Avoiding fake beauty products for businesses
Developed with the beauty and salon industry, this guide helps businesses avoid using and selling counterfeit products, and report illicit sellers.
Protect your business and customers
Counterfeit cosmetics can be difficult to spot. They can look convincing but may not meet UK safety requirements. Testing has found harmful substances in fake beauty products, and poor manufacturing conditions can create further risks.
It is illegal to sell counterfeit products. Selling or using them can lead to investigation by Trading Standards and legal repercussions for businesses.
Consumers trust beauty practitioners as professionals. Using authentic cosmetic products from trusted suppliers helps protect your customers, your reputation and your business.
Five ways to avoid fake beauty products
- Buy from trusted suppliers. Buy directly from the brand, an authorised distributor or a trade wholesaler that the brand recognises.
- Check who you are buying from. Take extra care with marketplaces, social media, unfamiliar websites and unofficial sellers.
- Do not rely on price or appearance alone. Very low prices can be a warning sign. However, counterfeit products may be priced only slightly below the genuine product and packaging can look convincing.
- Check products before you use or sell them. Look at the packaging, labelling, ingredients and traceability information, and notice anything that looks, smells or feels different from what you expect.
- If you think a product is fake, do not use or sell it. Report the seller to Trading Standards.
Checks for salons and practitioners
Before applying a cosmetic product to a client or placing it on your shelves, look out for:
- unusually low prices or offers that seem too good to be true
- unknown or unverified sellers, including third-party marketplace sellers or social media profiles
- poor-quality or inconsistent packaging, including blurry print or spelling mistakes
- missing company or contact information
- missing batch, safety or other traceability information
- a product that looks, smells or feels different from what you expect
These checks can help identify warning signs, but counterfeit products and packaging can be very convincing. The best way to reduce the risk is to source products through legitimate and trusted suppliers.
Why fake beauty products can be dangerous
Counterfeit beauty products can pose serious health risks because their ingredients, manufacturing conditions and safety have not been independently verified. Unlike legitimate cosmetics, they may not have gone through the safety assessments, quality controls and manufacturing oversight required by UK cosmetics regulation.
Testing of fake cosmetics and personal care products has found contamination with harmful substances. This includes elevated levels of heavy metals such as lead and mercury, as well as prohibited or inappropriate ingredients such as methanol. Fake products may also contain undeclared ingredients or be manufactured in unhygienic conditions and contaminated with harmful bacteria.
This can increase the risk of skin irritation, allergic reactions, chemical burns, eye injuries and other adverse health effects.
Using poor-quality or untested products could harm a customer and damage your reputation. Using counterfeit or non-compliant products may also affect your insurance cover. Check the terms of your professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Keep counterfeits out of your supply chain
Source all business supplies through legitimate and trusted routes to reduce the risk of counterfeit or unregulated products entering your stock.
Check the supplier
Buy stock directly from the brand, an authorised distributor or a trade wholesaler that the brand recognises. Many brands publish lists of authorised stockists on their websites. Check this before opening an account with a new supplier.
Be cautious about unofficial sellers offering products through promotional offers, walk-ins or cold calls, particularly if products are heavily discounted or difficult to source.
Check websites, marketplaces and social media sellers
Do not assume that a professional-looking website or listing is legitimate. Check the domain name, contact details and company information. On marketplaces and social media, check who the actual seller is.
Look for independent reviews or other information about the seller and be cautious about unusual payment methods. If you are unsure, use a trusted supplier instead.
Check the price and sales tactics
Be cautious about deals that seem too good to be true, but do not rely on price alone. Some counterfeit products are priced only slightly below the genuine product.
Be wary of limited-time offers, flash sales or online adverts that put pressure on you to make a quick decision.
When products arrive
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Check products before applying them to a client or placing them on your shelves.
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Look for high-quality labels and packaging, but remember that authentic-looking packaging can still appear on counterfeit products.
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Look for blurry print, spelling mistakes, missing details or anything inconsistent with the product you expect.
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Check for the required company name and address, ingredients list, instructions for use, weight and product safety warnings where applicable.
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Check batch or other traceability information where required.
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Every cosmetic product sold or used on clients in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) must have a designated UK Responsible Person. Their required details must appear on the label. All cosmetic products sold in Great Britain must meet the requirements set out in Making cosmetic products available to consumers in Great Britain.
Beauty tools and equipment
Counterfeit beauty tools and technology, including electrical equipment and application tools, can also pose safety risks. They may break, fail electrical safety testing or cause harm. Apply the same supplier and seller checks and make sure equipment meets the relevant safety requirements before use.
If you think a product is fake
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Do not use or sell the product.
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Keep the product, packaging, receipt and supplier details while you report your concerns.
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Contact the supplier.
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Report the seller to your local Trading Standards through your local council, or contact Citizens Advice on 0800 144 8848.
A note on prescription medicines
Some products and treatments associated with beauty and aesthetics are medicines rather than cosmetics and are regulated differently.
GLP-1 and related medicines, including Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy, are prescription-only medicines. They should only be supplied following an appropriate clinical assessment and prescription by a qualified healthcare professional. Botulinum toxin medicines, commonly referred to by the brand name Botox, are also prescription-only medicines. They should only be prescribed following an appropriate clinical assessment by a qualified healthcare professional.
Buying medicines from unregulated sellers, including through social media or other online platforms, increases the risk of receiving falsified or unauthorised products. These may contain incorrect doses, harmful ingredients or no active ingredient at all. There may also be no reliable way to know whether they have been made, stored or transported appropriately, so their quality and safety cannot be assured.
Patients should only obtain prescription medicines following an appropriate clinical assessment and through a registered pharmacy. Legitimate online pharmacies can provide prescription medicines safely, provided the appropriate prescribing and dispensing requirements are met. The MHRA FakeMeds campaign provides advice on buying medicines safely online and identifying legitimate sources.
Reporting fake and illegal medicines
Report sellers of counterfeit products to your local Trading Standards via your local council, or to Citizens Advice. Telephone: 0800 144 8848.
Report a suspicious online seller of medicines to the MHRA.
Patients can check whether a pharmacy is registered through the General Pharmaceutical Council in Great Britain or the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland.
Anyone who suspects that a medicine may be falsified, or who experiences a suspected side effect, can report their concerns to the MHRA through the Yellow Card scheme.