In a flourishing industry, the manufacturing and distribution of fake and counterfeit products is inevitable. The global circulation of fake and counterfeit products is prevalent and causes a great deal of trouble for official manufacturers, distributors and customers. In a market with so many different products available, how do you spot a fake?

EVERYBODY WANTS A PIECE OF THE CAKE

The global aesthetic market is continuously growing and is valued billions of dollars. We are all familiar with some of the most popular brands from leading manufacturers like Juvéderm from Allergan and Restylane from Galderma. Both manufacturers are indisputable making great profits as two of the leading manufacturers in the market.

In a market with economic growth and great profits, it is inevitable that manufacturers and distributors of fake and counterfeit products enter the market to get a piece of the profit cake. Moreover, given the very large number of dermal fillers available throughout the world, it is no surprise that counterfeit and fake products are being sold on the internet. Consequently, the circulation of fake and counterfeit products creates a certain distrust between buyers and sellers. It is therefore important to be aware and be safe when buying online.

7 WAYS TO AVOID BUYING FAKE FILLERS

When you go online to buy dermal fillers, there are a number of things to be aware of to make sure that you buy authentic fillers from a trustworthy and responsible seller. In order to save you a lot of time searching the internet for do’s and don’ts, Direct Derma Supplies have composed a list for you with 7 things to be aware of:

  1. Is anyone there?

The first thing you need to check when you find an online provider of aesthetic products (or products in general) is if it is possible to contact the company. Is there just a contact form you need to fill out (and hope for a reply), or is there a phone number you can call? Maybe, there is an online chat available, where you can interact with real employees (and not just a robot or employee at a distant call center). If so, call the company or reach out on the chat. If you get a hold on a ‘real’ employee, the chances that the company is genuine just increased.

  1. Product identification

Products such as medical devices are required to have some sort of identification. An identification of a batch code/lot number is required in order to be able to trace and recall the products. In addition, such products are required to have an identification of the date until which the product may safely be used (the expiry date), expressed as the month and year. These identifications should always be on the package (except in few instances), and if you are ever in doubt, you can ask the seller for the identifications prior to making a purchase.

  1. Where is the company located?

When you plan to buy dermal fillers online, it can be a good idea to check out where the company is located and where the products are shipped from. If the company is located within the EU, you can do a little background research on the company: most companies within the EU have a tax or VAT identification number. If you look it up in a local database and it exists, this number indicates that it is a legitimate company.

  1. Prices

If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Typically, if a product is super marked down compared to other products on the local market, there is a good chance that the product is a counterfeit. Even though product prices vary on the market, distributors and importers of authentic dermal fillers all initially buy products within a certain price range. This means when products change hands in the market, they will ultimately end up within the same price range (give and take). Therefore, if you suddenly come across a product priced much below the general market price; it is definitely a red flag.

  1. Special trademarks

A fake product will be obvious for most people in the industry: if someone offer you to buy cheap Festylane (instead of Restylane), you will know it is a fake. It is indeed more challenging to spot a counterfeit product, since it looks so close to the original product, that the naked eye will find it almost impossible to distinguish. However, if the product has an official holographic sticker, this is one thing to compare. Other things to look for on the outer packaging could be misspelling or the use of a different font. A real-life case from Allergan showed a counterfeit Juvéderm Ultra 4, where there was a misspelling on one side of the outer packaging. On the authentic product it said “Science of Rejuvenation” but on the counterfeit product it said “Science of Erjuvenation”. In the same case, the font of the word ALLERGAN was also incorrect.

  1. Social media

Is the company present on the social media? If yes, it is a sign that the company is legitimate. Try to search for the company on various media platforms like Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn to see if they are active and publish new posts on a regular basis. If the company updates its social media profiles regularly and post relevant information and pictures of products, employees and facilities, it definitely increases the company’s credibility. In addition, is the company responding to comments left by customers and followers? If yes, it means that the company is responsive and that someone is on the other end of the line.

  1. What do people say?

It is good if a company praises itself, but it is even better if someone outside the company is saying something positive about the company. Look for company recommendations on different rating sites like My Google Business or testimonials from customers on the company’s own website. If the ratings and testimonials out there are positive and other customers have had good experiences dealing with the company, why shouldn’t you? Admitted, it is not all companies you will find on rating sites, but be sure that if the company is a scam, people will spread the word. Bad experiences travel fast on the internet.

HAPPY SHOPPING

These points are just some of the things you should be aware of when you buy dermal fillers online. In general, it is always a good idea to bring your common sense when you buy online. If something seems odd or wrong, or simply too good to be true, it most likely is.

 

SOURCE: Direct Derma Supplies (Direct Derma Supplies)

ABOUT DIRECT DERMA SUPPLIES

We are a European online store based in Copenhagen, Denmark. We have many years of know-how and experience within the aesthetic beauty industry and we offer aesthetic fillers and other medical devices at competitive prices to licensed clinics worldwide (BTB). The new trend among clinics is that they typically buy 70% from the local official distributor (To receive marketing support, courses, etc.) and 30% as parallel import – to maximize their profit and increase the bottom line.

All products are 100% authentic and they always have an expiration date of more than one year.

Due to our large volume business, we obtain very competitive prices and we therefore offer UP TO 40-60% discount on the products – compared to the normal price official distributors offer. We have more than 1.800 active clinics buying from us. All products are 100% authentic from original manufactures (from within the European Community) and we ship daily with DHL Express and EMS Postal Service for North America, China and Russia.

Please note that Direct Derma Supplies only sell to companies and not private persons.