Cosmetic and Skincare Products
Task: To Help Identifying Counterfeit Beauty Product
Description: Market is flooded with fake make up products. Counterfeit products, including cosmetics, are illegal and may be harmful to a consumer's health. Counterfeits may contain harmful or banned ingredients, unacceptable by-products of manufacturing or unapproved color additives.
Problem:
First off, makeup and beauty brands go through majorly extensive testing to make sure that their products are safe to use on your skin. Legitimate companies spend time, money, and research into knowing what ingredients and formulas are safe to use on the skin to guarantee their customers don’t experience any harmful effects. Let’s just say, fake creators, don’t. Counterfeit vendors don’t have their reputation at stake, so you really have no idea what’s in the products themselves.
The beauty industry everywhere is booming, with tremendous potential for growth. This is attributed to exposure to global trends, rising disposable incomes, changing lifestyles, increasing number of women in the workforce and so on.
However, there is the huge market for fake or spurious cosmetic products. Some of them are even fakes of “imported” products. The customer, who is on the lookout for ‘discounts’ falls into the trap of the grey market of fakes.
The modus operandi of the people dealing in imitations is to manufacture containers and print labels which are copies of the original containers and labels. They ensure that the difference in the copies is so minute that it is not noticeable to the customers or retailers. They are then filled with the fake formulations. Thus, this is a total fraud. The country is cheated of revenue and the customer is both cheated and fooled into believing that they are buying genuine products.
Solution
It is critical that cosmetics and skincare products only be purchased from authorized retailers and vendors so that you are not getting fake and potentially harmful ingredients as those producing counterfeits have no guidelines or regulations.
If you did not buy the product directly from the brand, compare your package to pictures of the product’s packaging online. Unmarked packaging, misspellings or differences in the brand’s logo are all major red flags that you purchased a fake, according to Consumer Reports. Similarly, give the product itself a close examination before you use it. If it has a strange texture or smell, or if you notice any visible contamination (like dirt, dust or even hair) do not use it.
Some beauty brands only sell their products on their website and through exclusive partnerships at major retailers. So, if you see a lip kit being sold online at any other website, it is a surefire sign that something is up.
If you don’t buy directly from the brand, go for retailers with solid reputations like department stores, or online website like B Beautyful to make sure you are buying the real deal.
Description: Market is flooded with fake make up products. Counterfeit products, including cosmetics, are illegal and may be harmful to a consumer's health. Counterfeits may contain harmful or banned ingredients, unacceptable by-products of manufacturing or unapproved color additives.
Problem:
First off, makeup and beauty brands go through majorly extensive testing to make sure that their products are safe to use on your skin. Legitimate companies spend time, money, and research into knowing what ingredients and formulas are safe to use on the skin to guarantee their customers don’t experience any harmful effects. Let’s just say, fake creators, don’t. Counterfeit vendors don’t have their reputation at stake, so you really have no idea what’s in the products themselves.
The beauty industry everywhere is booming, with tremendous potential for growth. This is attributed to exposure to global trends, rising disposable incomes, changing lifestyles, increasing number of women in the workforce and so on.
However, there is the huge market for fake or spurious cosmetic products. Some of them are even fakes of “imported” products. The customer, who is on the lookout for ‘discounts’ falls into the trap of the grey market of fakes.
The modus operandi of the people dealing in imitations is to manufacture containers and print labels which are copies of the original containers and labels. They ensure that the difference in the copies is so minute that it is not noticeable to the customers or retailers. They are then filled with the fake formulations. Thus, this is a total fraud. The country is cheated of revenue and the customer is both cheated and fooled into believing that they are buying genuine products.
Solution
It is critical that cosmetics and skincare products only be purchased from authorized retailers and vendors so that you are not getting fake and potentially harmful ingredients as those producing counterfeits have no guidelines or regulations.
If you did not buy the product directly from the brand, compare your package to pictures of the product’s packaging online. Unmarked packaging, misspellings or differences in the brand’s logo are all major red flags that you purchased a fake, according to Consumer Reports. Similarly, give the product itself a close examination before you use it. If it has a strange texture or smell, or if you notice any visible contamination (like dirt, dust or even hair) do not use it.
Some beauty brands only sell their products on their website and through exclusive partnerships at major retailers. So, if you see a lip kit being sold online at any other website, it is a surefire sign that something is up.
If you don’t buy directly from the brand, go for retailers with solid reputations like department stores, or online website like B Beautyful to make sure you are buying the real deal.
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