We get it: everyone loves a good deal, which makes incredible online beauty discounts hard to resist. But consider this before shopping for your beauty and skincare routine from an unauthorized dealer (most likely on Amazon): Counterfeit beauty products have become increasingly common and can cause serious harm.
Counterfeit products are being manufactured and sold at such a rapid pace these days that itās now considered a global epidemic. And unlike that Chanel āreplicaāāwhich might only cause you a little embarrassment if it doesnāt simply fall apartāfake beauty products could end up sending you straight to a Charlotte’s Book expert.
The Ugly Truth
Sometimes the difference between buying authentic beauty products and buying counterfeit ones could mean not having to deal with permanent skin damage and long-term diseases like Alzheimerās and cancer. The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), found fakeĀ cosmetics and skincare to contain toxic levels of chemicals and unpleasant substances such as arsenic, mercury, and even urine (!). Back in 2012, Inside EditionĀ tested counterfeit cosmetics bought on the street and the results were surprising. The tests found high levels of aluminum (linked to Alzheimerās disease), beryllium (a known carcinogen), and bacteria in the products.
With more and more people shopping online, it’s become easier for counterfeiters to distribute their products anywhere in the world. Even giant online retailers can have a hard time controlling the authenticity of beauty products sold by third parties. In the U.K. alone consumers spend $140 millionĀ on fake beauty products, and most of them probably didnāt even know it until they noticed the side effects.
Hereās the rub: Counterfeiters donāt have any standards to uphold. They infringe intellectual property rights (yes, it is illegal). They use the cheapest ingredients to turn the biggest possible profit, and they take shortcuts. And most importantly for skincare, they donāt abide by the FDAās sanitation guidelines. And their products donāt undergo rigorous, legally required tests before theyāre available to the public.
How to spot a counterfeit:
Itās easy to identify a fake designer handbag that’s available for less than $100 when you know it normally retails for thousands of dollars. Counterfeit beauty products, however, are trickier to spot. The sad truth is that counterfeiters are becoming better at making and imitating product packages. So good, in fact, that it can be nearly impossible to tell a fake from the real thing, especially when itās available at a comparable price on Amazon or eBay.
The easiest way to be sure youāre getting the real deal is to buy your products straight from the brand or itsĀ authorized dealers and retailers. Some brands like SkinMedica do a great job of actually listing the bogus websites that sell their products.
Aside from compromised ingredients, shelf life is very important in skincare. Buying cosmeceutical products from online retailers may result in old product inventory that’s past its prime. To avoid this, check forĀ authorized dealers listed on the brandās official website. You might not get the lowest price, but your health, safety, and wellbeing won’t be compromised.
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