The most frequently asked question in online perfume stores - original or fake? Buyers are concerned not only with the possibility of overpaying for a low-quality product, but also with the consequences that such a purchase can have on he alth. How to tell if a perfume is original or fake and should it be done?
Original or fake
Today there are a huge number of perfumes, perfumes and toilet waters and other representatives of the fragrant family. But in addition to the original samples carefully tested by the manufacturer, you can also purchase copies, sometimes completely identical to the original. To understand the sea of fake, you should understand the terminology. Only perfumes that are produced in factories owned by the brand that released them are called original. In online stores, you can often find the word "tester" in the description of the bottle. This is the same perfume, but without a box for sale. Such testers are in stores so that buyers can evaluate the aroma and durability of perfumes. Perfume lovers know there's moreand a replica perfume - an inexpensive copy of a well-known brand. As a rule, such perfumes do not have a branded box, but they are similar to the original in aroma, sometimes even in persistence and sillage. The low price is due to the place of production. Most often these are countries where labor is cheaper and taxation is lower. In fact, this is a legalized fake, a copy for which the brand has issued permission. Some people, in order to save money, buy bulk perfumes, which are also produced under license. But it is not worth grabbing for such a product. It is practically impossible for a simple buyer to check a production license, so most of the “analogues” are simply fakes. Finally, outright fakes are carefully masked. They are outwardly similar to the original packaging and bottle, even the fragrance in the top notes may be the same. But with prolonged use, the difference becomes noticeable. Such perfumes can cause an allergic reaction because they are made using cheap materials. Therefore, it is desirable to know how to determine the authenticity of perfumes.
The Most Fake Perfume
The best-selling perfumes are most often counterfeited. Popular and expensive fragrances have so many fans that it is a sin for scammers not to take advantage of the love of buyers. Over the years, Lankom, Chanel, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent have become leaders in the fake market. Now, during the great popularity of niche and expensive perfumes, you can easily buy fakes of Amouage, Montale, Byredo, Tiziana Terenzi. Sometimes scammers outdo themselves and release a brand new fragrance that the brand doesn't know about.has a concept. This happened with the Byredo brand and the “completely new unique fragrance” Marijuana, which mysteriously appeared in Russia and which does not exist in the official catalog of the company. Many lovers and connoisseurs of perfume know how to determine the authenticity of perfume. For the rest, it will be useful to know such methods and some restrictions that manufacturers create in order to avoid fakes. For example, the question of how to determine the authenticity of Chanel perfume has several answers, but the most important of them is the place of purchase and price. To avoid obvious swindle, the Chanel brand does not officially issue any production licenses. And since Chanel No 5 is always in the top ten most counterfeited fragrances, the manufacturer has also limited the sale on the Internet. The company simply does not certify points of sale, that is, it does not bear any responsibility for a bottle that was purchased online.
Which perfumes are not counterfeited
No perfume manufacturer can boast that its products are counterfeit-proof. There are always people who want a luxurious fragrance for little money. While fakes are not afraid of manufacturers of small batches of perfumes, single perfumers who do not have their own factory, and all compositions are mixed by hand. The formulas of these perfumes cannot be found on the Internet and stolen, since its creator himself makes and, as a rule, sells his perfume himself. The buyer does not need an examination of perfumes for authenticity, because such perfumes are originals by definition. It is also extremely rare to fakeunpopular fragrances because profits may simply not cover costs.
Where to buy original perfumes
Of course, the best (and most expensive) option for buying original perfumes is to go to the country where the manufacturer is located and buy in a company store. But only a few can afford it. Travelers abroad can purchase perfumes in duty free shops. Most certified chain perfume stores sell original perfumes because they care about their reputation. Small perfume and online stores that value the opinion of customers are ready to provide certificates of authenticity. Connoisseurs advise the well-known online auction EBay, where you can sometimes find the rarest fragrances that have long been discontinued. However, how to determine the authenticity of spirits in this case remains an unanswered question, because, sometimes, the seller himself cannot confirm it. But perfume lovers are guided by the reviews and ratings given to the seller by previous buyers.
Methods for determining the authenticity of perfumes
If you have a great desire to buy original perfumes, but you can’t go to France in the near future, you can use the services of chain stores. The main thing to remember is that there are ways to determine the authenticity of perfumes. The appearance, packaging and information on it, the price and the aroma itself are taken into account. For those who understand, checking the barcode and batch code will tell a lot. Sometimes a fake is immediately visible. Just go to the brand's website and see howlooks and in what volumes the fragrance is produced. A fake always does not match the sample. The name is different, the lettering is different, the box is of the wrong color, the glass of the bottle contains bubbles and bumps, the tube inside is bent, and the atomizer lets drops through. Sometimes fakes are so high quality that they can not be distinguished by their appearance. Then either a low price works, or a fragrance that is very different from the original. If everything seems to be in order, but doubts still gnaw, perfumes can be checked by a barcode or a batch code, in which important information from the manufacturer is encrypted.
Appearance and packaging
Most consumers know that quality perfume always comes with quality packaging. Cellophane should fit snugly and be thermally sealed, not glue or tape. You should pay attention to the fact that not all brands require packaging of a cardboard box in cellophane. Bruno Banani, Clinique, Davidoff, Hugo Boss, Laura Biagiotti, Lacoste and some other brands leave the boxes without mica to emphasize the design. The packaging cardboard should be dense, not loose, of a uniform color. Some brands provide boxes with internal perfume holders. So if the bottle dangles inside the package, it is most likely a fake. The container itself should be made of high-quality glass, without bumps, bubbles and chips. The color of the perfume must correspond to that declared by the manufacturer. Too pale or too saturated color is a sign of a fake.
Information on the package
Before buying, you mustcarefully study everything that is written on the package. The inscriptions must be without errors, high-quality printing. If the letters are erased or smeared, this is a reason to make a claim to the seller. Sometimes scammers deliberately make mistakes in the name of a brand or perfume so that they can say that this is not a fake, but just a different perfume. There are a lot of photos on the Web, for example, how to check the authenticity of Dior perfumes. Whatever variants of names were invented by those who want to get easy money and cash in on the popularity of the brand. The packaging contains all the important information from the manufacturer, but there are some subtleties that you should be aware of. French perfumes cannot have the word perfume. In French, there is no e at the end of this word. Also, the city where the perfume is produced is never written, only the country. Some brands, such as Thierry Mugler, put additional information on a separate insert inside the package.
Barcode
A barcode is a series of black stripes of different widths with numbers below them. It is applied to the product to identify it in the store, and checking the barcode can help determine the country of origin, the manufacturer's code, the product code, and authenticity. There are two encoding methods - European (13 digits) and American UPC-12 (12 digits). In Russia, the lion's share of goods has the European EAN-13 encoding, where the first two or three digits indicate the country, the next - the manufacturer, and five digits, except for the last one, store information about the product. The last digit is the control, it is justhelps to determine the authenticity of the product. To do this, you need to make complex calculations and compare the result with the last check digit of the barcode.
(add all even numbers)3 + (add all odd numbers)=sum
10 – (last digit of sum)=check digit
In case of a mismatch, we can talk about a fake.
Batch code
Sometimes it is impossible to determine the authenticity of a perfume by a barcode. For example, when buying a bottle from hand or a rarity from the collection, the box may be missing. Then a combination of numbers and letters on the bottom of the bottle and the box will come to the rescue - this is the batch code. Determining the authenticity of spirits on it is quite simple. There are special resources on the Internet where the consumer can independently drive in a combination and find out the year of issue and the batch number of certain perfumes. The batch code itself can be found at the bottom of the package. Most manufacturers also put a code on the bottle, so you can always compare the codes and determine the authenticity of the perfume by the batch serial number. Typically, the batch code consists of letters and numbers, but some brands, such as Chanel, use only four digits, which indicate the year and batch number.
Issue price
An important factor in determining the authenticity can be the price of the bottle. Original high-quality perfumes cannot be cheap. Therefore, those who buy a bottle of Chanel for 860 rubles on the Internet should understand that this is not an original. Now it is possible to purchase perfumes directly from a product supplier in Russia, which is used bysmall shops and individual entrepreneurs. This allows you to reduce the price by almost half, but it still remains quite high. Depending on the method of production and mass character, perfumes are divided into several categories, which also determine the price. Mass market - by name it is clear that products are produced in huge quantities. The price of such perfumes is low, and fakes are simply unprofitable. Middle market - perfumes, which, as a rule, are produced by chains and sold through distributors. The quality of such perfumes is higher than that of the previous category, but the price also differs upwards. Luxury class - high quality perfumery from famous brands. The price is high, there are many fakes. The buyer should be careful. The price reaches exorbitant heights. Counterfeits are increasingly flooding the market because owning a niche perfume symbolizes the special status of the owner.
Fragrance
The main criterion for choosing the original is, of course, the fragrance itself. Authentic perfumes play on the skin, gradually opening up. The original does not always have a large train. Some brands specifically release fragrances that are only audible to the owner. Fakes, on the other hand, smell the same and quickly lose their attractiveness. In addition, fakes are made from low-quality materials and are not tested, so they can cause allergic reactions and other he alth problems.
