Customers are quite serious when it comes to purchasing authenticated products. The awareness of fake cosmetics or skincare products is rising with their ever-increasing demand. No wonder why the cheap counterfeiters are finding this industry lucrative. They are maligning the supply chain process and also carry the potential to exactly replicate the products. As a result, it confuses the consumers in the market whether the product is authentic or fake. The scary outcome of these counterfeiting practices is: consumers are not just receiving fake products but are also getting exposed to toxic substances.
The industry is stuffed with fake cosmetic and skincare products that are diminishing the sales of well-known brands. It has become difficult for them to win the trust of the consumers. Maintaining the authenticity of the cosmetics/skincare industry is a bit hard as the products manufactured here are relatively smaller in size. The serialization or overt authentication features such as holograms is very limited. The product image and external looks are important in differentiating a brand from others. These counterfeiters are so highly advanced that they can even replicate these features as well. The beauty and skincare market should opt for anti-counterfeiting solutions. After all, it’s not about the cost but protecting the value of the product.
Steps to follow when purchasing a new product:-
1. Check the product packaging
Fake products by looking at the packaging. It’s important to know how original products look, you can visit the manufacturer’s website for further details. Even if there is a slight mismatch in color, font, and size, the product might be a fake. The other signs of fake products are low-quality materials, lightweight, faded colors, ill-fitting mirrors, spelling errors, and so on.
2. Purchase only from an authorized seller
Buy cosmetics & skincare products only from authorized retailers, because there are chances of even big stores selling fake products. You can get the list of authorized retailers by visiting the manufacturer’s website.
3. Check the serial number, batch code, MRP, and manufacturing information
You can identify if the product is fake or original by looking at the serial number, bar code, MRP, and manufacturing information. Fake products may not have all this information or will have very little information.
4. Look for Security Labels/QR codes/Unique Codes on the Product
These days brands have started to incorporate security features on the products that can help the customers to verify and check if the product is original or not. If its on the product follow the steps to verify it.
5. Try the product before purchasing and Notice the smell consistency
Fake makeup products can be identified through smell and consistency. It may be a fake if it has got a bad odor or is heavily perfumed. Original products, especially when they are matte there will be no strange substances or inappropriate sparkles in them. Creamy makeup products should not separate or contain any impurities.
6. Check the product review and seller rating
If you are purchasing products online, do not forget to go through the product reviews and seller ratings. This is because there has been a rise in the sale of fake cosmetics online. Recently Amazon and Flipkart were issued notices by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for selling “spurious and adulterated” products including imported brands. By going through the reviews, you can identify if the product is fake or genuine. If there are many poor reviews avoid making the purchase.
7. Call the Brand customer care in case of any doubts
Almost all reputable brands have their Customer support teams. If you have any doubts about the product. It’s better to call or mail Customer Care, as they can help you in identifying and verifying the product with a few simple steps.
8. Know your brand and be a vigilant consumer
It’s important to know the product, its packaging, and its quality. Don’t fall into false marketing gimmicks where shopkeepers offer huge discounts for “imported products” or something they say is “new in the market.”
LetsVeriFy offers the best brand protection solution to fight fake Cosmetic/ Skin Care Products
The cosmetics and skincare industry is creating major revenue worth millions! But on the other side, it is still facing issues like pilferage, product tampering, returns fraud, production overrun, and poor customer engagement due to cheap counterfeiting practices.
LetsVeriFy is well known for providing secure and smart anti-counterfeiting solutions to numerous industries. The cosmetics/Skincare industry is one of them. Our solution offers diverse features to serve a different purpose that enables the consumers to quickly identify whether a product is branded as genuine or not. At the same time, it also enables the manufacturers to identify the source of counterfeiting or any other illicit activity. When these are used with careful design and production quality controls, these features make it difficult for the counterfeiters by increasing the complexity.
We offer a wide range of solutions to protect the authenticity of the brand and at the same time ensure that the trust of our consumers does not erode from their favorite beauty brands. Here are some of them:
- Providing Smart labels: It gives each cosmetic/skincare product a unique and secure identity that leaves no chance for any cheap counterfeiter to copy the USP of the brand.
- Winning Customer Trust: The solution reassures the customers that they have purchased an original product by identification through the same unclonable QR Code.
- System algorithms: The technology helps in detecting fake or tempered products in real-time. It’s an instance of logic written in software to detect whether the product is real or fake. At the same time, it becomes difficult for the competitors to copy the algorithm.
- Personalized label designs: A sophisticated engine is followed for rule-based digitized loyalty and improved customer engagement. Our experience as a security printing expert applies overt, covert, and forensic multi-level security features to diminish counterfeits.
Along with the above-mentioned features, LetsVeriFy offers diverse technologies that are extremely difficult to copy. Counterfeiting in Skincare and beauty products are increasing a significant amount in the past few years. The reasons are growing demand and preference for these products. Customers around the world are facing difficulty in verifying the originality of their favorite products. By adopting our powerful anti-counterfeiting solutions, skincare/cosmetic brands don’t have to face the negative externalities due to fake products.