England is dealing with an epidemic of counterfeit beauty products sold mostly on websites. According to the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), consumers in the U.K. spend an estimated 90 million pounds (around $140 million) on fake products. So PIPCU has launched a campaign today with the tagline "Wake up—don't fake up!" in an effort to warn consumers about the serious (and pretty gross) health risks associated with purchasing these products.
According to PIPCU, lab tests have revealed that counterfeit perfumes sometimes contain cyanide and human urine. In addition, eyeliners, mascaras, lip glosses, and foundation have been found to contain arsenic, mercury, and lead. The fake hair tools people buy aren't safe, either. Hair curlers, straighteners, and dryers don't undergo the same extensive safety tests that tools made by recognizable brands do; if the products are faulty, their use could result in electrocution. The report also states that the factories where these fake products are made are extremely dirty and unhygienic, with rat droppings frequently found on the floor.
Here's a look at one of the fake-perfume factories:
Authorities say that consumers are often duped when products are packaged in boxes that use "generic stock images" to make them look legitimate. Here's a look at some of the counterfeit cosmetics retrieved by PIPCU (they look eerily similar to M.A.C. packaging):
Even though this is blowing up in England right now, that doesn't mean consumers in America shouldn't be concerned. Alice Skeats, the communications officer at PIPCU, told me that while this specific information only pertains to the U.K., "the Internet is global, so this is an issue affecting everyone."
In January 2014, the FBI released a warning in association with the National Intellectual Property Rights Center (IPR), an organization the FBI partners with, that "the volume of all sorts of counterfeit cosmetics and fragrances coming into the U.S. is definitely on the rise." They also warned that "there is no typical profile of the individuals or groups trafficking these…products" and that they have seen people "selling counterfeit products through online auctions sites."
PIPCU has listed ten tips on its website to help consumers spot fake products. Some tips include checking the spelling and grammar on the website (if it's wrong, it's probably not legit), checking to see if the seller provides a real postal address, and trusting your instincts (i.e., if an offer looks to good to be true, then it probably is).
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