PURESEOUL Reviews

2.3

22% would recommend to a friend

(29 total reviews)
PURESEOUL has an employee rating of 2.3 out of 5 stars, based on 29 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The PURESEOUL employee rating is 35% below average for employers within the Retail and wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

29 reviews
1.0
3 Dec 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The only positive is the team on the ground. The staff support each other because management doesn’t.

Cons

Concerns are consistently dismissed. This company has a pattern of arguing against employee reviews instead of listening to them, which is why so many of us resort to anonymity. Staff are scared to speak up because anyone who raises issues gets labelled “difficult” or feels at risk of being pushed out. The store is freezing to the point that product was affected before action was taken. Staff were simply told to “layer up”. Morale has been low for months. We receive constant negative feedback, no encouragement, and no real support. Pay does not reflect the Flagship workload. We’re still below London Living Wage and are paid the same as smaller London stores despite the pressure and demand here. No proper product education. No makeup training, no colour matching support, nothing to help us handle the range of customer concerns we deal with daily. Pop-ups and activations are chaotic and poorly communicated. We find out last minute, are understaffed, and other stores often refuse to help because of how overwhelming it is. Head office visits are often condescending, with no introductions, and we’re treated more like an inconvenience than a team. Excessive camera monitoring and constant radio policing from Assistant Supervisors creates a hostile environment. Clear patterns of racial bias - Black and brown staff are nitpicked and scapegoated while others are allowed the same behaviour without criticism. Health and safety is barely practiced beyond the basic online module. No proper staff room. Breaks are taken on camping chairs with food on our laps which is unacceptable for a Flagship. No meaningful benefits: discount is limited, we can’t sample products, and we don’t get early access to launches.

1.0
7 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The team members. That is all.

Cons

There is a persistent lack of empathy and understanding from supervisors toward staff members. Employees are often treated dismissively, as though our well-being is unimportant. When someone is injured or feeling unwell, supervisors frequently assume we are exaggerating or fabricating our condition, rather than offering support or concern. Communication from the head office is also poor. When they do reach out, it is typically to deliver criticism rather than constructive feedback or acknowledgment of our efforts. It seems as though our hard work goes unnoticed and, at times, undervalued to the point where it feels like they would avoid paying us, if they could. Stock availability is another major issue. The store consistently lacks essential products that customers ask for, which reflects poor coordination between the buying and warehouse teams. Despite this, we as front-line workers are left to face customer dissatisfaction directly, often without the resources we need to provide proper service. The working environment is also concerning. There is a noticeable lack of safety and basic care for employees. Our communal area consists of broken camping chairs, and the only private space available is the small stockroom, the only place not monitored by cameras. Supervisors frequently display bias when delegating tasks. They tend to assign easier duties to themselves or their preferred colleagues, leaving the rest of the staff to manage heavier workloads for longer periods. Accessibility remains a serious problem as well. The store layout does not accommodate wheelchair users, despite being a flagship location that regularly hosts pop-up events. Staff must constantly run up and down the stairs to retrieve products for customers. This creates additional strain, especially when we have strict area placements and chronic understaffing make it difficult to maintain service levels. Finally, the pay structure feels deeply unfair. Our store is larger, busier, and far more demanding than other branches in London, yet we receive the same hourly rate—£12.50—despite carrying significantly heavier workloads and greater responsibilities (pop-ups, more areas to cover, smaller stock room, FLAGSHIP STORE!) Pureseoul isn't a startup business with only one store and a small team. They opened up 5 new stores in 2025, which they have proudly advertised, but they aren't proud to pay retail workers who run these stores the rightly deserved amount. This just shows that retail workers, to them, aren't worth basic human kindness. If paying workers £3 per hour was still legal, I'm sure they would do that.

1.0
13 Oct 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Office location is in central

Cons

- Poor management. There was no clear rule or guideline, with decisions often driven by the CEO’s mood of the day. And the employees are not valued. - Office employees are also expected to do physical tasks like packing boxes at the warehouse and traveling to different town to move heavy boxes and unpack them for the new store opening. - The working environment can be stressful due to frequent negative language, including cursing. - Job security is uncertain, as some employees are dismissed on the spot without prior notice or warning. - Management roles are sometimes filled by individuals without relevant experience or qualification. - Hew hires are frequently made for same position, as employees are constantly seeking new opportunities to leave.

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PURESEOUL Response
9mo
Thanks for your feedback. We’re sorry your time with us wasn’t in line with the positive culture we aim for. While we don’t recognise everything described, we want to address a couple of important points. No one is dismissed without due process - we always follow clear procedures in line with UK employment law. Because we’re a growing business, there will be moments where we all pitch in on different tasks, especially around new store openings. We talk about this openly during the interview process, and on job listings, so people joining us know the agility of our company and how roles can be varied and hands-on - we appreciate that’s not for everyone, but there are lots of our team who really thrive in our vibrant, fast-paced environment. We’re working hard on leadership training, improving communication, and supporting our teams so everyone feels valued and respected. Thanks again for taking the time to review, and all the best for the future.
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Glassdoor has 29 PURESEOUL reviews submitted anonymously by PURESEOUL employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if PURESEOUL is right for you.