The Seoul city government said on the 24th that it inspected 10 products sold on overseas online platforms and found that none matched the genuine items.
The inspection focused on products sold at "ultra-low" prices on overseas platforms such as AliExpress and Temu. The targeted items were cosmetics (5), kitchenware (3), a small home appliance (1), and fashion accessories (1). These products were being sold at prices averaging 65% lower than regular prices, and up to 91% lower.
First, all five cosmetic products—including two perfumes, two basic skincare items, and one color cosmetic—showed differences from the genuine items. The container designs and colors were different in appearance, and the logo placement and markings did not match.
There were ingredient differences as well. The two perfumes smelled different from the genuine versions, and the three basic and color cosmetics had ingredient compositions that differed from the originals.
The three kitchenware items—scrubbers, a water purifier, and a purifier filter—also did not match the genuine products. Overall, the external design and colors were different, and there were no product logos. In the case of the purifier filter, the design structure differed from the genuine one. The Seoul city government said that, as a result, purification performance cannot be guaranteed and there is a possibility that harmful substances could be detected.
The one small appliance, a pair of headphones, had detailed design differences from the genuine model, including product color and logo font. The stitching finish of the leather cover was not precise, and the leather composition also differed from the genuine product. The phone case did not have a genuine label attached, and its color and design differed from the original.
Kim Myung-sun, head of the Fair Economy Division at the Seoul city government, said, "This is a case that confirms that buying based on price alone can lead to significant harm in terms of safety and quality," and added, "For products closely related to the human body, such as cosmetics and kitchenware, safety should take priority over price, and purchases should be made only after carefully checking whether the seller is an official outlet and reviewing the product information."