I have recently returned from a trip to Hong Kong, and the first thing that I wanted to share with you is the shocking price difference I noticed in beauty products! 🙂
WHERE TO BUY CHEAP BEAUTY PRODUCTS IN HONG KONG?
Ever since some of you kind readers shared Godwell Dispensary and Lung Shing Dispensary with me as your bargain beauty destinations in Hong Kong, I have made it a point to visit them. Of course, I also browse every Bonjour, Sasa and Colourmix I come across, hahaha 🙂
However, I find that I end up buying most of my beauty stuff in Bonjour. Their pricing is just usually cheaper than Sasa’s. As for Colourmix, I end up leaving after a quick browse because their selections don’t interest me.
AUTHENTIC OR FAKE?
In general, the products sold in Hong Kong are authentic. The Hong Kong government is very good at enforcing the laws about this, and take customer complaints about fake products seriously. Hong Kong people are very brand conscious and will make a big fuss if they are sold fakes. Big chains like Sasa and Bonjour have a lot to lose if they are found to be selling counterfeit items. The places that you are more likely to be sold fake products are the smaller mom and pop medicine/pharmacy/beauty shops.
Bonjour is also part of the “No Fakes Pledge” campaign of the HK government. I see “No Fakes Pledge” stickers in the shops. They had a Bioderma counterfeit case in 2016, but that seemed to be an isolated incident stemming from a bad purchasing decision.
GODWELL DISPENSARY
This is where the buy-and-sellers get their beauty supplies! Every time I go there, I see mainland Chinese women packing originally empty suitcases full of beauty products they had just purchased from Godwell. I am sure that most of these will end up resold. They usually discard all the packaging boxes to fit more into each suitcase.
To paraphrase Forrest Gump, shopping in Godwell is “like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get” 😀 Whatever they have on display is what is available. It helps if you keep up with beauty product reviews so you’ll be familiar with most of the products. If not, make sure you are connected to Google! 🙂
Godwell used to be known as the place with the best prices for beauty products. The products sold here seem authentic, but “gray market”. Gray market products are those that are intended to be sold to one country/market, but are instead sold to another country/market, most likely bypassing costs like taxes, fees, middlemen, etc…
Godwell stocks many items that I didn’t see in Bonjour/Sasa. I did not expect them to have Cle de Peau products, but they did! I saw them stocked behind the counter so you’ll have to ask the saleslady to get them for you. I also saw The Ordinary products.
Sometimes, shopping at Godwell feels like fighting with a horde of shoppers. Most of the time, it is crowded with shoppers and staff trying to refill shelves / mark prices. There are shopping baskets available in front. Staff are not necessarily rude, but seem busy and exasperated. Don’t expect the staff to know anything about the products, they probably don’t. They probably don’t have the complete line of a brand. No one is going to sales talk you into buying anything. Picking up an item is all on you, that’s why I recommend having Google always ready. Check the expiration, but so far none of the items I saw were near their expiration dates. It helps if you speak Mandarin or Cantonese, but you’ll still be able to buy stuff without speaking to anyone 🙂 Just put things in your basket and pay at the cashier.
I always stock up on my HG BB, the Missha BB Cream because it’s only HK$50 (P340)! It sells for P560 in Manila. Godwell is the only place I’ve seen the Missha BB in HK, but they often don’t have the shade you want. This time I was lucky they had No. 21 in stock, but it was in this packaging. At first, I was worried that it might be the wrong product, but a quick Google search showed that they did release this as a limited edition thing featuring LINE mascots.
This time, I didn’t feel that there was a big price difference between Godwell and Bonjour. For example, the Shiseido Senka Perfect Whip was the same price, HK$28 at both Godwell and Bonjour. Also, the HKD to PHP conversion rate is not good, so the items end up being more expensive than I remember.
Godwell is located in an alley at the corner of Carnarvon Road and the Etude House branch there. it’s just a little past Cameron Road. When you see the Etude House and the Hui Lau Shan along Carnarvon Road, just enter the alley between them and walk about 50 feet.
LUNG SHING DISPENSARY
Nothing really interesting for me in Lung Shing 🙁
It was like a warehouse-type pharmacy place, but many of the products were either too drugstore for me (for example: Palmers, Pantene, that sort of thing, stuff I can easily get from S&R or any local department store). For me, it was like, why would I buy these things here, they are so common! But observing the clientele, most of them seem to be from mainland China, and I assume these products are difficult to get there, so that’s why they’re all here, hoarding.
There were also many brands that I was totally unfamiliar with. Many brands looked Chinese or something Asian. I didn’t look too closely anymore. Lung Shing did not have the raved about beauty products that Godwell stocked. Lung Shing had more hair coloring products, shampoos, soaps and toothpastes. Nothing enticed me so I left.
Lung Shing is just a few minutes’ walk from Godwell. It is along Granville Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, just a little past Carnarvon Road.
SASA / BONJOUR
This is where to stock up on K-Palettes, Majolica Majorcas, Hada Labos, etc… 🙂 They also have a lot of Canmake, KATE, and this brand I’ve been seeing everywhere called Yumei, etc… but pay attention, because you may also find some good deals on high-end brands!
I can’t remember which branch this was exactly, but it was one of those in TST while walking on the way to Harbour City from the Holiday Inn Golden Mile. These are lipsticks from YSL, Dior, foundations from Lancome, Armani, etc…
If you are a mask fanatic, facial masks seem to be less expensive here. Unfortunately, they are usually sold in packs of 10! Saw the Mediheal N.M.F. masks on promo for only HK$49 for 10 pcs., that works out to only P35 per mask!
I also found Laneige products at good prices! I checked the Best Before dates and they were all in 2021.
Here’s another moisturizer I like, the Clinique Moisture Surge. This set is HK$464 from HK$890.
If you also want to try something new, both Sasa and Bonjour have sections where they display sample / trial sizes of high-end skincare products. FYI, these also make good pasalubong for skincare-obsessed friends and relatives.
My sister introduced me to this Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil (green), it’s good for removing heavy makeup and leaves skin feeling soft! These were at the Causeway Bay Sasa (2F, across from Ikea).
Another well-known eye makeup remover is the Lancome Bi-Facil.
For my skincare, I tend to stick to a few favorites but sometimes am tempted to try products that are raved about. This is why I like being able to get small sizes at Sasa / Bonjour / Godwell. I am able to try them out but don’t have to commit thousands of pesos to products I am not sure about yet. I also do not use up products that quickly so even travel sizes last me months since I often switch products between uses.
I was curious about this Skinado but I don’t think I really need it 🙂 It’s a vibrating face cleansing silicone sponge thing. It was on promo for HK$236.80 for 2 pcs.
PRICE COMPARISONS
Laneige Shop vs. Sasa vs. Bonjour
Of course, I also went to Harbour City / Canton Road to see if there was anything interesting 🙂 I came across the Laneige shop there, and just out of curiosity, checked the price for the Water Bank Moisture Cream. It was HK$290! I know Laneige is touted as an expensive brand, and this confirms it, but that only goes to show how much of a bargain Bonjour is! 🙂
It’s HK$188 in Sasa:
The same product is only HK$168 at Bonjour 🙂 The difference, I think, is that at Bonjour, no one will explain the product to you and they don’t have the complete line available. There are no testers. You will also not get freebies. Is that worth HK$102 (around P700) in savings? That’s your call and you’d have to know what kind and how many freebies you’re going to get if you buy from the actual Laneige shop. The only problem is that finding these deals usually involves luck! 😀
Sasa vs. Bonjour
My regular facial wash is the Shiseido Senka Perfect Whip, that’s why I always notice it. One tube lasts me a year. I only need a tiny pea size of it, and then with a little water, lather it in my hands until it becomes whipped foam. I don’t love it, but I like it because it’s the only one I’ve tried that I feel cleans my face without leaving my skin feeling tight or dry, AND doesn’t leave a slimy residue (I’m looking at you, Clinique Liquid Facial Soap that I still haven’t finished up even after 5 years).
Anyway, I saw the Perfect Whip in Sasa selling for HK$59!
At Bonjour, it’s only HK$28 🙂 That’s more than half the price! That’s about P200. It is sold in the Philippines for P420, double the price!
Favorite Branches
Anyway, I am sharing my favorite branches. I am not saying that I have gone to every branch and every shop in Hong Kong, but these are the ones that I like 🙂
Bonjour / Sasa – the ones along Nathan Road near/beside Holiday Inn / Chungking Mansion. I used to ignore them thinking that they were more expensive because of the location, but it turns out they need to be more competitive and have better selections! I noticed that some of the N.M.F. masks at this Bonjour were cheaper than the other Bonjour’s. The Bonjours on the way to Harbour City are also worth checking out for discounted high-end makeup.
Bonjour in Carnarvon Plaza – this is where I found the Laneiges. Not all Bonjour branches carry the same products, so one branch might carry this, another branch might not have it. This branch had 2 shelves of Laneige creams 🙂
Bonjour / Sasa – the branches just outside Beauty Avenue / Langham Place Mall in Mong Kok, near Argyle Street. These also need to be more competitive since they’re right outside Beauty Avenue.
Bonjour / Sasa – there are some big branches in Mongkok 🙂 bigger branches usually always have better selections. I wasn’t able to return to browse them this trip 🙁
Etude House – the branch in Causeway Bay across from Wellcome / Ikea. There is another branch along Carnarvon Road in TST but I always end up buying from this one in Causeway. It’s a bigger branch and check out the freebies that I received! I got one trial set of the Wonder Pore, another trial set of the Pink Vital Water, and a small size of the Baking Powder Deep Cleansing Foam. The Etude House Moistfull Collagen Cream is my HG moisturizer, but it has always been out of stock in local (Manila) Etude House branches that I just gave up looking for it after some time. Last year, I stumbled upon it on sale at either the Sasa or Bonjour outside Beauty Avenue for HK $105, but I couldn’t find any more Etude House products at Sasa/Bonjour this year. The cream is HK$155 at the actual Etude House shop, but I gave in because 1) I can’t find it anywhere, 2) the way I use it, one jar lasts me a year, and 3) consuelo nalang mga freebies (reach HK$300 spend to avail of the Wonder Pore & Pink Vital Water sets, and then join their free membership thing to get the free cleansing foam). Last I remember, the Philippine price for the cream was around P850.
One of my regrets was not getting the new Etude House blush! It looked good, but I was on the fence. I’m not sure if it’s already available in the Philippines, and generally, Etude House prices in the Philippines are a bit better than HK prices, so I thought that I would get the blushes here instead, hoping it will be cheaper than HK. I haven’t visited a Manila Etude House yet since being back.
Shoutout to the Filipina ladies in Wellcome! They are so sweet! They were giving out food samples and when they heard us talking in Tagalog, they gave us more food! The Wellcome Causeway Bay branch is my favorite Wellcome branch, and it’s must-visit every trip. This Wellcome is big and has a very good selection of ready-to-eat food / breads and affordable but good quality sushi! We always get packs of fatty salmon sushi. Tip: they mark down the food packs at night (around 7pm?) and then they do another round of markdowns as it grows later. Get anywhere from 15% to 30% off.
Other tips / observations:
Maybelline / L’Oreal and other US brands are expensive in HK. I am always shocked at the prices in HK since I know how much the prices are in Manila. In general, Maybelline and L’Oreal products are even cheaper in the Philippines compared to US prices, because I think they adjust their price to what the market can afford. Just buy them in the Philippines. It’s the exact same products, the only issue might be that there are less shades available in the Philippines. I also found the beauty products sold at department store counters in HK more expensive (or close to the price here in the Philippines) so I eventually stopped wasting time browsing them.
If you’re looking for an Asian-sized/shaped eyelash curler, I still see the metal Shiseido eyelash curler at Bonjour / Sasa (can’t remember which exactly) for around HK$60 (around P360 at the time). Years ago, I also found a Shu Uemura eyelash curler for HK$100 (selling in the Phils for P1,600!) and bought it instead of the Shiseido because of all the raves. Turns out the Etude House eyelash curler fits my eye better and that’s what I have been using so I actually haven’t used the Shu Uemura one in years. But I’ve heard good things about the Shiseido one, in case you might want to check it out. I still wonder what if I had chosen the Shiseido instead of the Shu Uemura, would the fit be better? But I’m happy with the Etude House one and I don’t need another eyelash curler 🙂
No Mamonde! Since watching Memories of the Alhambra, I was on the lookout for Mamonde while I was in HK. Unfortunately, Sasa doesn’t carry it anymore and I didn’t find it in any other stores that I went to. PONY Memebox products were available, though, but it seemed expensive.
Make sure to have internet! Whether you buy a 4G Sim card with internet or use the hotel’s free phone, it’s better to be connected to the internet! Sometimes you see products that interest you, but you don’t know much about them, so it helps a lot if you can check reviews or ask friends about it. You can also check sites like Althea, BeautyMNL, Shopee or Lazada to see if what you’re buying is cheaper than the Philippine selling price 🙂 Many times, products sold have different packaging (see Missha example above), so being able to Google it and see whether it is legit helps make good buying decisions 🙂 Sometimes, the products sold in the “gray market” are packaged for other countries or for other promos, but are nevertheless authentic.
GOODYEAR PHARMACY
This shop along Cameron Road specializes in selling perfume, with many perfumes heavily discounted or Buy 1 Take 1. I am not big on perfumes, so I can’t really tell you for sure if the products they sell are legit. But they are located in a prime spot, on a well-trafficked tourist road, and they’ve been there for years, as far as I can tell. If they were selling fakes, they would have been busted a long time ago.
I did buy a Shiseido / Senka Perfect Whip from them last year for HK$28 (at that time, Godwell was selling it for HK$30). The product seems authentic.
I’ve heard of another place called Fanda – I’ve seen one along Nathan Road but just never went in. Have you been to Fanda? What is it like?
I hope this post helps you shop for cheaper beauty products in Hong Kong! Of course, it doesn’t bear saying that buying these things cheaper in HK is a good idea only if you’re already making the trip there 🙂 If you have to factor in the cost of going to HK just to shop these products, they will end up much more expensive, and it would be better if you had just bought them locally. Also, don’t get blinded by the discounts and end up buying things you don’t really need / want 🙂
But, if you are already going to make the trip to HK anyway, it’s a good chance to stock up on beauty products or try new products that are not available here. Enjoy! 🙂
Also, if you have any recommendations or more tips, please share them in the comments! I’d love to hear more of your recommendations! 🙂
