Getting our hands on Korean beauty products is not really the easiest thing to do in Europe. They are available in some stores and they can be purchased online. However, when it comes to purchasing them online, there is a high risk that the products are not going to be authentic.
Where can you buy authentic Korean beauty products?
There might be many websites,but from all that I tried, I found one that I am certain carries authentic products and that is Althea Korea. Hear me out till the end.
What is Althea Korea?
Althea Korean is a distributor of Korean beauty products. They ship in many area in the world and have dedicated websites for others. If you do not live in an area that most people do not even know where to find on a map, you should be fine.
Why shop Korean beauty products from Althea Korea and not somewhere else?
I cannot tell you not to shop from anywhere else. I do it myself and have done it in the past. Department stores and other well known shops that carry Korean Beauty products, carry originals so you can rest assured. However, if you want brands that are not available in those stores and you need to turn online, from my personal experience, Althea Korea is the place to shop at.
I tried many of the popular websites that usually pop up when you search for Korean Beauty products. I tried shopping at online stores that have hundreds of reviews and where people claim that the products are authentic. However, the feel of those products does not even compare to the feel of the ones that I got from Althea Korea.
This might sound disappointing as after all, not even Althea Korea carries that many brands, but each and every one of the products was properly packaged in high quality packaging at that. The quality and smell of each fo the product was great. There was none of that meh feeling and uncertainty. The whole experience was great.
Authentic Korean beauty products and the experience
When shopping at Althea you get with authentic Korean beauty products, but also a great experience. The shipping was relatively fast. I received my parcel in 15 days.
The items came in a box which was in a high quality plastic bag. The box itself was beautiful and from time to time they make collection boxes which you really want to keep. The one I received was for the Chinese New Year.
The drawback of Althea Korea
Althea Korea unlike some of the other websites has a higher minimum shopping threshold that you need to meet in order to qualify for free shipping. Furthermore, this threshold is above the limit of tax free shoppping imposed by EU countries and this means that you need to pay custom fees.
Unlike other websites, Althea Korea does not hide the true value of your purchase which once again means that you need to pay custom fees. Furthermore, the company does not specify the currency which is annoying if you are in the UK. For the UK and Europe, you shop on the world-wide site which has prices listed in USD so you pay the custom fees based on that value since those at customs have no way of knowing that you made a purchase in a different currency. You can claim your money back if you are willing to fight…
However, despite the inconvenient with custom fees, the quality of the Korean beauty products you get from Althea Korea more than makes up for it. I know that paying extra is annoying, but that is the reality of living in Europe. However, paying that extra fee is worth it as long as you know that the products you use on your face are real and safe.
Where do you get your authentic Korean beauty products from?
Althea is a great website. Luckily in the Philippines we have numerous online stores that sell k-beauty products.
Ps. I did a handful of posts about korean skincare. Check my blog if you’re interested.
Followed ur blog gorgeous!