Women and makeup go hand in hand and as a consumer, there is nothing like getting your hands on the latest beauty product being talked about by all the popular makeup artists in town.
Some of these makeup brands such as Kylie Cosmetics, Huda Beauty, Anastasia Beverly Hills are costly and require a bit of a splurge. However, what if the last make-up palette you spent your hard earned cash on was fake.
The market for luxury beauty is massive and amounts to over $17 billion.
It is easy to see why people desire to get the highly coveted and costly makeup products, the hype created around them are enough to entice anyone. Any market making billions is sure to have a knock-offs industry that follows it. Makeup is no different, counterfeit beauty products are flooding the markets around the world.
YouTube is full of various beauty vloggers talking about Real Vs Fake makeup products that they have discovered. A recent report from 2019 By Red Points, mentions that these counterfeit goods are not only available in shady warehouses but on your Instagram feed as well.
The Dangers of Fake Make-up Products
The real danger of fake beauty products are not only that they rob people off their hard-earned money but are extremely hazardous to health. A cheaper knock-off lipstick or eye-shadow palette could cause major skin harm to the user such as skin irritation, burns and much more.
Shari Marchbein, an M.D, Board-certified dermatologist and assistant clinical professor at New York University mentions,
“They’re often made in unsanitary environments and they may be contaminated with high levels of bacteria, feces, urine and even dangerous chemicals including arsenic.”
According to Dr. Marchbein these counterfeit products can cause,
“Mild reactions such as irritation, allergic reactions and redness, to more severe infections, swelling, blistering, burning and even potential permanent disfigurement.”
How to Spot Counterfeit Make-up Products
Shop at reputable retailers
Shopping at registered sellers is the best bet for avoiding illegal goods. Buying makeup from websites directly is also a good practice and gives consumers the choice to rule out the middle man.
Check out the packaging before purchasing
The difference in packaging may not be as evident as knock-offs are now meant to look similar to the actual product in order to confuse consumers.
Check the bar code, manufacturing information and serial numbers.
If the product is a counterfeit, then the first 2 or 3 digits of the bar code may not match the country of origin listed either on the packaging or product itself. Make sure that the serial number on the product itself matches the number on the box.
Have you ever come across counterfeit makeup products? Let us know in the comments below.
