Why fake make-up is so dangerous

Counterfeit make-up products are rife, and not always easy to spot. Photo: AFP/Atta Kenare. Source: AFP

OK, I'LL admit it: I once bought, and wore, a fake Von Dutch trucker cap.

Cast your smirks aside — surely at some point in your life you've bought (or at least thought about buying) something that wasn't the real deal?

The business of counterfeit products is a bigger issue than my questionable teenage sartorial choices, and extends to make-up.

"It doesn't matter whether it's Gucci handbags or Fendi purses — brand is king. It's no different for cosmetic houses," Myer's general manager of cosmetics Liz Webster explains.

"They spend millions of dollars promoting their brand and doing all the right things with innovation and product development, only to have somebody create a substandard product with false branding."

Fakes, she warns, aren't produced in the same way as the real thing, "with the correct formulation, fragrances and innovation".

Customers buying counterfeit products might believe they're snagging a bargain, but in fact risk infection and allergic reactions.

Quality control skips out the door quicker than you can say 'bargain-bin rouge' in the factories that manufacture them.

Australia's cosmetics industry generates nearly $4 billion a year, so it's no surprise grifters have us in their sights.

A recent study found one in 10 online shoppers have received counterfeit products, and more than a third have bought cheap make-up online.

When Hayley Hughes bought a cut-price MAC eyeliner online, she says she was surprised to receive "an obviously fake product, that didn't feel the same or have the same pigment" as the one she knew and loved. When she posted about it on her blog she was deluged with comments from readers who related.

"I was surprised by the number of responses," she says. "[Before this] I hadn't realised fakes were a thing."

Becca, Estee Lauder, MAC and Benefit make-up products. Source: News Limited

L'Oréal, which owns brands including Garnier and Lancôme, made a net proft of $4.53 billion last year.

However, the sort of innovation and stringent quality control that proft pays for can be sullied by knock-off outfits that don't play by the rules.

"Counterfeit make-up is produced without the ingredients and formulations cosmetic companies spend millions of dollars patenting, researching and testing," says Webster.

"If a customer puts fake product on their skin, they are not sure what they are using." The knock-on effects, she says, are felt by everyone from respectable retailers to consumers.

"We don't want that sort of tarnish through the industry."

Jodie Matthews, MAC brand general manager, agrees the real loss is the customers' trust.

"We cannot put a price on how counterfeit products affect our business," she says. "Our real concern is the consumer's experience. When a customer purchases a counterfeit product, it doesn't come with the expertise and advice of a MAC Artist. MAC provides the highest quality, on-trend products and we take that commitment seriously."

Companies are going as far as engaging in legal action to ensure brand integrity is kept intact. "We have many different types of actions pending — civil, administrative and criminal," Matthews explains. "We work with customs officials and law enforcement to stop these products reaching consumers."

In December last year, Target settled a long-running legal case over the store's sale of allegedly fake MAC products. It was ordered by the courts to pay Estée Lauder (which owns MAC) $1 million, strip shelves of product immediately and display corrective advertising in its stores, catalogue and online.

Some of the best selling mascaras on the market. Source: News Limited

Although Target is limited in what it can say about the case, general manager of corporate affairs Jim Cooper believes settling was a cost-effective measure.

"The testing required to prove if the products were authentic would have been both costly and time-consuming," he explains. "So we took the commercially prudent decision to settle the matter — which was not an admission of guilt or liability."

"We are pleased the litigation is over," says Matthews. "The key element for us was the corrective advertising. We can't guarantee the quality or safety of products not purchased from authorised MAC retailers, and we didn't supply any MAC marked products to Target."

Which brings us to 'parallel product'. This is the name given to merchandise not bought directly from the source or authorised distributor. (In the Target case, the retailer bought its potentially fake MAC from a middleman in Texas.) While it may be real, odds are it's old stock, past its use-by date or mixed with counterfeit versions.

Myer's stringent means of sourcing product ensures parallel make-up isn't a problem.

"We sell everything that is fresh and coming from the right source — we don't sell counterfeit or parallel," Webster says.

"Parallel products might be five or six years old, or from two Christmases ago. While parallel is not counterfeit, you don't know the freshness of the product. Make-up, fragrance and skin care have use-by dates — like food."

And while it's fi ne to try to save a few bucks — especially when Australian cosmetics shoppers pay up to double US prices — make-up isn't an area you should scrimp on.

"If you're conscious about what you eat, why would you put something on your skin when you don't know what it is, whether it's come through the correct source or whether it's fresh?" Webster questions. "A handbag is a handbag. You're not putting it on your face; you're throwing it across your shoulder.

What's the worst it's going to do? The handle is going to fall off? But if you're putting something on your skin, you need to make sure it's fresh and authentic."

MAC lipstick and glitter make-up. Source: News Limited

How to pick a fake

The lettering on the packaging isn't right: Font is important to a brand; look for crooked

or off-centre type and rogue punctuation.

The packaging looks shabby: Legit packaging is symmetrical. With a fake, you may be able to see that the box hasn't been folded correctly.

The branding looks old: Cosmetic companies tend to spend big money when they launch something new and they don't leave the old stuff lying around. Familiarise yourself with past-season branding.

The fragrance isn't potent: Fresh, authentic scents shouldn't fade after an hour. Some fakes smell of ammonia, too.

The price is heavily discounted: If it costs $35 at the department store and $5 at the discount chain, ask why. If you can, check the age and effectiveness of the product. To be safe, always buy from recognised, legitimate retailers.

Follow Mel on Twitter.

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