The Tangled Web of Counterfeit Cosmetics

Firstly I want to thank everyone that has helped provide images for the e-book I'm going to be writing on how to spot and avoid fake cosmetics. I really didn't expect so many people to e-mail me with images. So, so great. 

That aside this week I have been doing a lot of research on counterfeit  makeup products, what goes into them and where they are sold and I have to say it's a total minefield. The more I seem to look the more I seem to find and the more I see actually how big the world of fake makeup is! 

So as my brain seems to be overloading on information at the moment I thought I'd share with you some crazy counterfeit finds and stories! 

• My week started by finding this site - sellmacmakeup.com which is supposed to be a professional MAC supplier... but of course it isn't and in fact every product on the site is a total fake. But what surprises me the most is the volume of products the website has, just hundreds of counterfeit products all professionally photographed to con people into believing the products are real..

• I also found a Picasa web album - here, with well over a thousand images of fake MAC products... some product verging on the ridiculous!

• Also this week and most alarmingly of all, I discovered stock images of fake Benefit products on the Boots.com website! As you can see from the two screenshots the product are total fakes. Moon beam has never had stars on it and as for Hoola bronzer do I even need to point out why the stock image isn't of the genuine product?! No boxed product from Benefit has ever looked like that. Clearly the person that uploads the stock images onto the Boots site has made a mistake in the source they take the images from. But really I would of thought as an authorized Benefit seller they would use the stock images provided by Benefit! Just shows how big the counterfeit industry is.

• On another slightly crazy note I found myself talking to Mr. Ming from Shanghai who owns a factory that solely makes counterfeit cosmetics. I of course was undercover savvy and showed my interest in some MAC blushers and asked on the quality (making sure to show that I wasn't that bothered as I would be re-selling them via eBay and they just needed to look good) which made him admit that all his products were fact fake but of good quality and as for checks on the ingredient and products he didn't have a clue what I was talking about! I also found out his employees over 100 people in his factory just to create fake MAC products.

A UK based eBay seller with 99.5% positive feedback selling fake MAC mascaras with 58 sold so far!

• Just as I was getting over what I found on the Boots website I stumbled across the most stupid YouTube video (see here if you want to be annoyed) of a girl almost reviewing a fake Benefit blusher and saying how much she loved it even though she knew it was fake! This is just another reason why I want to write an e-book about fake cosmetics as she clearly doesn't think putting un-tested makeup onto her skin is risky in the least!

• Which takes me to my last point of how bad fake skin product are- well unfortunately it is all pretty negative and just backs up why you should never even try out a product if you think it is fake. I read a report on how a lot of fake skincare product used over time can lead to skin diseases and a specific ingredient in fake cosmetics over time can affect the function the the kidneys! Also apparently antifreeze has been found in fake cosmetics! How scary. 

So as you can see fake beauty products are a pretty big deal and can con not only everyday people buy huge companies!