Fake products became a big problem world-wide with millions of counterfeited goods and products sold every year. It is not easy to see whether a perfume is fake or not as the modern techniques used can almost perfectly reproduce the original. Therefore, at first sight is rather difficult to realize but you’ll notice the difference when you’ll start using the perfume as you’ll discover that the smell doesn’t last. Still, there are a few tricks that might help you spot a fake perfume.
First of all, make sure you buy the perfume from a department store and in specialized stores. People selling perfumes on the street can not be considered as trustworthy sources.
You should look at the outer packaging. Check closely the cellophane wrap and the box. Pay attention to the cellophane’s clarity and thickness, and make sure the glue is applied adequately and evenly. Also, the cellophane should be unwrinkled and tightly wrapped around the box. The box should be thick, made from a high quality material, in an uniform color, with even edges.
Examine the label and verify if the things written on the box are correct and complete, see the origin country. Watch for printing errors, logos and spots. The barcodes from the box should be placed at the bottom of the perfume box and it should coincide with the one from the bottle.
The writing on the bottle should also be checked so there aren’t any misspellings. As every famous brand has its own bottle designs, these are rather difficult to copy. Therefore, it is important to verify the bottle’s shape, design, thickness, clarity and the quality of the paint. Check the cap of the perfume bottle and make sure it has no uneven edges, verify its size, color, shape, and that it is made from quality material and not plastic. You should also examine the sprayer and the tube going into the bottle.
Now its time to check the perfume. There are a number of methods that you can use to see if the perfume is counterfeit. Examine, first of all, its scent and see if it’s even. If it is rather pungent with unusual fragrances, and if you know the original smell, then it will be easy for you to compare. Most of the counterfeit perfumes have a pungent scent. Test its liquidity. Fake perfumes can feel oily on the skin. You can test it on a window. Also, watch for darker spots, transparency and color uniformity. Original perfumes should be clear.
Genuine fragrances have three layers: top notes, middle notes and base notes. fake perfumes won’t smell like real ones as they might not have one layer of notes. If the smell of the perfume fades quickly after you apply it, it means that is a fake. Therefore, even if it’s cheaper, you can sometimes be a money squandering. Moreover, in time, some perfumes might even get an unpleasant smell.
Also you can spot a counterfeit perfume if you have some skin reactions after using it such as itching, rashes, skin irritations. You should know that counterfeit perfumes can be dangerous and could harm your health due to the chemicals and other components used. In order to be profitable, they are sold to low prices, therefore the ingredients used are of low quality too, and can be dangerous causing allergic reactions.
You can find counterfeit perfumes online, at flea markets or street stands. All important name brands are being counterfeited without exception. Therefore, the only thing we can do is to learn to identify the fake ones.
If you have bought a counterfeit perfume, you can take it back to the store, or if you have purchased it online, you can send it back. You should explain what happened and they could give you a genuine perfume or give your money back. If they refuse any of these two variants, you’ll take the experience as an important lesson, and start learning how to spot a fake perfume.
