I'm sure that lots of us have looked for expensive cosmetics or fragrances online and found prices that seem too good to be true! Or maybe you've been walking around an outdoor market and seen someone selling MAC products for a fraction of the price (I mention MAC specifically because I've seen this many times, in all kinds of locations). Of course, it's usually pretty clear when it's a counterfeit, but I've seen people interested in purchasing counterfeits because maybe they really like the color or scent or what have you offered but they don't like the high price tag. What could really be the difference, right? Well, aside from an almost definite difference in quality, the ingredients used in counterfeit products can potentially be really damaging to your health. Since these products are (obviously) produced illegally, they aren't regulated, and they use some unsafe ingredients in order to formulate things for as cheaply as possible. The FBI released a news article warning against the purchase of counterfeits a few months ago and named arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, high levels of aluminum, and dangerous bacteria as being commonly present in fake cosmetics, which can lead to rashes and infections. Fake perfumes can contain anything from antifreeze to urine. So as tempting of a deal as these counterfeits or knockoffs can seem at times, it's not worth your health!
