skincare • selfcare • lifestyle

6.07.2017

Shop Review: Althea Korea


Since the departure of a very popular, online Korean beauty retailer, many people in the Asian Beauty Community have been exploring other options on where to purchase products. My goal for this post is to help people purchase Korean beauty products from relievable, and trustworthy sellers. Althea recently expanded their shipping service and is now offering free international shipping on all orders above $50.  When I was approached by Althea to help spread this exciting expansion, I was thrilled to not only discover that they offered free international shipping, they also guarantee their products authenticity plus a 30 day unconditional return policy. I was thrilled when Althea offered me free points to use toward a purchase to test out the shop. I couldn't order fast enough! Below is my review on my experience with Althea.
Company: 
Althea is where "beauty meets Korea". Althea strives to bring authentic k-beauty to the world. A one stop shopping destination.  

Points of Difference:
  • Free International Shipping on ordered over $50
  • 100% Authenticity Guarantee. Althea will honor returns and refund 200% of the purchase value. I love this point of difference because I keep seeing more and more counterfeit k-beauty products and it pisses me off (I'm looking at you Amazon!). They stand behind their products, period! They state that they hand pick and purchase products either directly for the brand, or through reliable suppliers. They inspect each item, bringing reassurance that the merchandise is authentic
  • No hassle, 30 day return policy
  • Although you are required to pay for the return shipping, once the return is processed you are giving a $10 reimburse to help cover the cost of retuning an item
  • Quality control! Basically each item's expiration date is double checked and then hand packed securely
Side note:
Althea claims to offer the best price but this is up for you to decide. While they claim to have the best price on k-beauty products, sales and special discounts offered by other online retailers can prove a better value.

What I purchased
Make P:Rem Black Cleansing Water, Make P:REm Wonderful Me In-shower Face Pack, Klairs Rich Foam Cleanser, Innisfree Soybean Energy Essence (top row)
Apieu Gold Silk Blanket Mask - single and Missha Under Eye Brightener (bottom row)


If you follow me on Instagram, I posted about my experience with Althea after receiving my package. I ordered on March 17, 2017 and I received my order on April 11th, taking the package 25 days (almost a month) to get to me. Honestly, I understand the package is coming from Korea and has to go through customs however, the shipping was a little slow in my opinion. I have made a few purchase on Vuty Design and my package was delivered super quick. On the flip side, I have ordered from other retailers such as Korea Depart or Tester Korea and my package has taken over a month so while Althea wasn't the quickest delivery, it wasn't the slowest. Next, my package was very securely wrapped in bubble wrap. I was actually pretty impressed in how well everything was packed. My package included a three, not very exciting sample foils which I do appreciate (gotta love seobiseu 서비스 which means service in Korean). It is customary when shopping in Korea that they thank you for your patronage with seobiseu, and in cosmetic stores, this means samples! If you are looking for a retailer who gives out tons of samples in your order then Althea isn't for you. 

The only negative with my order was there was a product that slightly leaked during shipment. The product, the Klairs foam cleanser was completed sealed in its original plastic packaging and wrapped separately in bubble wrap, which helped to contain the small leak. As you can see below, the cleanser is a bubble type cleanser that I find often leak during shipment due to the container type. 
I have been ordering skincare from Asia for over 10 years now so I am used to items leaking due to pressurization during shipment. It was the tiniest of leaks so I did not want to make a huge deal out of nothing. However, when Althea heard of the issue, they swiftly sent out a replacement even though I had not asked for a replacement item to be sent. It is very sweet of Althea for offering to send me a replacement, however it was not at all necessary. Further, I received a email apologizing for the spillage incident and was assured that they take such matter very seriously. I completely understand that products may leak in travel but I am very impressed with Althea and their business integrity for offering to send a replacement as not all companies would do that. I really appreciate this level of prompt customer service and because of this, I would highly recommend this online retailer. Althea might not offer the lowest prices and their shipping might not be the fastest, but their customer service is impeccable and for that I give Althea two thumbs up.


Stay Beautiful ❤️

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