Can counterfeit cosmetics be dangerous to your health?

Each of us has our favorite cosmetics. Some are cheaper and others are more expensive. Often when we come across our favorite cosmetic for half the price, we buy it without a second thought. Will it occur to us to check if it is really an original product? It is better to remember this, because fake cosmetics can be very dangerous to our health.

Where are you most likely to buy fake cosmetics?

You go to the market to do some shopping and it turns out that one of the stands is selling cosmetics from the world's biggest brands at super low prices.

You are looking for the best price offer for your favorite perfume on the Internet and suddenly one of the auction portal's exhibitors offers a bottle 70% cheaper than the regular price in a well-known drugstore.

A friend of mine brought back from abroad some good brand eye shadows bought in a local shop there, but the colour doesn't suit her and she wants to give them to you as a gift because she paid exceptionally little for them.

Do you know such situations? Have you ever been fooled and tempted by a low price, bought a cosmetic from an uncertain source and then it turned out that its quality leaves much to be desired, the inscriptions on the packaging quickly wore off and the scent and properties were far from the original? Many people have accidentally or inadvertently bought a fake cosmetic, clothes or shoes. And some buy them on purpose.

It's good if such a situation ends only in disappointment and anger, because it can have much more serious consequences.

The development of the counterfeit cosmetics market continues

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in all kinds of fake skin care products, make-up and perfumes. Thanks to the Internet, counterfeiters can freely and easily reach customers all over the world. The development of electronic banking and alternative forms of payment allows transactions to be carried out practically anonymously. In turn, modern and fast transport also allows for cheap, immediate and also anonymous delivery to any place on the globe.

Detecting the original manufacturer of counterfeit cosmetics, clothing or perfumes is extremely difficult. The entire criminal network is so branched out on all continents that it is impossible to determine who is making the most profit from this procedure. Crimes related to counterfeiting products are not as socially harmful as human or drug trafficking. That is why international police do not put them at the top of their priorities. Additionally, if there is a demand for counterfeit cosmetics and other goods, then naturally there are people who do not hesitate to take advantage of such demand and organize further counterfeit factories.

The dangers of counterfeit cosmetics

The expansion of counterfeit cosmetics affects Europe, the US, Russia, Asia, and South American and African countries. This poses a direct threat to public health and to consumers. In addition, this procedure means that honest cosmetic companies whose products are counterfeited have much lower profits.

The global cosmetics industry is currently valued at around 700 billion US dollars per year. After the pandemic, consumers are once again interested in makeup brands, and interest in natural cosmetics has also increased. The development of e-commerce has virtually no barriers in its path, which further contributes to the increase in the share of counterfeit cosmetics in the global market.

The weight and scale of the problem are enormous and without the agreement of all interested parties, the counterfeiting of cosmetics will not end overnight. Both cosmetic brands and suppliers of raw materials, national associations of cosmetics manufacturers and governments of all countries should come to an agreement. The educational role of the government and consumer organizations operating in each country is also important.

Can fake cosmetics be dangerous?

Studies and tests conducted on detected counterfeits of skin care cosmetics, perfumes and make-up products have shown that they may contain even such harmful ingredients as arsenic, cadmium, beryllium, which are suspected of having carcinogenic effects. Additionally, aluminum levels exceeding safe standards and bacterial contamination are often observed. Counterfeit cosmetics can cause problems such as:

• acne
• psoriasis
• allergies
• skin rashes
• systemic infections

Fake perfumes often contain the ingredient DEHP, which has been classified as a carcinogen. Other substances found in them can cause allergies, asthma, skin rashes, and irritation of the mucous membranes of the nose and eyes.

How to recognize fake cosmetics?

If we want to buy high-quality and original cosmetics, it is always worth making purchases directly from the manufacturer, in authorized stores or large and reputable online drugstores. Luxury brands will never be sold for a fraction of the price on online auctions or bazaars. You can also find cosmetics whose price is not high enough to make it worth counterfeiting. Also, recipes that are not easy to counterfeit are a certain barrier for criminals. When should we have doubts whether a cosmetic is original?

1. If its packaging differs slightly from the original – it is not a printing error, but a deliberate action of counterfeiters.
2. When an almost identical graphic design features a name that is close to the original.
3. When the price of the product is much lower than the original one and we are not buying from an authorized company store.
4. If the scent of a cosmetic or perfume only resembles the original, or is completely different. In the case of a change in the fragrance composition in skin care cosmetics, manufacturers inform customers about this. In the case of perfumes or toilet water, changing the scent and selling it under the same name is not possible, so we are clearly dealing with a counterfeit cosmetic.
5. If we buy cosmetics at a bazaar, market, kiosk or online from a drugstore that is not well-known and has products in its offer at unbelievably low prices. And it is really better to give up buying cosmetics at a bazaar.

Any cases of purchasing counterfeit cosmetics should be reported directly to the brand that was counterfeited or to the relevant state authorities such as the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate or the police.

Can fake cosmetics be dangerous?

Studies and tests conducted on detected counterfeits of skin care cosmetics, perfumes and make-up products have shown that they may contain even such harmful ingredients as arsenic, cadmium, beryllium, which are suspected of having carcinogenic effects. Additionally, aluminum levels exceeding safe standards and bacterial contamination are often observed. Counterfeit cosmetics can cause problems such as:

• acne
• psoriasis
• allergies
• skin rashes
• systemic infections

Fake perfumes often contain the ingredient DEHP, which has been classified as a carcinogen. Other substances found in them can cause allergies, asthma, skin rashes, and irritation of the mucous membranes of the nose and eyes.