Perfume counterfeiting is a lucrative scam. Counterfeits are often made underground. At the same time, sanitary standards are not observed, there are no certificates. To maintain your health, not to waste money, it is important to know how to distinguish a fake.
How to determine the originality of perfume
There are several ways to spot a fake. To do this, it is enough to carefully examine the packaging and the bottle itself, paying attention to a few points.
Cellophane packaging
It is best to start the inspection to check the perfume with cellophane packaging. It is she who most often gives out a fake. Real fragrance makers don't use glue. The film is glued by heating, as this allows you to get a smooth and neat seam. On the box of real perfumes there is a stamp of a rectangular or round shape. It is absent on fake ones, which helps to distinguish them.
Box
Original perfumes are distinguished by beautiful, expensive packaging. It is pleasant in the hands, as expensive, thick cardboard is used in the manufacture.
Inside it is always white. The original lacks the yellowish or greyish tint that is characteristic of poor quality cardboard. There should be no stickers on the box. All trademarks and inscriptions are applied to the cardboard at the factory.
Marks on the box
Another way to easily distinguish a fake from the original is to carefully examine the applied signs. Every package has a sign of environmental friendliness. The fake has a black arrow at the bottom, under the white one. All information on the box can be easily verified on the manufacturer's website. The mismatch of even a minor detail indicates that it is a fake.
All inscriptions on the box must not only match the information indicated on the manufacturer's website, but also be easy to read, regardless of the font size. The packaging should be examined as carefully as possible. Authenticity can be determined by the name. One or more letters are often changed in it so that the packaging is visually similar to the original.
The inside of the box
An original perfume can be easily distinguished from a counterfeit by the presence of a frame. It is made from both plastic and cardboard. It does not get dirty, pleasant to the touch. It is necessary that the bottle does not rattle and fits snugly in the box.
Fraudsters who fake perfumes most often save on this.
Therefore, the absence of a frame clearly indicates a fake.
Barcode
Checking perfume by the specified barcode is not so simple. The leading digits must indicate the country where it is made. But even in the original, the data does not always match. The reason for this is that the plant is located in one country, and the central office in another. The code indicates where the office is located. You should be wary if the packaging indicates that the perfume is made, for example, in France, and according to the barcode Russia, China or the United Arab Emirates.
batch code
It is easy to identify a fake by the batch code. It means the serial number of the product, consists of numbers and letters.
The authenticity code contains the date of manufacture, the serial number of the product.
| Fake | Original |
| Only printed, often blurry | Embossed or printed |
| The code on the bottle is missing or does not match what is indicated on the box. | Matches the code on the bottle |
Bottle
Another sure way to check perfume is to compare the capacity in the store with the image on the official website. It is difficult to fake an unusual shape, so more often fakes come across in ordinary bottles.
Quality perfume or toilet water is poured into a high quality glass container. It has no bubbles, clean and transparent. Color is used, not dyed. The color is always the same. The only exceptions are those cases where a different color is provided by the design.
Branded products have always been distinguished by high quality packaging and bottles. The bottom and walls are several times thinner and smoother than those of fake ones.
When choosing a fragrance, attention should be paid to the inscriptions on the bottom. The counterfeit is distinguished by uneven, blurred numbers and letters, which are often erased.
Volume
Women often opt for perfumes that have more volume. It is not right. They have always been produced in small bottles from 10 to 50 ml.
In perfumery, you can find perfumes up to 200 ml. These are testers or a fake. Therefore, you should not buy a feminine fragrance in a large bottle.
Spray
You can also distinguish real perfumes by a spray bottle. First of all, it must match its design, work without failures. At the craft, it scrolls or does not hold firmly enough.
The tube of the original is thin, reaching to the bottom. Sometimes lay down on it. In some cases, it can only be considered in an empty vial. The first 2-4 clicks are idle.
The replica has a rough, thick tube. Usually they are longer than expected and it is easy to see even in full capacity.
Cap
Counterfeiters often forget about the lid or skimp on it. In the original, it is tightly fixed on the bottle, quite heavy. It is made only from high quality plastic. Its surface is smooth, without irregularities.
Fakes have burrs, poorly painted areas, and asymmetry. The plastic is poor quality, light and brittle. The lid does not close tightly. Buying perfume with such a cap is not worth it.
perfume color
You can check the aroma for originality using the color of the liquid.
| Fake | Original |
| Blue, red color | Golden to yellowish. May be light lilac, pinkish or greenish. |
| There is sediment at the bottom | No sediment |
| Even when the bottle is closed, it is easy to determine the liquid level | The container is filled to the brim |
Another easy way to authenticate: shake the vial. In branded perfumes, the bubbles disappear slowly, more than 10-15 seconds. Eau de toilette and fakes disappear quickly.
Smell
How a fragrance is perceived depends on weather conditions, storage conditions, humidity, the general health of the woman, even minor changes in the formula. A slight variation in odor between the refill and the purchased bottle is acceptable.
Perfumery can provide testers from one batch and packaging from another. So the composition will be different.
In addition, perfumes, eau de toilette, perfumes of the same brand and composition also differ. The thing is that they have different concentrations of substances. This affects the durability of the smell, its intensity.
The copy is distinguished by a completely different smell or prolonged weathering of the alcohol base.
It is pointless to draw conclusions about how long an eau de parfum or perfume should last. It depends on many features. But when it is not felt even at the place of application after an hour or two, it indicates that the fragrance is fake. The real one will last at least a day.
Manufacturer country
It happens that the original and the fake are quite similar at first glance. It is difficult to distinguish them by where and by whom they were produced. This is due to the fact that eau de parfum or perfume are made in factories when the head office is located in another country. Therefore, branded goods are not always produced in France or Italy. It can be Russia, Asia.
In some cases, the company enters into an agreement on the release of several flavors with other industries.
Often several different companies are owned by the same corporation. Thus, the brands Tory Birch, Kilian, Donna Karan, DKNY belong to Estée Lauder Companies Inc. All production is carried out under strict control. Thus, if the seller of a perfume store claims that the original is produced in Asia, this does not mean that the fragrance is fake.
Certificates
The authenticity of spirits until February 14, 2010 could be verified by a certificate. But in accordance with the Decree of the Government, the certification of goods is now voluntary. Many Internet resources do not have such documents, and it is difficult to verify the originality of the fragrance.
Many stores provide a declaration of conformity of the goods to all quality requirements. But this does not guarantee that the fragrance is not a fake.
Since it is impossible to establish authenticity using certificates, you need to use other methods. It is much easier to fake packaging, so attention should be paid to the batch code, barcode and bottle. They will definitely give out the original. It is difficult to check the quality of the purchased goods in online stores. At the disposal of the buyer only the description and photo.
It is better to buy real perfumes in stores where you can see the box and bottle in detail, having previously looked at the official website, how they look, their features.
Price
Buy original perfume here
You can distinguish perfumes from fakes by their cost. Brands and official representatives always arrange promotions, discounts, great deals. In addition, refills are sold at a low price. These are small bottles, which are enough for 2-5 uses.
But a quality perfume will not be very cheap. The Replica is often heavily discounted from 30% to 60%.
There are many ways to distinguish a fake perfume from the original. With the help of simple tips, you can protect yourself from acquiring a fake.
Why non-original perfumes are dangerous
Copies of perfume can be hazardous to health. They use low quality dyes and flavors to keep costs down. The composition often includes a substance such as phthylate. This toxin, used as a fixative, tends to accumulate in the body. Thus, a bottle of perfume can cause allergies, headaches, redness and irritation.
Studies have shown that the substance can cause cancer.
Fake perfumes contain alcohol that is not intended for domestic use. This is also done to reduce the cost of production. Its fumes lead to severe poisoning, chemical burns of the nasal mucosa, mouth and eyes.
Where to buy original perfume
Buy original perfume here
To purchase an original fragrance, and not a fake, you need to be able to distinguish a branded product from a counterfeit. A little difficulty in choosing can arise when a store offers perfume castings. Many people think it's a fake. But that's not the case at all. What are castings, why are they and who produces them? It got its name due to the fact that it is cast from a large container into small ones. Their appearance is dictated by consumer need. Not every woman is ready to pay more than 10 thousand rubles for a fragrance that may not be suitable. This is a quality perfume that has nothing to do with a fake.
But it is important to be able to distinguish between a caster and a tester or replica. As a rule, they are the most expensive in their segment. They do not have original packaging. You should not buy castings in small shops where they sell perfumes on tap. This is a cheap fake.
You can buy a brand only in those stores that have already earned the trust of customers. Among them are Rive Gauche, Letual, Podruzhka, Ile de Beaute. When buying in an online store, be sure to check the authenticity of the goods upon receipt.
There are several ways to check the authenticity of perfumes. By following all the recommendations, you can avoid buying a fake, save your health and finances.
Where to go if you sold a fake?
Discover!