I had my share of fake perfumes bought. Some I knew were fake, some I didn’t.

My first fake was bought by my father, when I was about 13 years old. We were at the seaside and a guy was selling perfumes in the middle of the street. After one night of crying, my father bought me a fake of Anais Anais de Cacharel, with my strong argument that I will never afford to buy the real one. That was more than 25 years ago. What can I say?! I was young and stupid :). It smelled nice, not even close to the real one, the case was torn and the bottle from cheap plastic.

Nowadays, it is harder and harder to spot a fake, but here are some rules I got to discover through experience.

First:

-buy from a trusted source (well known cosmetics and perfumes shops, creator shops, famous websites)

-if you buy from someone else, it would be indicated to ask from where they got it. An advantage would be a sealed box/pack

-on the back of the pack, you will find a digit code, which you can check online on a website like www.checkcosmetic.net

-even if it is sealed, check for anything that could signal a fake: different fonts, different color, discoloration, spelling mistakes, quality of the cardboard, the way it feels on your skin when touching

-don’t by a tester from an unverified source: most of them are fakes!

If the perfume surpasses the pack tests, than start examining the bottle:

-the glass of the bottle has to be perfectly executed

-feel the bottle with your hand, see if it is smooth and safe on your skin

-the print, tags, decoration should be perfectly placed, also no discoloration, no scratches

-the cap should fit perfectly on the bottle

-also, the spray should fit on the bottle, no trembling, no falling when using

Remember, an original bottle doesn’t guarantee an original perfume, because, you can re-fill a bottle with any liquid using only a syringe with a thick needle.

Next step, check the liquid:

-smell it and try to identify anything fishy 🙂

-compare the color with the original

-an original liquid should be clear, without debris, uniform colored and in a pastel shade (there are exception to the color, depending on the perfume, but most of them are in light colors)

-try it on your skin. The liquid should not stay more than few seconds on the skin. It has to be velvety, but not oily. It doesn’t stain, discolor or damage the skin or the material you spray it on

-see how long it lasts on your skin. An original perfume should last few hours, without changing it’s smell drastically. It should smell quite the same, only lighter. It just fades.

-if you have the possibility, try it on a blotter or compare it to one perfume you have the certainty is original.

Those are just a few tips on how to verify a perfume. In another post, I will tell you about fake perfumes, pro and cons on buying and using.

Also, attached, you have some pictures of different perfumes: original tester, fake perfume in original bottle, fake perfume and bottle, fake tester, original perfume from unverified source etc