Have you ever experienced that sinking feeling when you find that the package design has changed on your favorite hair care product?
Many times the company will say it is either new or improved or that it remains the same. It is sometimes difficult to decide whether to purchase the product or not.
You have been there; tried a product only to find the new formula doesn’t work for your hair! To make matters more distressing we scour the internet hoping to find the old formula on Ebay or Amazon.
Many assume that counterfeit products are found only in small beauty supply stores and on websites that allow anyone to sell products but this isn’t always the case.
There are times when we are truly lucky but there is the possibility that we will eventually end up with a counterfeit product! I have personally purchased hair care products that were obviously counterfeit.
“Consumers who buy professional hair care products at major retailers — or at grocery and drug stores — are not getting the bargains they may think.
They’re also fueling a grey-market industry that deals in counterfeit, stolen, or outdated merchandise. That’s the warning issued by hair care giants like Paul Mitchell, Redken, and Matrix, who are trying to crack down on this industry-wide problem known as diversion (As cited by L. McCormick, 2008).”
I actually prefer products that have a factory seal that the consumer must remove to use the product. I personally have never purchased a counterfeit product with a factory seal.
The seals also provide a sense of security in knowing that the product hasn’t been opened by anyone after leaving the factory.
While many have decided to use only homemade products there are many that prefer to purchase hair products from manufacturers.
“FOX News reported June 10, 2003 that counterfeit hair care products independently analyzed were found to have dangerously high levels of toxic bacteria and other impurities—enough to make a person sick and require medical attention (As cited by Nessel 2008).”
I have listed a few tips to assist in identifying counterfeit products below. Tips identifying counterfeit products:
1. Closely look at the product’s color
If there is any change in color; either lighter or darker, it’s possibly counterfeit.
Going for THE “Just water” Method Of Cleansing. I’ve had enough of bring a product junkie.
Be nice to actually be able to read the article “IN ENGLISH”
The Real Person!
Sorry about that Angelita Gallion-Johnson I wasn’t able to reproduce that issue but we were using an language auto-detect setting which obviously isn’t working so well. I’ve changed the setting so hopefully it will work for you now 🙂 If not you can also click on the US flag on the sidebar or if you are on a phone or ipad the flags will be after the comments section. That will put your setting back to English.
Thought there was sumn wrong with my phone…
The Real Person!
I’ve answered your issue in a comment above Mwaka Emm
Thank you for your article. I have dealt with my share of counterfeit products and it is a really frustrating ordeal. I tend to let price be my guide; the saying “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is” plays out very often in the hair product category. Fortunately, I have recently found a retailer that deals directly with the product manufacturers and guarantees authenticity, so I buy all of my products from there.
Thank you for your article. I have dealt with my share of counterfeit products and it is a really frustrating ordeal. I tend to let price be my guide; the saying “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is” plays out very often in the hair product category. Fortunately, I have recently found a retailer that deals directly with the product manufacturers and guarantees authenticity, so I buy all of my products from there.
Glad I’m natural and make my own products!