The Dangers Of Counterfeit Makeup and How To Spot Fake Products.

Hey everyone,

With Christmas fast approaching and the amount of people selling what they're calling "genuine" MAC, Urban Decay, Benefit products etc increasing daily, I said I'd write a blog post on the dangers of counterfeit makeup.

Now I know a lot of people don't realise that they're actually buying counterfeit makeup when they buy products online but if you see someone on Facebook selling what they're calling genuine products that are much cheaper than they should be they're more than likely counterfeit products and absolutely toxic for your skin.

Source: DailyMail.
These counterfeit beauty products are being made in underground filthy labs illegally and truth be told, we don't know what's being put into them. After some confiscated counterfeit make-up was tested, it was found that the products contained extremely dangerous levels of lead, mercury, cyanide, arsenic, copper, cadmium and even rat droppings and urine.

After tests were run on some fake MAC and Benefit products they were found to have 19 times the legal amount of lead.

Pregnant women are especially at risk to health problems when they use counterfeit products as the lead in these products can result in high blood pressure, fertility problems, memory and concentration problems and increased risk of harm to the foetus during pregnancy.

People are at risk to sight loss, skin irritation, severe allergic reactions and long term health risks including cancer due to the dangerous compounds found in some of the products. The products can also cause nerve disorders and in some circumstances.. death.

These counterfeit makeup products are made in filthy underground labs situated in China and Eastern Europe and are then shipped into the UK and Ireland before being sold on market stalls and even on Facebook pages.

How to tell if a product is counterfeit

• Price: Take note of the price of the product, if it seems too good to be true.. it more than likely is!
  
• Bulk products: Most counterfeit beauty products come in bulk ie. you might be offered a "MAC" brush set of 12 brushes for the same price as one brush from the MAC counter.
  
• Smell: counterfeit products tend to have a strong scent, be it an extreme perfume smell or a disgusting smell.
  
• Packaging: the packaging might look different to the original. Take particular notice of the font on the packaging.. if the font is bigger or spaced out differently it's going to be counterfeit. Also look out for any misspelling on the packaging.
  
• The product doesn't even exist: after seeing people advertising "Naked 5" palettes and "Naked 3 Brush sets" on Facebook, another way to tell if something is counterfeit is to see if the product actually exists with the real brand.
  
• Applicators: Most high end make-up brands do not come with sponge applicators.
  
• Talc: If the product (mainly powders) seems too talcy it's more than likely counterfeit.
  

The only way to ensure that your beauty products is to buy them from a genuine retailer that you can trust. Be sure to buy your MAC, Urban Decay, Benefit, NARS etc from genuine counters or in department stores to ensure that they're genuine.

Don't forget, if it seems too good to be true when you see someone selling "genuine" products for a fraction of the price it more than likely is too good to be true.