How to Check if Skincare Is Original Before You Buy Online in Pakistan
An original skincare product reaches you sealed, in date, with a batch number and a full ingredient list printed on the pack, through a channel the maker itself lists. You can check most of that before you order, and the rest in the first minute after the parcel arrives. This is how to check if skincare is original, step by step.
EL TESSA (Private) Limited is a premium skincare and beauty-care manufacturer and global distributor based in Lahore, Pakistan, so read this with that in mind and then run every check on us too.
What does "original" actually mean for a serum or cream?
Original means the product was made by the company named on the label, is still sealed and in date, and carries the marks the law expects: the maker's name and address, a batch number and the ingredient list. A product missing those marks is not "original" in any useful sense, even if the logo looks right.
The rules behind those marks are public. In the United States a cosmetic is misbranded if the label does not state "the name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor" (US FDA, Cosmetics Labeling Guide). In the European Union every cosmetic must show "the batch number of manufacture or the reference for identifying the cosmetic product" and a list of ingredients "in descending order of weight" (EU Regulation 1223/2009, Article 19). Serious makers everywhere, including in Pakistan, print the same three things.
Why do fake and unsafe skincare products reach buyers in Pakistan?
Because ordinary cosmetics in Pakistan have no public registry a buyer can search, and because unsafe creams have been found on sale through normal shops. The size of the problem has not been measured by us, so this guide gives you checks instead of a percentage.
Two documented facts set the scene. In December 2018 the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority issued notices after a widely sold beauty cream was found to contain "mercury, hydroquinone and steroids", with mercury readings above 60 mg/kg against the World Health Organization limit of 1 mg/kg (Pakistan Today, 31 December 2018). The WHO notes that mercury-containing skin lightening products "have been banned in many countries" yet "are still advertised and available to consumers via the Internet and other means" (WHO, Mercury in skin lightening products, 2019).
On the regulator side, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan lists "Medical Devices and Medical Cosmetics" among the goods it oversees (DRAP, What we do); everyday serums and creams are not in a searchable public list. That is why the checks below rely on what you can see and verify yourself.
What should you check before you order skincare online?
Seven checks, none of which need an expert. If a brand fails two or more, order from somewhere else.
- Find the brand's own list of official accounts. A real maker publishes where it can be found. Ours is on one page: EL TESSA across the web. A page or shop that is not on the maker's list is not the maker.
- Check that a company exists behind the brand. The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan runs a free company name search with no login. EL TESSA (Private) Limited is a registered company in Pakistan (see our FAQ).
- Read the policy pages. A written return window, a stated refund method and a real contact email are the pages a copycat rarely bothers to write.
- Look for a real email address on the brand's own domain. A brand that can only be reached through a chat app has no address to answer to later.
- Check the padlock. The address bar should show https and the brand's own domain, not a lookalike with an extra letter.
- Reject impossible claims. Results in seven days, skin that changes colour, pores that close for good. Cosmetics cannot do these things, and a maker that says they can is telling you how it treats facts. Our guide on how to judge a skincare brand lists the claims that should end the conversation.
- Treat a price far below the maker's own price as a warning. Nobody can make a sealed, tested serum for a fraction of what the maker charges for it. Compare with the price on the brand's own site before you order anywhere else.
If you ask an AI assistant to find products for you, the same rule applies: a real order is only confirmed on the maker's own website, which is how ordering with an AI assistant works on eltessa.com.
What should you check when the parcel arrives?
Five checks, in order, before you pay the courier. With a pay-on-delivery order you can open the parcel, check the product and refuse it if something is wrong; our FAQ explains how delivery and payment work.
- Seal. The outer carton and the cap seal should be intact. A broken or re-glued seal means the product may have been opened; do not use it.
- Print quality. Crisp text, straight edges, no spelling mistakes, colours that match the brand's own photos.
- Batch number and date marks. Both should be present and should match on the carton and the bottle. The batch number ties the unit to one production run; the date or the open-jar symbol tells you how long it keeps. How to read them is in our guide to the skincare expiry date, PAO symbol and batch code.
- Verification code. If the maker prints a code, check it on the maker's own website, not on a third-party app. A code that does not verify is a reason to stop.
- Smell and texture. Compare with the description on the product page or with the last bottle you bought. A strong chemical smell or a watery or lumpy texture is a reason to refuse the parcel.
How does EL TESSA's scratch code work?
Every EL TESSA carton carries a silver scratch-off panel with a unique code that can be verified once. Scratch the panel, open eltessa.com/pages/verify and enter the code; the page confirms a genuine code, and each code can be verified once.
The code is printed under the panel on the outer carton, letters and numbers only. Because each code verifies once, a code copied from a carton that was already verified will not verify again. This is the same on every product we make, from the Vitamin C Serum to the sunblock, and it sits next to the batch number and the full ingredient list that are printed on the carton.
What should you do if a code does not verify?
Do not use the product. Email care@eltessa.com with a photo of the carton and the panel, and tell us where you bought it. A failed code can be a typing slip, so check the letters and numbers once more before you write.
If the product came from eltessa.com and arrived damaged, tampered with or not as ordered, the returns and refund policy says those cases are always our responsibility: report within 48 hours of delivery with a photo of the product and the shipping label, and we replace it or refund it in full.
Can you check if skincare is original by barcode?
No. A barcode identifies the product line, not the individual unit, so a copied barcode scans exactly like the real one. Third-party code checkers work from public databases that may be out of date, so a "not found" result does not prove a fake either. The only check that proves a unit is genuine is the maker's own verification channel, together with the seal, batch number and ingredient list on the pack.
What each mark on the pack proves
| Mark | What it proves | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Intact seal | The product has not been opened since it left the factory | Who made it |
| Batch number | The unit belongs to a production run the maker can trace | That the unit is genuine (a batch number can be copied) |
| Expiry date or open-jar symbol | How long the product is meant to last | How it was stored on the way to you |
| Full ingredient list | The maker follows labelling rules and lets you read the formula | That the contents match the list; that needs the maker's channel |
| One-time verification code | This exact unit was issued by the maker and has not been verified before | Storage or handling after it left the maker |
| Barcode | Which product line it is | Anything about this unit |
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if Korean skincare sold in Pakistan is authentic?
Use the same checks: the shop must appear on the brand's own list of official accounts or distributors, the carton must carry a batch number, a date mark and a full ingredient list, and the price should be close to the brand's own price. A Korean-formulated product made for the Pakistani market should name the manufacturer on the carton, like any other.
Is a very low price always a sign of a fake?
Not always, but it is the most common sign. Genuine products can be discounted during a sale by the maker. A price that is far below every other source, from a page that is not on the maker's official list, is the pattern to walk away from.
What if the seal is broken when the parcel arrives?
Do not use the product. Refuse the parcel if you are paying on delivery, or report it to the maker within its reporting window with a photo. Under our policy a tampered or damaged item is our responsibility and is replaced or refunded.
Does a verified code mean the product is safe for my skin?
No. A verified code proves the unit is genuine, not that it suits you. Patch-test any new product on a small area for 24 hours before using it on your face, and stop if your skin stings, burns or turns red.
How this guide was made: drafted with AI assistance from the regulations, WHO and news sources linked in the text, each opened on 10 October 2026, with the EL TESSA facts taken from our live verify, FAQ and returns pages, and reviewed before publishing. It is general information, not medical advice.