Can Counterfeit Cosmetics Compromise Your Health?

You have probably heard about the importance of buying beauty products from a licensed salon or recognized retailer. The reason for this is recommendation isn’t so these businesses can charge you money for products you may see for cheaper somewhere else. The real reason is that the only way to make sure you’re buying legitimate products is to buy them from a legitimate company. Otherwise, you could end up with dangerous beauty products, including knock-off cosmetics that put your health at risk. Here is what you need to know.

Counterfeit cosmetics can contain dangerous ingredients.

The main reason counterfeit cosmetics are so much less expensive than the real products is that they do not contain the same ingredients. At best, counterfeit cosmetics may contain poor quality ingredients. At worst, they can contain things that can put your health on the line. A recent raid of vendors selling counterfeit cosmetics in Los Angeles showed that the products contained animal feces and dangerous microbes. Counterfeit cosmetics in other raids have uncovered items that contain mercury, paint thinner, lead, and other harmful ingredients.

Knock-off cosmetics are often made in dirty facilities.

There is no oversight of the facilities in which counterfeit cosmetics are made. According to an attorney who represents Estee Lauder and has seen inside some counterfeit cosmetic production facilities, the spaces are filthy and covered in dirt and bacteria. Many knock-off cosmetic products are produced in China and other places where they are not subject to the same kinds of inspections as U.S. facilities.

Counterfeit cosmetics can cause lifelong allergies.

When knock-off cosmetics are made with safe ingredients, they may still use them in unsafe amounts. For many people, this can trigger an allergic reaction to the ingredient that lingers long into the future. That means that you could experience the same symptoms even when using a legitimate product that uses the ingredient in a normally safe formula.

Salon Nouveau is dedicated to educating our clients about the risks of counterfeit beauty products while providing access to a selection of vetted, safe product lines from some of the top names in the industry. Learn more by calling our salon in Tucson at (520) 323-0770.