand page, with the batch papers on the authenticity page.
3. 3Photos. No photos taken by the seller, only the brand's: be careful.

After it arrives

1. 1Barcode starting 880 = made in Korea. No 880, or a scan that returns a different product: fake.
2. 2LOT/batch number and expiry on the box and on the bottle: both present, both matching. Blurry print, print that rubs off, or on the box but not the bottle: fake.
3. 3Packaging. Fonts, colours, hologram, seal. Compare with the brand's own site; misspelled Korean is a common tell. Some brands have QR verification; the authenticity page has the steps by brand.
4. 4Texture and smell. Real Relief Sun is light with a rice scent; the fake is thick with a chemical smell. Real snail essence pulls into a thread; the fake is watery or gluey. Compare with someone who has used the real one.

"Korean version" and "international version"

Both can be genuine; the same brand labels differently for different markets. The difference is the label, not the formula. But "Korean version" is also used to cover fakes; the barcode and LOT are the final word.

The most-faked products, what to check

• Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh Rice+B5 50ml: LOT embossed on the tube's base, a light gel-cream, rice scent.
• COSRX Advance Snail 92 All In One Cream 100g: hologram seal on the jar, the essence pulls into a thread.
• Anua Zero-Cast Moisturizing Finish Sunscreen SPF 50 50ml: a newer product, fakes are still rare, but an unusually low price is a warning.

If it is fake

Even opened, photograph it and tell the seller; the brand's Korean customer service will confirm a LOT if you send it. Any doubt about a product bought from us: the return policy, returned without questions.

Sources

• GS1 barcode prefix 880 = a company registered in South Korea (GS1 Korea).
• Korea's MFDS (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) requires the batch number and expiry on cosmetic labels.