Buying K-beauty products in Europe isn't as easy as it looks.
The K-beauty skincare that isn't sold at Sephora but is often reviewed on TikTok – where exactly do people buy it?
Those of you who live in Europe probably think of Chinatown or the Korean supermarkets in the city centre.
‼️ However, be careful ‼️
According to data from the Intellectual Property Office, fake K-beauty products distributed abroad and intercepted online more than doubled,
from 16,774 cases in 2023 to 36,116 cases in 2024.🚨
In addition, it was revealed that 97.7% of counterfeit K-beauty cosmetics are made in third countries such as China and then exported to/brought into Europe and global markets.
This is because fees and taxes go up when going through the EU Cosmetic Products Notification Portal (CPNP), so some supermarkets use unverified distribution networks.
No matter how careful you are, telling them apart is extremely difficult because they replicate identically everything from the packaging, the container, the barcode and the batch number (LOT) of popular K-beauty brands.
Even I, as an editor, ended up buying a fake cream in Milan for 20 euros!
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Side note: The cream the editor bought was this product. So you don't make the same mistake I did, make sure you buy products with guaranteed authenticity through the link below!
➡️ See the product
References
(2)South Korea targets fake K-beauty surge as China spreads counterfeits to Europe
(3)Counterfeit K-Beauty Products Spread to Europe Amid Rising Popularity
🚨 Can I relax if I buy on big platforms? — Not necessarily.
The truth is that it's hard for us to check with the naked eye whether a product is authentic or not.
So we have no way of knowing whether the K-beauty products we buy come directly from the official company or went through fake manufacturers in China.
→ Is it OK to buy K-skincare on open marketplaces like Amazon?
Besides their own direct-purchase products, these platforms use a structure in which individual sellers or third parties can list and sell products freely.
In this process, it's hard to check every registered seller individually, which makes it easier for sellers of counterfeit products to get in.
Also, because official brands and unofficial sellers sell side by side on a single page on open marketplaces, consumers often wrongly assume they bought from the official brand, when in reality delivery is handled by a third party through wholesalers in China or third countries. 🤯
→ If I buy on a global K-beauty platform, is it 100% authentic?
The truth is you also have to be careful when using platform websites. Some platforms have complex distribution routes that go through third countries such as China, so counterfeit products can slip in.
Counterfeiters often steal official brand images and descriptions without permission and then feed the products into global platforms' shipping networks through intermediate logistics centres in third countries. In the end, unless there is a simplified distribution structure through direct contracts with the brands, the risk exists for anyone.
→ Are there side effects from using counterfeit K-beauty products? ‼️
The side effects are bigger than you think. In an investigation by the British government's “Choose Safe Not Fake” campaign, inspections of counterfeit cosmetics found lead, arsenic and even rat urine and horse faeces.
When the UK consumer authorities ran the tests, heavy metals were detected in amounts hundreds of times above the permitted limit.
In other words, fakes are not simply “ineffective” – they carry a real risk of causing anything from skin problems to long-term health problems.
To avoid these risks, in the end only one thing matters. The product must have been contracted directly with the official brand and must arrive directly at our door.
References
(2)counterfeit Korean sunscreen — Amazon Shoppers Beware of Fake K-Beauty Products
(3)The Beauty Gypsy, “Counterfeit beauty products: How to spot fakes before they harm your skin”
(4)Orientana, “Can counterfeit cosmetics be dangerous to your health?”
🚨 So how can we avoid counterfeit K-skincare?
✅ When buying with direct shipping, check at least this
Even if it's hard to tell authentic products apart, we can't just sit back and do nothing.
If you buy directly on a platform, we recommend checking at least these three things.
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Check the seller information (Sold by / Dispatched by) ✔️
Always check whether the seller shown under the product name is the brand's ‘official store’ (example: 🔗Beauty of Joseon Official, 🔗d’Alba official) or an official distributor.
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Avoid prices that are too cheap ✔️
Products sold 30% to 50% below the regular price are very likely to be counterfeits that went through indirect distribution routes in third countries.
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Check the shipping location and the country of origin ✔️
If the shipping location (Shipped from) is not an official Korean importer or the official brand's warehouse, but a private logistics centre in a third country or an unclear location, caution is needed.
✅ Recommendation⭐ Buy on a certified platform that has a direct contract with the brand
In fact, checking these three things every time is quite a hassle.
Looking up information, comparing prices and tracking the shipping location is too much effort.
- That's why the safest method is to use a platform that distributes after signing direct contracts with the brands from the start. Because platforms like this don't have complex distribution routes through third countries, any room for counterfeit products to slip in is structurally blocked.
→ A typical example : 🔗Piyonna(a K-beauty platform for overseas customers launched by the company that owns ZigZag), among others.
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In Piyonna's case, it carries over the strict distribution know-how of Korean shopping malls intact, and since it has signed official contracts with the headquarters of more than 3,000 K-beauty brands, you can shop with more peace of mind. Because it doesn't go through complex intermediate distribution processes or third-country logistics warehouses, it can significantly reduce the risk of imitations or fake products.
References
📢 You're saying you can buy authentic K-beauty products at prices similar to fakes?
Even if the price isn't exactly the same,
there is a way to buy regular-price products very cheaply.
It's none other than making the most of the 🔗Piyonna membership. 🥂
Just by signing up, you'll immediately receive a 30% discount code, and as you move up tiers, the discount grows up to a maximum of 80%.
There's also a special-offers page exclusive to members, so you can find popular brands' products at member-only prices at checkout.
And if that weren't enough, you collect from 1.5% up to a maximum of 5.5% of the purchase amount in points, which you can use on your next purchase.
→ How many benefits can you actually get with the membership? 💰
You may not have a clear idea yet.
So we checked for ourselves how many benefits you can get!
🔗MaryNMay Spicule Collagen PDRN Cream :
€14.10 ➔ €12.67 (10% OFF)
🔗ILLIYOON Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream 150ml x 2 :
€47.80 ➔ €31.07 (35% OFF)
🔗Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum 30ml + Cream 30ml :
€43.70 ➔ €30.59 (30% OFF)
🔗COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum 150ml x 2 :
€47.50 ➔ €35.63 (24% OFF)
At the checkout step, the member-exclusive special offer was applied, bringing it to €80.77.
Here, by entering the special discount code (GLASSED),
an extra €16.15 was taken off, bringing the final amount to just €64.62!
Compared with the original regular price (total €153.10),
just by signing up in 3 seconds,
you saved no less than €88.48.
(more than 57% off the regular price – more than half off!)💸
- As you move up membership tiers while enjoying your shopping, even more attractive benefits await you, from discount coupons of 40%, 60% and even up to 80%, plus higher point-earning rates, so don't miss out!
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TIP : You can find the member special-price coupon code and the 30% discount coupon code in the inbox of the email address you registered with
(※ All selling prices and discount codes are based on September 2026. Prices may change in real time. )
→ Is it possible to get authentic K-beauty products delivered to my door in just one week?
Just by joining the membership, the shipping time, which was already fast (14 days), is cut in half, arriving at your door in just 7 days. (Applies from October) 💸
Join the free membership sign-up event without delay!
📢 ‼️ Hey, I was already using another platform.
Q. Is there no way to switch platforms without losing the tier benefits of the K-beauty platform I used to use?
Sorry you discovered Piyonna too late?
If you were getting benefits from your tier on other existing platforms (YesStyle, Stylevana, Olive Young, Stylekorean),
switching to Piyonna may feel like a loss.
However, this year only, Piyonna is running an exclusive benefit designed just for you!
Until 31 December 2026, if you prove the tier you had on other K-beauty sites, Piyonna will assign you exactly the same tier. No need to collect points from scratch – simply carry on with the tier you've built up so far! ✨
🌱 Like a small seed that grows into a lush garden
If until now you shopped in Europe with the worry of “What if this is fake?”,
or if it felt like a shame to lose your tier benefits, now is the time to start using Piyonna.
Buying fake products goes beyond a simple price problem: it's directly linked to the health of my skin.
Now, on Piyonna, the official direct-contract platform free of counterfeit risk, check reviews from Korean users and find the right products for your skin in just 7 days.🌹
➡️ Piyonna.com
(※Sign-up is free and you can cancel or rejoin freely at any time from My Page.)
Piyonna Global Beauty Supporters - Esencia · Juwon Kang
