While the nature of corporate social responsibility (CSR) authenticity is socially constructed and can be perceived in various ways cross-culturally, no previous research has examined how consumer evaluations of CSR authenticity differ across cultures. The current research uses focus groups and semi-structured interviews with Korean (n = 16) and United States (n = 23) consumers to show how CSR authenticity is perceived and influences consumers’ CSR evaluations differently between cultures. The key differences identified relate to: congruence, transparency, and personal connection. While congruence and transparency positively influenced Korean consumers’ CSR authenticity evaluations, these attributes had a negative impact on those of US consumers. The findings reveal that personal connection to a social cause had a positive impact on US consumers’ CSR evaluations, however results were contrary among Korean consumers. The current research proposes CSR authenticity as a powerful theoretical construct capable of understanding different consumers’ CSR evaluations across cultures.