Fashion Brief
Rat droppings, human urine and arsenic – just some of the substances found in fake beauty products which police say are putting consumers’ lives at risk.
Make-up, perfume, electrical hair stylers and sun cream are among the counterfeit goods being highlighted by the City of London Police in a campaign bearing the slogan “wake up – don’t fake up!”.
It is estimated that at least £90m is spent every year in the UK on fake goods, and with the rise of online shopping their production and sale on the web is increasing. Counterfeit beauty products in particular are becoming increasingly common and easily available on auction sites, online market places, rogue websites and social media.
Checking the authenticity of a product is more difficult when shopping online since consumers cannot gauge the look and feel of a product before making the purchase. Police said stock images of well-known products also tend to be used online, which deceive consumers into believing they are buying the real deal.
Fake electrical products such as hair curlers, dryers and straighteners are not subject to the same rigorous safety tests as genuine items and so the bogus product is often dangerous.
This can result in electrocution or the item overheating and catching fire, and these faulty items risks inflicting burns on their users as well as putting homes and lives in danger.
Police said laboratory tests have shown counterfeit perfume often contains poisonous chemicals including cyanide and even human urine. Fake cosmetics such as eyeliner, mascara, lip gloss and foundation have been found to contain toxic levels of chemicals and other harmful substances such as arsenic, mercury and lead.
All of these can cause allergic reactions, such as skin irritation, swelling, rashes and burns, as well as provoking long-term health problems.
Counterfeit make-up is often produced in unsanitised factories and there have been cases where rats’ droppings and poison have also been found in the fake cosmetics.
Fraudsters have also been known to produce counterfeit sun cream and advertise it as well-known household brands. This often offers no protection against harmful UV rays which could lead to long-term skin damage, as well as containing substances which cause irritation to the skin.
Det Supt Maria Woodall, who oversees the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police, said: “Many people don’t know about the real dangers counterfeit beauty products pose to their health.
“Criminals are exploiting every opportunity to fool customers into buying counterfeits in order for them to make some quick cash – putting peoples’ health, homes and lives at risk.
“Beauty products are meant to enhance your features. However, the fakes can in fact do quite the opposite. Our general rule is: if it seems too good to be true then it probably is.
“Not only could these products have serious implications to your health and wellbeing but by simply going online and buying from a rogue site or dealer, your personal and financial information is at risk.
“We have had victims who have bought fake items online only to discover later that the criminals behind the site have used their payment details to make further purchases or even use their personal details to set up hundreds of illegal sites selling counterfeit goods.”
In the last 18 months, the PIPCU has helped to protect consumers from being ripped off online by suspending more than 5,500 websites selling fake luxury branded goods as well as seizing more than £3.5m worth of counterfeit items.
The percentage of fake goods seized by customs because of health and safety concerns has doubled in recent years, and this include perfumes, make-up and electrical beauty items.
In 2014 PIPCU dismantled a criminal operation suspected of importing and selling counterfeit goods. The team seized a shipping container which contained what is believed to be more than 4,700 counterfeit versions of one of the UK’s most popular beauty brands, including foundation, bronzer, lip gloss, eye shadow and eyebrow pencils.
