Memebox: Korean Beauty Box Service

[LoveSkinCare]

@@Alex Z. I have gotten several of the USA boxes and they don't all have English ingredients. Even the shop items don't. I think they just haven't been caught by customs yet.

 

[blinded]

I've never thought about the language thing before. Not that they would ever set up in Canada, but items that get sold here have to have both English and French on the packaging. There must be some way around it since the asian grocery stores don't. Maybe it depends where the product is made? I sort of want to look into the language laws now. 

 

[catyz]

@@blinded, I believe if the items are made at the local facilities, then I think you can get away with it but all imported items that are sold here must have both languages. And most Asian grocery stores I've been to seem to follow that rule (based on the items available that is).

 

[Saffyra]

The FDA website says all ingredients in imported cosmetics (then sold in the US) must be listed in English.

The easy way to get around that is by accompanying the product with the english ingredients.  I noticed that Peach and Lily has stickers with the English ingredients on it put on the cremorlab I received.  But technically, you're supposed to be able to see both the English version and the original language.  At least from what I deduced from the fda website.

It would make me very happy to have english ingredient lists for all the korean products  I have... 

 

[Krystyn Lowe]

All the products I've bought locally have had the stickers stuck over the original list of Japanese or korean ingredients but in my case the stickers are removable so you can see both. I'm really sad that Memebox US has all the same brands repeating in these boxes and the value just sucks now. Unless you use every single thing in the box it's just hardly worth it to buy anymore. I hope they're able to import more interesting brands in the future to bring back some excitement. I think they're getting the hint that people like the mystery boxes. Since they sell out fast and the others languish on their site forever. I get a much better value through any number of other sites but it's just not the frenetic fun and craziness it used to be- staying up half the night, buying every box, etc.

 

[blinded]

@@blinded, I believe if the items are made at the local facilities, then I think you can get away with it but all imported items that are sold here must have both languages. And most Asian grocery stores I've been to seem to follow that rule (based on the items available that is).

I'm going to have to look next time I'm at our local asian grocery store. I know a lot of things have the stickers on the package, but I swear there are things that have no english or french on it. I'm pretty sure I've picked out noodles for my husband based on the cartoon picture. 

 

[Alidolly]

Here's the UK legislation

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/39334/10-761-guide-to-cpsr.pdf

I'm thinking it might work out expensive for them to comply. They may not bother trying to or half heartedly try but they'd get into a lot of bother if they ignored it.

 

[Alidolly]

Laugh at this statement from the legislation

Similar powers are available to Local Authority Trading Standards Officers (Department of Economic Development in Northern Ireland) in relation to false or misleading product claims. The Consumer Protection fron Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 makes it an offence to either apply a false trade description to goods, or to supply goods which are falsely described. Claims about both the product composition (for example, preservative free) and function (for example, wrinkle reducing) will be covered by consumer protection law. Competent authorities can request to view the PI held to prove the claimed effect.

And fines / charges

Penalties

Penalties for contravention of the Regulations 16, 17 and 19 are, on summary conviction, imprisonment for not more than 6 months or a fine not exceeding £5000, or both. For Regulations 10, 11, 14 and 16 (1) (i), the maximum fine is the same, but imprisonment cannot exceed 3 months.

 

[Alidolly]

Memebox should also get in touch with these guys and might help keep them right

http://www.ctpa.org.uk/

Would love them to ship from the UK to the EU but might be cost prohibitive once all the costs are calculated. Guess that's what they are checking at the moment as they didn't say they would never sell internationally again, just that they were wanting to ensure the process was swifter. TBH, they'd be better employing a team in South Korea that deals purely with international orders and ship direct to the customer from there....might be cheaper for them and with larger profit margins. After all, that's the reason retail businesses exist. If you don't, your business will fail.

 

[LoveSkinCare]

Last year one of my boxes was seized by customs for improper labelling of cosmetics. Maybe they got caught too many times so they stopped international shipping. But that doesn't explain why the products sold at the US location do not have English ingredients. Hmmm! Now I am curious.

 

[biancardi]

I found this interesting.  The FDA in the USA classifies sunscreen as a "drug" and I know for a fact that I have not received sunscreens labeled in English

That is interesting about the labeling in English, I read a couple of those articles in the FDA site, and yes, that could explain why we won't get fun products from S.Korea anymore, unless Memebox slaps a sticker on it with a translation.  I don't understand why they do not hire a couple of people to do this as their job.

 

[Alex Z.]

I think that the translation of ingredients should be a job for the cosmetics company not memebox. Why should memebox take the responsibility of translating the ingredients? And in that case shouldn't the company of the product agree to give the task to memebox? If you owned the company, would you want people to translate by themselves the ingredients and stick stickers on your products? With the lack of professionalism memebox shows, I wouldn't trust them!

 

[biancardi]

@@Alex Z.  I agree it should be the cosmetics company, however, if that cosmetics company doesn't sell overseas (and never plans to) and memebox decided to put it in their boxes, that is why I think memebox should do it.   It might be that the company thinks it is going into Memebox Korea and it gets put into Memebox USA (or in the past, global)

I stand corrected - I think it could be a flyer, not a sticker on the product, with the list of ingredients of all of the products.  And yes, memebox has shown a lack of professionalism.  I just find it ironically funny that many of us do not speak or read Korean, and yet we are able to translate the ingredients ourselves!!  You'd think memebox would have Korean-English translators.

 

[Alidolly]

Don't know if a flyer would cut it with UK legislation as it could become separated from the product so think it would need to have it as a sticker on the box or product itself. Agree it should really be the cosmetic company doing it but as @@biancardi said, if they had no plans to export out of South Korea then why should they incur extra expense having to do that...that's probably why they are using larger brands in the us store. So, any UK version would likely have similar products....then they would need to offer something the other companies (sending from Korea direct) couldn't offer. The boxes are what sold memebox so well curated boxes that are cheaper to purchase than buying the products individually would be ok. They could also sell their own brand (as can get them printed a source). Again, takes time to organise this so can't see any relaunch before nearer the end of te year tbh...if even then. UK legislation / council applications etc are notoriously slow here.

 

[blinded]

Looking at the new hangover box that was just released actually makes me happy that Memebox broke up with me. What a sad looking box. They really must be trying to attract new customers who haven't yet learned about all the other great korean online stores. 

 

[biancardi]

@blinded  I'd have to be hungover to purchase that box voluntarily....

 

[Lorna ljblog]

my god i had to type in memebox to search its not in my previous or history any longer, 

on looking at these new usa boxes am i thinking they heavy on the masks as fillers,and the lowest values going,and only certain brands,

there does not seem to be the value or choice in the boxes now,

but they must be selling ok in the usa,

 

[Jane George]

Hmm memebox or mask maven.... Lol no brainer

 

[LoveSkinCare]

You guys are cracking me up. I'll pass on the new box too, same brands over and over again.

 

[biancardi]

my god i had to type in memebox to search its not in my previous or history any longer, 

on looking at these new usa boxes am i thinking they heavy on the masks as fillers,and the lowest values going,and only certain brands,

there does not seem to be the value or choice in the boxes now,

but they must be selling ok in the usa,

I don't know - the mystery boxes sold out quickly....but others have been hanging around.

I haven't been making that many sales since global was dropped.