DedaBox is a UK personalised surprise box from TheGoldScarf Ltd, based in Southend-on-Sea. You answer a short taste quiz about what you love and what you want to avoid, and the team picks every item around you, with a note on why each one was chosen. A DedaBox has 5 items for £45 a box on a plan, and DedaBox Luxe has 7 items, a few of them bigger pieces, for £69. UK delivery is included, Northern Ireland too. Items come from six areas: skincare, beauty, fragrance, fashion accessories, home and lifestyle, and fitness and wellness. There is no food or drink. DedaBox opens for orders on 27 November and sends its first boxes on 15 December. It is a thoughtful idea with sensible cancellation rules, but it is brand new, so the box itself is still unproven. Our news story on DedaBox covers the opening date, the prices and the quiz.
DedaBox price and plans
| Option | DedaBox (5 items) | DedaBox Luxe (7 items) |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription, monthly or every 2 months | £45 a box | £69 a box |
| Single box, no plan | £49 | £75 |
| Monthly gift | £45 a box | £69 a box |
| 3 month gift, paid once | £135 | £207 |
| 6 month gift, paid once | £270 | £414 |
Prices include UK delivery and are the brand’s list prices. Our own division gives about £9 an item for DedaBox on a plan and about £9.86 an item for DedaBox Luxe, rising to £9.80 and £10.71 an item for a single box. Members who start a subscription in launch week become founding members, with a 12 month price lock and a surprise extra in the first box. After that the brand may change prices, but it promises at least 14 days’ notice for subscribers.
What is in a DedaBox
What is inside is a surprise. The brand says you cannot pick or swap items, and that brands, products and values change from box to box. You choose which of the six areas you love, and the team leans your box towards them: a skincare fan will get mostly skincare and beauty, while someone who prefers candles and accessories will get those. Each item has a short note on why it was chosen, and after delivery you can rate what you received so later boxes improve.
- Skincare: everyday products and a treat you might not buy yourself.
- Beauty: make-up, nails, hair and the tools that go with them.
- Fragrance: scents to wear and scents for your space.
- Fashion accessories: small pieces such as a scarf or hair accessories.
- Home and lifestyle: things such as a candle or a good notebook.
- Fitness and wellness: items for moving, resting and switching off.
The brand says most items come from independent UK brands. The four it names for its first boxes are Jim + Henry, Bare Kind, wxy. and Myga. It says it follows UK cosmetics rules and only ships items that are in date, sealed and clearly labelled, and that it makes no medical claims. It does not say whether items are full size or samples, so do not assume either.
How the DedaBox plan works
You choose a plan, take the taste quiz, and pick monthly or every two months. Boxes arrive around Box Day, which is the 1st of each month, or the next delivery day if the 1st is a Sunday, Monday or bank holiday. Orders for each Box Day close on the 20th of the month before. The first Box Day is 15 December, and you need to join by 8 December to get a box in it. Payment is taken 4 days before Box Day, and the brand sends a reminder about a week before each box. You can skip a box, pause for 1, 2 or 3 months, change your box size, frequency or date, or cancel, but only before the brand starts preparing that box. Once payment is taken, that box is on its way.
Gifting a DedaBox
You can send one box, a monthly gift, or 3 or 6 months paid once. You add a note, which is printed on a card in the box, and the price is never shown. The recipient receives a private link to add their own taste and address, so you do not need to know either, or you can fill them in yourself. Prepaid gifts stop by themselves, so nobody has to remember to cancel, and the person who pays can cancel a gift and receives any refund.
Delivery, returns and cancelling
DedaBox delivers across the UK, including Northern Ireland, but not to the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or BFPO addresses. It usually posts with Royal Mail Tracked 48, and a tracking link appears in the My Boxes section of your account. A lost parcel is never your cost. You must be 18 or over to buy.
The brand allows the 14-day legal right to cancel after delivery. You can return unused items for a refund, although sealed skincare, beauty and fragrance cannot be taken back once the seal is broken, and you pay return postage unless the item is faulty. If an item arrives damaged, leaking, missing or wrong, the brand offers a replacement or a refund, and asks you to tell it within 7 days, which is not a deadline on your rights. You can cancel a subscription any time in the app or your account, with no fee and no minimum term, and nothing more is taken afterwards. A box you have already paid for will still be sent. You can contact the brand at [email protected].
DedaBox price against other beauty and lifestyle boxes
DedaBox sits at the premium end of the surprise box market. These are list prices we found at the last check, and they can change.
| Box | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| DedaBox | 5 personalised items across six areas | £45 on a plan |
| DedaBox Luxe | 7 personalised items | £69 on a plan |
| GLOSSYBOX | 5 or more beauty products a month | From £11.50 |
| OK! Beauty Box | 5 or more beauty products, stated worth over £80 | £15 a month |
| Liberty Beauty Drop | £20 back as Liberty credit and 4 Discovery Boxes a year | £25 a month |
The price gap is large because the products are different. Established beauty boxes are cheaper and are usually built around beauty only, often with smaller products. DedaBox charges roughly three to four times more for a similar item count, in return for a wider mix, a taste quiz, and a note on why each piece was chosen. It is not the better deal on price alone, so decide whether personalisation and the broader range matter to you.
Does DedaBox claim a value?
Unusually, it does not advertise a “worth £X” figure. The brand’s terms say it aims for the items in each box to be worth more, together, than the price, but its own journal says it picks for fit rather than for the biggest number, and it does not lead with a value claim. We think that is a more honest approach than a headline retail value, but it also means you have nothing to check. With no boxes sent yet, you are trusting the quiz and the curation.
Is DedaBox worth it?
Our view: DedaBox is worth a try if you like surprises, have things you cannot use, such as fragrance or essential oils, and want a gift that the recipient shapes themselves. The gifting set-up is its strongest feature, and the cancellation terms are fair, with no minimum term, skips, pauses and a 14-day right to cancel. The founding price lock is a real sweetener if you decide quickly.
The weaknesses are plain. It has no real box to show yet, and the brand says so itself. Pictures on the site are artwork of the kinds of things it includes, not photos of a real box. You cannot choose or swap the items, the price per item is high against beauty boxes, and sealed beauty items cannot be returned once opened. Our advice is to start with a single DedaBox at £49 rather than a plan, see what a real box contains, and only then decide whether a plan is worth £45 a time.
Pros
- Personalised by a taste quiz, with allergies and dislikes kept out of your box
- A note on why each item was picked, and ratings that feed into later boxes
- UK delivery included, Northern Ireland too, with a tracking link
- Skip, pause up to three months or cancel with no fee and no minimum term
- Good gift options, including prepaid 3 and 6 month gifts that stop by themselves
Cons
- A new brand with no boxes sent yet, so no track record
- About £9 or more an item, well above most beauty boxes
- You cannot choose or swap items, and the brand does not say whether they are full size
- No headline value figure to check against what arrives
- Sealed beauty items cannot be returned once opened
Best alternatives to DedaBox
- GLOSSYBOX: a monthly pink box of five or more beauty products, from £11.50.
- LOOKFANTASTIC Beauty Box: six or seven premium beauty products a month, from £12.
- OK! Beauty Box: five or more beauty products for £15 a month.
- FabFitFun: a seasonal box covering fashion, jewellery and fitness.
For more options, browse all our mystery and surprise boxes.
DedaBox FAQ
How much does DedaBox cost?
DedaBox is £45 a box for 5 items and DedaBox Luxe is £69 a box for 7 items on a plan. A single box with no plan is £49 or £75. UK delivery is included.
When do the first DedaBox boxes ship?
The service opens for orders on 27 November. The first Box Day is 15 December, and you need to join by 8 December to get a box in it. After that boxes arrive around the 1st of each month.
What is in a DedaBox?
Five hand-picked items, or seven in Luxe, chosen around your taste quiz from skincare, beauty, fragrance, fashion accessories, home and lifestyle, and fitness and wellness. There is no food or drink.
Can I choose what is in my DedaBox?
No. You choose your tastes and what to avoid, but you cannot pick or swap items.
Can I cancel DedaBox?
Yes, at any time in the app or in your account, with no fee and no minimum term. You can also skip a box or pause for up to three months. A box you have already paid for will still be sent.
Does DedaBox deliver to Northern Ireland?
Yes, delivery is included across the UK, including Northern Ireland. It does not deliver to the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or BFPO addresses.
Do I need the DedaBox app?
No. You can buy, manage a plan and track orders on the website. The app adds extras such as the reveal, a countdown and ratings. It is on Android, with an iPhone version listed as coming soon.
Who is DedaBox for?
Anyone in the UK aged 18 or over, for themselves or as a gift.
Questions & reviews
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