Counterfeit beauty products:
What they can do to your skin and how to avoid them.
The world of online shopping has a ton of great deals, discounts and sales, and can get many of us excited. Who doesn’t want a better price on their favourite brand name makeup, serum or sunscreen?
We all want a great deal, but what we do not want is to get something that at first sight looks like the real thing, but is actually fake. “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!”
Recently, I had a few clients that experienced bad skin reactions without changing anything in their skin care routine, at least they thought. But after asking them questions and digging deeper, they all admitted to purchasing the “same” brand name product at a flee market in the US or online. The products looked quite similar, but were actually counterfeit!
Counterfeit beauty products have been showing up everywhere in the recent years. They are nicely packaged, offering a lower price and often, unfortunately, potential skin damage to the unsuspecting buyer… If you think for a moment that you are safe and you are buying authentic products just because you shop on Amazon or eBay for example, you may be wrong and that could be a dangerous false assumption.
Did you know that beauty products and pharmaceuticals are ranked the top 5 counterfeited items seized by U.S. Customs? This means, the beauty products, makeup and medicine that we buy from various sites thinking we save money, have a high chance of being counterfeit. That is really frightening to say the least!
All of the found and tested counterfeit products contained more or less harmful substances which you definitely wouldn’t expect in a beauty product. There were traces of lead, copper or arsenic in eye liners, cadmium, lead and mercury in foundations and gasoline in the lipsticks. Not to mention dangerous bacteria in creams and lotions or even horse and human urine in some of the products tested.
Sounds unbelievable, right? We wish it was, but unfortunately, it’s the sad reality of black market products.
Here are just a few consequences of using counterfeit beauty products:
- Acne
- Rash
- Eye infection
- Lead poisoning
- Allergic reactions
- Abdominal pain
- Headaches
- Chemical burns
- Etc.
Even if your body doesn’t react to these products immediately, extended use of these products can cause harmful ingredients to build up in your body and increase risk of miscarriage, premature birth or even cancer or Alzheimer’s.
And, don’t forget that by getting a fake version of a product, you most likely won’t get the benefits and results you’re looking for.
So what can you do to avoid counterfeit skin care products?
The reality is, it’s very difficult to know if the product is fake or the real deal. Counterfeiters are getting extremely good at making their fake products, packaging them and even creating a smell that is very similar to the authentic products.
The only way to know if you’re buying authentic beauty products is by purchasing them at authorized stores. You can look at the brand’s official website or call them directly for the list of authorized dealers.
Fake makeup & cosmetic products are a big issue worldwide and we can only hope that necessary steps will be taken against the producers and distributors of counterfeit products. Until then, we need to think about our own health and safety. Maybe we won´t get the lowest price, but some things money just can´t buy.
If you have any questions please contact Trueskin Clinic in Calgary.
We’re here to help you any way we can!
