When purchasing products online, you need to beware of Counterfeit goods. Common counterfeit goods are Hair Appliances and Fragrances, but more and more the Government is finding Shampoos, Conditioners and Skin Care products being counterfeited. Buying a counterfeit skin care product can damage your skin and can be potentially dangerous to your health. It’s important to know who you are purchasing from and where they are buying the goods from. Beauty Stores need to have a salon/retail presence in order to purchase most professional products from manufacturer’s and authorized distributors.
According to Beauty Store Business Magazine, counterfeiting and piracy trade is estimated to reach $1.7 Trillion by 2015. There is becoming more and more counterfeit beauty goods available for sale throughout online auction sites and other online entities. Currently, 4% of all counterfeit goods are beauty products as they are inexpensive to copy.
In October of 2011, Farouk Systems (the manufacturer of CHI and BioSilk) annouced it has won a lawsuit against Costco Wholesale Corp for it’s sale of counterfeit CHI merchandise. Farouk also won a lawsuit against multiple Chinese entities who were selling counterfeit goods on the internet.
Counterfeit goods are often made of inferior components. In one case, the Government found a company uses “urine” inside counterfeit fragrances. It’s one thing to be defrauded, but it’s another to purchase something that can be hazardous to your health.
5 Steps to Protect Yourself:
1. Purchase from a trusted online source. Read 3rd party reviews from sites like PriceGrabber.
2. Make sure the company has retail and salon locations. Most professional beauty manufacturers will only sell to salons and retail stores. They normally will not sell to “internet only” companies.
3. Do a “WhoIs” search from the company you are buying from. Make sure they have a presence in the United States.
4. Try contacting the company. All online companies should have a phone number and address listed on their website.
5. Trust your instincts. If the website looks outdated and the prices seem too good to be true, normally they are.
Image Beauty is a family-owned company that has been in business since 1977. We have 3 store/salon locations in Southern New Jersey. Our main headquarters and fulfillment center is located in Berlin, New Jersey. We have won numerous local awards for being the “best of beauty”. We only purchase our products from our manufacturer’s or their authorized distributors. We are extremely proud to be able to offer our customers 100% authentic merchandise. Should you have any questions regarding merchandise on our website, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
