Counterfeit cosmetics endanger your health

Counterfeit cosmetics: beware of cheap offers on vacation

07/12/2012

In the summer holidays, traders in distant lands offer the tourists cheap „brand products“ at ridiculous prices. Many are attacking, after all, the purchase prices are many times cheaper than in Germany. But in the vast majority of cases, the sun creams, make-ups and perfumes cheap fakes and do not do what they promise. The buyers then not only have to bear the financial damage, but also expose themselves to health damage. We show how consumers recognize the sometimes dangerous counterfeits.

Cheap "brand perfumes" on markets and beaches
The sun is shining, the sea invites you to take a bath and countless markets or beaches offer special bargains in countries like Turkey, Thailand or Egypt. Thus, in addition to jewelry, accessories and clothing also supposed brand perfumes are offered at very low prices. Many tourists resort to the „Super offers“ and hardly wonder why the goods are so cheap. However, the products offered are in most cases fake. Instead of the expensive perfume stuck in the bottles only cheap-produced waters or creams, if anything, only smell or act like the expected original products. With the acquisition, the buyer is not only duped, but can even endanger his health when used. Martin Ruppmann, chairman of the VKE cosmetics association in Berlin, warns: „The use of counterfeit cosmetics or fragrances can lead to a massive threat to health“.

Sunscreen without UV protection
The experts have already countless times examined such fake products by laboratory technology. For example, it may happen that the sunscreen purchased contains a lotion that does not provide sunscreen. Because the buyer knows nothing about the missing sunscreen, it can be sunbathing „come to massive burns, that is bodily injury.“ In addition, numerous fragrances can lead to skin irritation, itchy rash and allergies. Not infrequently, the wrong perfumes contain countless chemical substances that far exceed the limits in force in this country. „No authority oversees such manufactured fake items, potential buyers should be aware of that.“

According to the association, in the perfumes and cosmetics segment only, in 2011, customs confiscated counterfeit products worth around 1.3 million euros when they entered Germany. The number of unreported cases is also many times higher, says the RCE. Who exceeds the value of 430 euros, risked as a normal citizen a criminal complaint.

Fake clothes saturated with a lot of chemistry
In addition to the wrong scents and creams are also offered fake garments on vacation. Again, the processing is usually very flawed. In addition, textile plagiarism can also pose health-damaging consequences. Many textile products have been treated with a great deal of chemistry, so that the wearer can carry allergies and skin irritations. „Particularly dangerous are the fake garments for children“. In many cases, carcinogenic substances are included in addition to the allergenic substances.

Fake fashion can usually be detected more easily than counterfeit cosmetics. The clothes are missing, according to the fashion association „German-Fashion“ usually the label or it is only insufficiently labeled. In many cases, the brand names or logos are misspelled or the lettering is traced in an unusual form. That happens even with almost perfectly counterfeit goods.

According to German legislation, manufacturers in this country are required to clearly label the compositions of the substances. Anyone ordering clothes on the Internet can tell by the packaging whether the ordered clothes are genuine. For genuine branded goods, the packaging is usually of very high quality. Counterfeiters usually do without it.

How do consumers recognize fake fragrances??
The first rule states that for particularly favorable offers, which are far below the commercial price, a first indication exists. „A price that deviates significantly from the known price in the specialized trade, is a first indication that it could be a counterfeit trademark“ explains Ruppmann.

Because the printing techniques are becoming more and more sophisticated, it is often nearly impossible to detect counterfeit cosmetics from the packaging. Most of the fake can be felt but because the counterfeiters use only inexpensive material. The packaging is also not very stable, „because it is a lower paper quality.“ Imitation perfumes and bottles can be recognized by the fact that they are often packed in cheap-looking standard containers. „The glass often has inclusions and sharp edges, simple sheet metal replaces high quality metals“, explains Ruppmann. „A fragile-looking atomizer and a clear too short riser of the pump also point to forgeries.“

Cheap fragrances smell different than the original
Cheap fragrances try to emulate the original, but that works only in rare cases. Because „the high quality fragrance of the original can not be reconstructed inexpensively, but it lacks the counterfeiters of important ingredients“, says the VKE expert. For sun creams that is a bit more difficult. In many cases, counterfeiting can only be unmasked by analyzing the ingredients in the laboratory. (Sb)