It was two days after I received my Bobbi Brown concealer when I feared the worst–I was actually putting counterfeit makeup on my skin. After some quick research, I learned that my fears were a reality, though the seller whom I bought it from refused to cough up the dough.
If you’re trying to snatch a good deal on makeup too, be prepared–some makeup sellers aren’t selling the real deal, and here’s how to detect it.
3 Signs You’re Buying Counterfeit Makeup
Want a good deal on makeup without buying counterfeit products? Here are three ways to separate fact from fiction:
1. The makeup brand is being sold at a place that normally does not sell such products. For instance, you will only find MAC products at MAC stores, online, or at select retailers, such as Nordstrom; your local drugstore isn’t going to carry them. Target Australia got itself into hot water in 2012 when Estee Lauder alleged it was selling counterfeit MAC makeup, claiming it was never authorized to sell authentic MAC products, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
So definitely be careful–and never buy makeup brands from places that do not normally sell it or are not authorized to sell it.
2. The packaging or product is way, way off. For me, this initially clued me in that my concealer was counterfeit–my concealer was packaged in a cheap, plastic case and the product itself felt like sticky wax. Unfortunately for the seller, I had actually sampled Bobbi Brown concealer in a specialty makeup store before, and its consistency was anything but sticky. In fact, the packaging didn’t match at all. A quick Google search showed me that other sellers in Hong Kong were also selling counterfeit duplicates of this concealer for cheap.
So here’s my advice: If the packaging is not typical for this brand, or if the formula is just way, way off, there is a chance you may have bought a counterfeit makeup product. Makeup companies may change their packaging from time to time, but packaging that doesn’t match anything they’ve sold in the past is a big indicator of a counterfeit product.
3. It’s being sold as a limited edition, rare or discontinued product. Scammers love pawning their makeup off as limited edition, rare or discontinued because they can also claim there’s little information about this product available–so they need to offer less proof that the product is legit. As an extra bonus, they know makeup addicts love getting good deals on so-called rare merchandise, so it’s bound to sell.
Fight the urge to fill your addiction: Most of these products aren’t real at all. Besides, if it really was rare, why would sellers sell them for so cheap? If it sounds too good to be true, it is–trust me.
Source:
Eli Greenblat, “Target sued by US giant for selling fake cosmetics,” The Sydney Morning Herald
