THE RISE OF COSMETIC BRAND PIRACY: SAY NO TO HOAX COSMETICS WITH COMPLAINTS ON SUCH FAKE BRANDS

Today, almost all industry sectors are hit by counterfeiting and piracy globally and India is in no isolation, rather we find these problems taking a rapid rise here. Brand owners put a lot of effort both financially and physically in order to bring up their products in mainstream markets and the worst part is then when they don’t get what they deserve in terms of profits or in terms of brand following. One of the major reasons for this is the fake brands in the market which leaves these brands unprotected and for their protection it must be corroborated with proper evidence which can be acquired once these matters are investigated which is again considered to be a tedious process. Counterfeiting or piracy rob the innovators or producers of their intellectual property rights and is significantly harmful not only to the innovators but also to the consumers. Across seven industry sectors reviewed in the FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) report, 2012, the unauthorized goods sales caused average sales losses to rights holders of 21.7%.

One such sector which is highly affected through fake brands is cosmetics. Cosmetics are such products which can’t be avoided in our daily routine and it also has a direct contact with our skin so it deeply affects our personality if something goes wrong by using them. Present world is so much concerned with one’s looks and personality be it a female or a male, thus different brands are coming up with the men range so on and so forth and thus slowly cosmetics have not only become a woman’s best friend but also a man’s partner in this tough environment but we keep on hearing complaints on fake brands by the consumers of these cosmetics. When we go to the markets we hear loads of things like “madam please take this, it’s real or “we purchase in bulk due to which our price is lower than the market price” these lines are just the tactics to make you purchase the fake brands which contains many harmful ingredients or compounds including synthetically produced elements, ingredients and compounds which can leave a very bad impact on the skin. India, in the last quarter of 2004 was tallied the highest number of counterfeit perfumes and cosmetics worldwide, according to Gieschen Consultancy’s counterfeit-intelligence analysts and I am not sure for the present but the complaints haven’t reduced which gives an impression that it’s still on rise.

To have a complaint it’s essential to spot a fake cosmetic brand and which can be done by

• Knowing your brands in a very good manner which means that know the label of your brands properly. Sometimes it’s just little changes here and there and then the fake brand is ready for sale!!! So always check the label thoroughly. 
• Buying the products from authorized dealer or retailers and always look for a barcode on the products but beware fake brands come up with fake barcodes, so in order to combat that there are many free barcode scanner apps in the smart phones that can be used and if u don’t have that option then it will be safe to buy it from authorized dealers or retailers. 
• Also the packaging play a very important role as the real brands have a higher quality packaging and if you feel any kind of low quality packaging you can either not buy it or you can file complaints for the same. 

Complaints are encouraged because, we as consumers have certain rights which we should administer and also using duplicates always encourages such fake brands manufacturers to go ahead and if there will be no buyer for their fake products it will automatically result in decrease of such fake brands which is a logical way to handle it.

Also these complaints will help to take certain steps forward and find a legal solution for it.   

Where we can always be a bit careful while purchasing our branded cosmetics, sometimes it may happen that we might be trapped in these fake brands, there the question arises that “ who will help us?”. Proofs in these cases are necessary in order to put an end on such complaints and we can get it through investigation but not everyone is capable enough for these investigations, that too in India but Brands and Fakes is such a brand protection platform service which can easily help you in these situations. Also investigation helps to trace down that whether these cosmetics are domestically produced or being smuggled. Even one can register their complaints on Brands and Fakes website from where it can be taken further.

It’s not at all necessary that only consumers can be affected due to these fake brands, even other sections like the brand owners who are at higher risk than the consumers as they have their reputation attached to their brand names which will ruin up if consumers frequently have complaints then they can seek help from a brand protection investigator service in India and Brands and Fakes is one of the most popular such service provider.

 Through sharing equal responsibilities by both consumers and brand owners or dealers against these fake products or cosmetics, both can avail benefits and when there is easy availability of brand protection services in India through one of the most efficient service provider “Brands and Fakes” then there’s no point wasting time and money on fake products.