The most frequently asked question in online perfume stores - the original or fake? Buyers are worried not only about the opportunity to overpay for low-quality goods, but also the consequences that such a purchase can have on their health. How to distinguish - the original perfume or fake and whether it should be done?
The original or a fake
Today there are a huge number of perfumes, perfumes and eau de toilette and other representatives of the fragrant family. But in addition to the original samples carefully tested by the manufacturer, you can also purchase copies that sometimes completely coincide with the original. To understand the sea of ​​fake, you need to understand the terminology. Only perfumes that are produced in factories belonging to 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 customers can appreciate the aroma and durability of perfumes. Fans of perfumes know that there is also a replica of perfumes - an inexpensive copy of a famous brand. As a rule, such perfumes do not have a branded box, but they are similar to the original with aroma, sometimes even stamina and a train. Low price due to the place of production. Most often, these are countries where labor is cheaper and less taxed. In fact, this is a legalized fake, a copy for which the brand has issued permission. For the sake of economy, some people buy bulk perfumes, which are also licensed. But grabbing for such a product is not worth it. It is practically impossible for a simple buyer to check a production license, so most of the “analogues” are just fakes. Finally, outright fakes carefully mask. They look like the original packaging and bottle, even the aroma in the top notes may match. 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 advisable to know how to determine the authenticity of spirits.
The most fake perfume
Most often fake the best-selling perfume. Popular and expensive fragrances have so many fans that it’s a sin for fraudsters not to use the love of customers. Over the years, Lank, Chanel, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent have become fake market leaders. Now, during the great popularity of niche and expensive perfumes, you can easily buy fakes Amouage, Montale, Byredo, Tiziana Terenzi. Sometimes fraudsters surpass themselves and release a new brand flavor that the brand itself has no idea about. 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 perfumes know how to determine the authenticity of perfumes. 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 perfumes has several answers, but the most important of them is the place of purchase and price. To avoid obvious cheating, the Chanel brand does not officially issue any production licenses. And since Chanel No. 5 is always among the ten most counterfeit fragrances, the manufacturer also limited its sale on the Internet. The company simply does not certify the point of sale, that is, it does not bear any responsibility for the bottle that was purchased on the Web.
What perfumes don't fake
Not a single perfume manufacturer can boast that its products are protected from fakes. There are always people who want a luxurious fragrance for little money. While manufacturers of small batches of perfumes are not afraid of fakes, single perfumers who do not have their own factory, and all compositions are mixed manually. The formulas of these perfumes cannot be found on the Internet and stole, as its creator makes himself and, as a rule, sells his own perfumes. The buyer does not need an examination of perfumes for authenticity, because such perfumes are originals by definition. It is also extremely rare to fake unpopular aromas, because profits may simply not cover the 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 units can afford it. Traveling abroad I can buy perfumes in duty free shops. Most certified online perfume stores sell original perfumes, as they care about their reputation. Small perfume and online stores that value the opinions of customers are ready to provide certificates of authenticity. Connoisseurs advise the well-known online auction EBay, where you can sometimes find the rarest aromas that have long been discontinued. However, how to determine the authenticity of spirits in this case remains an unanswered question, because, at times, the seller himself cannot confirm it. But perfume lovers are guided by the reviews and ratings given to the seller by previous buyers.
Ways to determine the authenticity of spirits
If you have a great desire to buy original perfumes, and you can’t leave for 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 spirits. The appearance, packaging and information on it, the price and the aroma itself are taken into account. For those who understand, a lot will say the verification of the barcode and batch code. Sometimes a fake can be seen right away. It’s enough to go to the brand’s website and see how it looks and in what volumes the aroma is produced. The fake always does not match the pattern. The name is different, the letters are drawn, the box is not the same color, the glass of the bottle contains bubbles and irregularities, the tube bends inside, and the sprayer lets drops through. Sometimes fakes are so high quality that they cannot be distinguished in appearance. Then either a low price works, or a fragrance that is very different from the original. If it seems that everything is in order, but doubts still gnaw, the perfume can be checked by a barcode or batchcode, in which important information from the manufacturer is encrypted.
Appearance and packaging
Most consumers know that quality perfumes always have 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 the packaging of a cardboard box in cellophane. Bruno Banani, Clinique, Davidoff, Hugo Boss, Laura Biagiotti, Lacoste and some other brands leave mica boxes to emphasize the design. Cardboard packaging should be dense, not loose, uniform color. Some brands provide boxes with internal perfume holders. So if the bottle hangs inside the package - most likely it is a fake. The container itself should be made of high-quality glass, without bumps, bubbles and chips. The color of the perfume should be as declared by the manufacturer. Too pale or too saturated color is a sign of fake.
Packing Information
Before buying, you must carefully study everything that is written on the package. The inscriptions should be error-free, high-quality printing. If the letters are erased or smeared - this is an occasion to make a complaint to the seller. Sometimes scammers deliberately make mistakes in the name of the brand or perfume, so that there is an opportunity to say that this is not a fake, but just another perfume. There are a lot of photos on the Web, for example, how to verify the authenticity of Dior spirits. What variants of names were not invented by those who wanted to get easy money and capitalize on the brand’s popularity. The package contains all the important information from the manufacturer, but there are some subtleties that you should be aware of. French perfume cannot have the word perfume. In French, there is no letter e at the end of the word. Also, the city where perfumes are produced is never written, only the country. Some brands, such as Thierry Mugler, place additional information on a separate liner inside the package.
Barcode
A barcode is a few black bars 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 manufacture, manufacturer code, 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 carries the European coding EAN-13, where the first two or three digits indicate the country, the next the manufacturer, and five digits, except the last, store information about the product. The last figure is the control, it just helps to determine the authenticity of the goods. To do this, you need to perform complex calculations and compare the result with the last check digit of the barcode.
(add all the even numbers) * 3 + (add all the odd numbers) = sum
10 - (last digit of the sum) = check digit
In case of mismatch, we can talk about a fake.
Batch code
Sometimes it is impossible to determine the authenticity of spirits by a barcode. For example, when buying a bottle with hands or rarities from the collection, the box may be missing. Then a combination of numbers and letters at the bottom of the bottle and box will come to the rescue - this is a batch code. Determining the authenticity of spirits from it is quite simple. There are special resources on the Internet where a consumer can drive a combination on his own and find out the year of manufacture and the batch number of certain perfumes. The batch code itself can be found at the bottom of the package. Most manufacturers put the code on the bottle, so you can always compare the codes and determine the authenticity of perfume by the serial number of the party. Typically, a batch code consists of letters and numbers, but some brands, such as Chanel, use only four numbers that indicate the year and batch number.
Issue price
An important factor in determining the authenticity may be the price of the bottle. Original quality perfumes may not be cheap. Therefore, buying a bottle of "Chanel" for 860 rubles on the Internet should understand that this is not the original. Now there is the opportunity to purchase perfume directly from a supplier of products in Russia, which is used by small shops and individual entrepreneurs. This allows you to reduce the price by almost half, but it still remains quite high. Perfumes are divided into several categories, which also determine the price, depending on the method of production and mass production. Mass market - the name implies that the products are produced in huge quantities. The price of such perfumes is low, and fakes are simply unprofitable. Middle Market - perfumes, which are usually issued by networkers and sold through distributors. The quality of such perfumes is higher than that of the previous category, but the price is also different. Luxury class - high-quality perfumes from famous brands. The price is high, there are many fakes. Buyer should be careful. The price reaches sky-high heights. Fakes flood the market more and more, because the possession of niche perfumes symbolizes the special status of the owner.
Scent
The main criterion for choosing the original is, of course, the fragrance itself. Genuine perfumes play on the skin, gradually opening up. The original does not always have a large loop. Some brands specifically produce fragrances that are only audible to the owner. Fakes 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 health problems.