Even in the wake of a global pandemic and subsequent recession, the beauty and personal care industry is thriving. Currently valued at $571.10 billion, it shows no sign of slowing down. While make-up sales saw a temporary lull during Covid times, other products that could be used for home pampering like face masks and hair treatments grew exponentially as we all spent more time indoors. With physical stores shutting down during this time, the market quicky adapted to accelerate growth in the online environment.

The worlds of cosmetics, skincare, fragrance and personal care have always been targeted by copycats. With this shift to an increasingly online playing field came a rise in counterfeiting activity. Beauty brands spend a lot of time, money and effort to develop their products – products that their loyal customers covet and trust. Unfortunately, counterfeiters undermine this trust when they try to pass off their cheaply manufactured (and potentially dangerous) copies.

For example, pensioner Norman Gill from Wales recently had his day in court after making £50,000 selling fake versions of skincare product, Bio-oil, having imported them in bulk from China. Although the packaging was almost identical to the authentic cream, the oil inside was found to be fake – and completely devoid of any beneficial skincare ingredients. Although it was found to not contain harmful ingredients after testing, others are not so lucky.

Belfast resident, Rachael McLaughlin purchased what she thought was a Kylie matte liquid lipstick (a popular product from Kylie Jenner’s famed make-up line), from a vendor on Fakebook Marketplace. Thinking she had received a bargain, Rachael scooped up the  lipstick for just $4. However, it soon became apparent that the lipstick was not genuine when she woke up to a severe allergic reaction around her lips and lower face. Struggling to breathe, Rachael was rushed to the hospital where she was treated with antibiotic creams and antihistamines, after which she thankfully made a full recovery.

This is why brand protection is crucial in the beauty industry. Mitigating risk of online infringement protects brands from revenue diversion, reputational damage, and of course harm caused to customers.

Protecting beauty brands from fakes

At SnapDragon, we understand the challenges that brands in the beauty sector face. Wherever companies with online success go, there will always be scammers hanging on to their coattails. We are dedicated to protecting brands from the damage fakes can cause.

With a mixture of our expert multi-lingual team and our powerful A.I technology, we search on ecommerce, social media, websites and domains to find intellectual property infringements – and take them down! Sign up for our free, no-obligation demo now, and we will show you exactly where you may be in danger online – and how to fight back against the fakes.