'Bargain' perfume with a hint of urine

GRACE MILLIMACI,
LIFE+STYLE EDITOR,
The West Australian
December 1, 2011, 9:20 am

You may want to think twice before snapping up that "bargain" beauty product from the internet.

Fakes pose serious health and safety risks and may also help organised crime to "breed", experts have warned.

Dodgy products include kids' toys containing lead, honey tainted with antibiotics, toothpaste contaminated with bacteria, shampoo with mercury, baby formula containing chalk, and sunscreen with no UV protection, experts say.

And then there is perfume.

Australian consumer watchdog Choice says tests on fake fragrances have found traces of human urine and pond water.

"Counterfeit perfumes haven't been rigorously tested and can contain a whole host of unknown chemicals, meaning they're unlikely to comply with the regulations set by the Australian cosmetics regulator (NICNAS)," Choice says.

"This creates the potential for all sorts of nasty surprises, such as causing a rash on people with sensitive skin, burning the skin, staining clothes, and respiratory problems."

Anti-counterfeit experts say fake perfume often contains chemicals including anti-freeze and cleaning solutions.

"If you see something with a trademark, chances are it's already been counterfeited," says Richard Halverson, from the United States' National

Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, a division of the Department of Homeland Security.

Authorities in the US have stepped up their fight against counterfeit products, which include fashion accessories, perfume, toys, food, medication and beauty products.

"Criminals are looking to make money, so their focus is on making the product look as much like the real product as possible," Mr Halvorsen says.

"They'll spend more money on the packaging than the good itself."

Toothpaste, mascara, sunscreen, batteries, baby formula and laundry detergent are just a handful of the items criminals tamper with in an attempt to make money from unsuspecting consumers keen to land a bargain.

Alina Halloran, the online brand protection vice-president of OpSec Security, an anti-counterfeiting consulting firm in the US, told Kelli B. Grant from The Wall Street Journal that fakes are easy to recognise when prices are ridiculously low - such as with handbags - but some consumers think lower prices are just a price promotion for less-expensive items like medication.

"Packaging on those items are also cheaper to produce than high-end goods, and the growing online market makes it easy to move large quantities anywhere in the world," Grant reported.

"All of that makes it easier for criminals to charge a price closer to full retail than they might with counterfeits of designer goods.

"Aside from the red flag of a deep discount, be cautious about product labelling or packages that seem different than usual, such as a misplaced barcode, peeling label or gluey residue."

The National Crime Prevention Council in the US says consumers need to be savvy when buying products.

"The dangers posed by the sale of fake consumer goods are well documented," the council warns.

"In the long run, the low price for a cheaply made good may end up costing more in the long run when it needs to be replaced.

"Not only do consumers risk being ripped off when they aren't sure of the quality or source of the goods they are purchasing, but they may unknowingly be encouraging the spread of gangs and organised crime."

The NCPC says it is concerning that the sale of fake consumer goods breeds crime.

"Because knockoffs are produced so cheaply, the profit margin is high, attracting criminals and organised crime groups who provide consumer goods at the wholesale level to vendors, discount stores, and even higher-end merchants who then sell them to the public," it says.

"These criminals, gangs in particular, then use the profits to fund other criminal activities, which in turn damage lives and destroy neighbourhoods."

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