YesStyle vs StyleKorean: which is worth it for your wallet? A direct comparison

Before the price, look at who is on the other side of the order. Between these two stores, the reputation gap is large.

The ratings describe reviews published on Trustpilot and do not measure how many orders go wrong. Both profiles are global and have very different numbers of reviews, and the delivery and tracking complaints about YesStyle are covered in YesStyle on Trustpilot. Trustpilot says YesStyle invites customers to review and that StyleKorean has not invited customers recently; the two collect reviews differently.

CECILIA010 is a separate part of the math. It is Cecília's Reward Code and only works at YesStyle: it goes in the Reward Code field at checkout, with 5% extra on the first purchase and 2% on later ones, and it stacks with the store's own eligible coupons. The prices come next, with the advertised price kept separate from the result with the code.

With US delivery selected, the products in both carts were priced lower at YesStyle, before and after the discount calculated for CECILIA010. The advantage ranges from 3.6% on the larger cart, without the code, to 8.9% on the small one, with the 5% for the first purchase. We defined the carts before comparing prices, using well-known products sold at both stores.

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View at YesStyleEnlarge

View at YesStyleEnlarge

View at YesStyleEnlarge

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Our math: we applied 5% or 2% to YesStyle's advertised prices and rounded each value to the cent. On the cart rows, the calculation starts from the sum of the prices without the code. The discount was not tested in the store's cart; check the amount in the order summary.

Promotions change fast, so check the prices before buying. At YesStyle, the price also changes with the destination: the COSRX, which shows at US$ 20.00 for the US, shows at US$ 21.28 for Portugal.

Names differ from one store to the other, so we checked the published ingredients. Beauty of Joseon states that the Relief Sun was renamed, from Rice + Probiotics to Rice + Niacinamide, with no change to the formula, ingredients or volume. Anua and Isntree were left out of the math, because the ingredient lists published by the two stores do not match.

StyleKorean gives coupons to new customers and on level-ups, through the account wallet. They are left out of the table because they depend on your account, so the comparison holds for someone without those coupons. YesStyle's current coupons are in YesStyle coupons and Reward Code and are also left out.

By the thresholds in the table below, YesStyle gives free shipping on a smaller order. At the US prices, the small cart is below both thresholds, and the larger one is above both. Shipping is not added to the comparison.

At StyleKorean, free shipping applies only to beauty products, and its shipping page limits an order to US$ 500, not counting shipping; above that, it recommends placing two orders. Weigh the shipping against the price of one more product: reaching the threshold only pays off if the extra item is also useful to you. With the code, the total drops, so check in the summary whether the cart is still above the threshold.

Tax changes by store and by destination. In the European destinations below, YesStyle already includes VAT in the product price, and shipping also pays VAT at checkout.

In the European Union, the €3 fee per customs category, on parcels under €150, is separate from VAT. YesStyle says that, for now, it pays this fee on the customer's behalf on eligible orders.

YesStyle publishes a refund, as store credit, of eligible customs fees, for an order under US$ 1,000, before the coupon and without shipping. The receipt must arrive within 30 days of payment, and tax already charged at checkout is excluded. That credit only works for a future purchase: if there is a charge on delivery, it is counted as part of what you paid. At StyleKorean, the shipping page leaves charges with the customer, except in the US and Canada, where they are included at checkout.

Both stores exclude refunds and reshipping when the parcel is refused over a customs issue, such as unpaid tax or a missing document. Check the charges before paying: a refusal does not work as a return.

An opened product cannot be returned for a change of mind at either store, and both exclude returns for allergy or skin reaction. Defects and wrong items follow another path. The difference is in the refund and the shipping.

Watch out for the StyleKorean trap: when the return is at your request, its policy deducts the shipping even if it was free at purchase, and, if the balance goes negative, you pay the difference. At YesStyle, ask for the payment method when you request the return, or the refund comes as credit. Both refund to the payment method; the procedure is what differs.

Looking for a specific product? Check it at both stores before deciding, because the average of the cart does not hold for each item. The SKIN1004 was cheaper at StyleKorean, even with the code's 5% at YesStyle, and the COSRX came out at the same price before the code.

StyleKorean ships everything from Korea and lets you choose between points and payment method on a refund; YesStyle also refunds to the payment method, if you ask. If you switch to YesStyle, you get the higher rating, CECILIA010 and, in these four countries, free shipping that starts lower. If StyleKorean comes out much cheaper on the product you want, with shipping and charges included, the math changes, and how much the rating weighs is up to you.

The tables cover Portugal, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. Elsewhere, delivery comes before price: see whether checkout accepts your address, what the shipping costs, and whether charges are included or may be collected later.

YesStyle's rules by country are in our YesStyle shipping guide.

StyleKorean has no code from us. At YesStyle, just follow the order:

• Build your cart through the YesStyle link.
• Go to checkout and check the delivery address.
• Type CECILIA010 in the Reward Code field, separate from the coupon field.
• Check the discount in the summary before paying.

If in doubt, start with YesStyle where it delivers: the Trustpilot rating is higher and, in our US price check, the products in both carts came out cheaper. CECILIA010 adds the calculated discount of 5% on the first purchase or 2% on later ones. StyleKorean makes sense when the product you want costs less there, like the SKIN1004 in this check, and the saving covers the shipping, the charges and the rating gap for you.