Touch and burn
Exploding beauty industry, which also provides a pathway for the booming fake cosmetics product.
Features
Credits: getty images
Nischita G
Makeup is a powerful weapon that can leave a mark. It uplifts our mood, motivates us to feel more confident and makes us ready to take the day’s challenges head-on. Branded makeup usually tends to be expensive, especially those with special ingredients and are imported. It mostly concerns how they advertise, retail, and market their goods. The foundation's creamy texture and flattering tone, the assortment of eye shadow and eyeliner colours, the highlighter's illuminating glow, and the blush which also offers too many options with pink, peach, and red hues are just a few of the reasons why people fall in love with these cosmetics.
Most people around the globe enjoy using makeup items to enhance their beauty, such as darkening their eyes or brightening their cheeks. Since not everyone around the world can buy ideal branded cosmetics, they search for alternatives that are light on the pocket. Have you ever wondered how counterfeit or low-cost cosmetics can affect your skin? Counterfeit products contain harmful chemicals like Diethanolamine, Parabens, Polyethylene glycols, Polyethylene glycols (PEGs) compounds, fragrance ingredients, Sodium Laureth Sulphate, and Triclosan. According to cosmetic dermatologist Dr Poojitha Ramesh of the Reniu clinic, some people aren't allergic to the ingredients in cheap makeup products. These products contain dangerous ingredients, which result in pigmentation on the skin known as Riehl's melanosis.
“LOW-COST” COSMETICS
Chickpet market or KR market is one of the most popular shopping hotspots in Bengaluru, where counterfeit cosmetics can be spotted. These counterfeit products are then supplied to other smaller markets in Bengaluru. According to a merchant in the RT Nagar Market, most of these products come from Mumbai but it is difficult to trace their exact place of origin. Counterfeit cosmetics are prevalent because of people’s demand for it. Some people prefer inexpensive cosmetics on the grounds that they don't use them frequently, while others simply like makeup and cannot afford to buy name-brand products repeatedly. There’s an increasing number of teenagers who are ‘cosmoholic’. Beauty enthusiasts who cannot afford branded cosmetics often choose counterfeit products. In smaller markets, due to a lack of consumer awareness, shopkeepers sell counterfeit products for the original price or at a marked-up price.
EXPLODING COSMETIC INDUSTRY
Make-up trends are all the rage –from subtle no-makeup looks to dramatic bold colour pops. The cosmetics industry today is exploding with numerous brands like Kay beauty, Lovechild by Masaba, Plum, Masic beauty etc. Make-up artists and beauty influencers are the biggest promoters of these products and play a significant role in the cosmetics industry. Popular bloggers and vloggers are now launching their own makeup brands. Beauty influencers are experts in promoting beauty products and they also teach consumers how to use these high-end products. Various beauty brands recognise a cosmetic influencer's potential and use them for organic marketing. Influencers carefully consider items by studying the ingredients and conducting a patch test before use.
Not everyone is a pro at doing their makeup; hence, people depend on makeup artists or beauty parlours who are good at giving a makeover. People have to be careful with what product the makeup artist uses. Not all beauty parlours have high-end branded products. Prutha Bikkemane, a makeup artist says, “When an artist is charging around Rs.1000 to Rs.2000 and is still using high-end brands, we do not know whether they are using the original brand. When there is so much competition in the market, people would go for low cost and the artist has to use inexpensive products because they have to bear the price knowingly or unknowingly”.
HOW TO MINIMISE THE USE OF COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS
Nobody can stop the production and sale of these fake cosmetics overnight, but we can all try our best to avoid them. When buying makeup, one should be careful to read the contents listed on the product's label and to look for the brand's logo. You could also get your hands on products from less expensive brands, such as Wet n Wild, Maybelline, Elle 18, Lakme, Faces Canada, etc. Avoid buying cosmetics online. Instead, make sure you get them from their official website or the best-rated Instagram stores. Regardless of how small the makeup item is, buy them from the official website or an authorized retail store.
