Fighting fake make-up

Counterfeit cosmetic products worth a total VND570 million (US$29,200) were discovered in an investigation of 30 shops in Ha Noi last week, reported the official interdisciplinary investigation team for cosmetics market after its annual investigation.

The discoveries led to VND130 million (US$6,700) in fines.

A significant batch of the counterfeits, valued at VND200 million (US$10,250), were confiscated from one shop on Pham Ngoc Thach Street.

“Fake cosmetics are spreading widely and mixed among genuine products,” said Hoang Dai Nghia, deputy head of the Market Watch Office.

Products labelled with brands such as Gucci, Clinique and Lancome were being offered for much lower prices compared to their authentic counterparts in official outlets. For example, a tube of “Clinique Happy Heart Body Cream” was offered for VND220,000 (US$11.3) at one shop, much lower than the VND560,000 (US$28.7) price in the official store.

One shopowner explained that she could offer the lower prices because her products were imported duty-free.

Nghia said the cheap price alone was clear evidence that the product was not genuine as prices could never be that low.

“Modified products, such as those marked ‘Guci’ instead of ‘Gucci’, or ‘Varsace’ instead of ‘Versace’ and sold for super low prices, are obviously fake. Otherwise, it is very hard to tell the difference between genuine products and counterfeit ones.”

“Modern technology has given shopowners the opportunity to sell well-forged products, including official-looking wrapping and labelling. During our investigation, many products were suspected of being counterfeit but still needed to go through costly and time-consuming control experiments to be sure,” said Nghia.

Shopowners had also started using more sophisticated tricks. They bought one or two batches of genuine products and held on to the valid licences for counterfeit batches later, said the Economic Police Department.

“Investigations are even more difficult for online cosmetics business. We tried to make online purchases but most of the owners only accepted face-to-face business so we could not identify the source of the goods,” said Pham Bich Hang, a member of the team.

Under governmental Decree No 45, shopowners may be fined a minimum of VND7.5 million (US$385) for a batch of counterfeit products, which can vary depending on the product value. However, since many owners come from other provinces, they simply return to their hometown after they are fined and return to operate their business under a different name.

“This makes things more complicated and leaves the problems unsolved,” said Nghia.

Most of the customers at these stores were teenagers with low incomes, his report said.

“I often buy lipstick and skin care products on Hang Buom Street. The price is reasonable and they sell brands with good reputations,” said a Grade-11 student from Viet Duc High School as she showed off her new Lancome lip gloss.

“Brand outlets are much more expensive. Plus, I don’t think mine is fake. It has a certified stamp,” she said.

Nghia explained that shopowners could make fakes of genuine-looking certified stamps. Investigators were working hard to find a way to solve the problem, he said.

“Punishment represents the strict and clear side of relevant laws. However, a sole unit to monitor and manage the market is not enough. Comprehensive co-operation with police and local authorities is needed to get to the root of the problem,” he said.

The interdisciplinary investigation is annually performed by the Ha Noi Market Watch Office, the Economic Police and the Department of Health. – Vietnamnet

Tags: Counterfeit cosmetic products, Vietnam cosmetics market