Not sponsored. All the thoughts and opinions in my posts are my own at the moment. The posts and reviews aren’t sponsored yet and the links I share aren’t affiliate links yet. For the case IF I’ll mark the sponsored/affiliate content.
Part 1
Have you ever bought cosmetic fakes? How many? In fact, they say, there’re a lot of copied cosmetics on the market, specially Korean- Cosmetics bring good cash, so some tricksters try to fool the customers. Once I bought one piece I still think it is fake but I’m not sure. I decided to write a small guide how to identify real cosmetics from their copies. In the second part of this post I’m gonna review that one piece i think is a fake.
There are two stages by purchaseing something: before the purchase and after it.
Before purchase
Steps you should do before buying beauty pieces:
1. Analise the website you wanna by on. Have you heard something negative about it? Is it safe enough? Search for peoples reactions in the web. A safe website should have a quality label. We in Germany have that label Trusted Shops for online shops. I personally try to shop only on those websites. Look for such quality label for your country.
2. If you’ve found the piece you like to buy, search for it on other shops, compare the design and the price. If you feel that something is wrong, then search for reviews of that product, preferable with pictures. Look, what the folks have for opinion for it and then decide is it safe enough for you to buy that thing.
After purchase
As naive as you were, if you’ve already bought a doubtful product, don’t throw it away, first of all check everything can be checked.
1. Look at the whole design, is it that you saw on the shops websites, search for reviews of that product and compare.
2. Look and condition of the box: wrapped in foil or not, does it look like just from the factory or rough? Look at the writings, are they similar to the product you’ve already seen/used?
3. Look for date of expire and the sign of expire after opening.
4. Look for barcode.
5. Look for batch code. this is an identification code the manufacturer prints on the package for better traceability, if there’re fears it may be lost during transportation. Really, I didn’t see such codes on every cosmetic package, specially by Korean I haven’t seen many.
I guess this is batch code. 227712.
6. QR-code (I’ve seen only bx new products, manufactured after 2020)
7. Hologram is for sure a sign for authenticity.
8. Customer service details for product-info:
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the country it is from,
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address of the brand’s headquater
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factory, manufacturing place,
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distributor,
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website address,
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e-mail,
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phone.
Some brands bring all them on the package (according to my experience, European brands do this), some only distributor, e-mail or phone.
9. Product description in English. Many brands, specially European, bring descriptionss in many languages. But there should be at least some descriptions in English, as it’s the world’s most communicative language. Korean brands use only Korean and English. . By Japanese brands it depends on, was it produced only for domestic market or not. Japanese brands I bought were only in Japanese. I guess the were produced only for Japan’s market, but because of the big demand from abroad, they sell it internationally.
10. Look for other signs, compare. for example: you know that the brand is cruelty free, vegan, clean beauty and always put the signs on the package, if you don’t find them or even one of them anymore check on their website for more info.
11. Take a look at the
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texture/consistebcy
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colour
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scent
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effect (if you’re brave enough to try it out)
If you’ve already used it before, is it still the same or has something changed?
Part 2
I’m a big fan of TonyMoly’s ChokChok skincare line based on green tea. Having combo skin it isn’t so easy to find cosmetics which will fight impurities and don’t overdry your skin at the same time. But ChokChok products are exactly that what I have looked for a long time. Basically, I’ve been using the essence and the cream and find them literally great.
My old jar of the cream was over and I thought it’s time to buy another one and could find only one online shop which sold that cream. So, I ordered it being very happy to find one. As I opened the jar, I felt something strange: it was the consistency and the scent. The were not exactly the same. So, I started to study the packaging and found some discrepancies.
At first sight the may look the same.
First difference – different design, the sign of the leaf is missing. The old jars and bottles of TonyMoly’s ChokChok had a leaf sign. On the new jar there’s no leaf on it.
Second difference – Look, even the colour of the BOX isn’t the same and its condition isn’t as good.
Third difference – The description isn’t the same either,
Fourth difference – expiry date and other signs are missing on the box and on the jar..
It’s on the jar’s bottom.
Fifth difference – the ingredients are not the same. Completely new ingredients list.
Sixth difference – the address isn’t the same. OK, I think it’s normal, the brand has different locations.
I looked for both addresses on TONYMOLY’s official website and found this:
Seventh difference – The texture of the cream was more jelly than the previous one had. Also the scent wasn’t that of the intensive green tea scent of ChokChok range I’m used to.
So, guys and TonyMoly team if you’ll ever see this post and know something about, then give me a feedback, please.
Starbirdbeautysparkles 