It is the Festive Season, and shopping is rough. Madly crowded malls, insane price hikes, aggressive sales personnel- there is a ton to deal with. Happily, online shopping comes to the rescue! We all know that scent is the key to memory. Reminiscing over good times from the past, creating new, powerful memories – the smell is the key that unlocks it all. So buying perfume is the logical way to go. But how can you be sure you are getting the Real Deal and not some sweatshop fake? Read on for some professional tips.

Online Perfume – Fake or Real?

The first clue is in the price. If your favorite celebrity fragrance sells for 10% of the in-store price – it’s a fake. That doesn’t mean you must dish out all your hard-earned cash for the good stuff. Major retailers and well-organized businesses negotiate excellent deals with manufacturers. That is why it is cheaper for them to buy 1000 of an item than just 10. Buying in bulk is a big saver. If your trusted online store sells a top-star perfume at a price slightly lower than your local perfume shop, odds are it is authentic. They can afford bulk buying and often pass on discounts to keep their clients happy. Check the prices: Too low = Fake. A reasonable reduction = Real. Take advantage now! Watch out for sales from reliable resellers – this is an excellent opportunity to grab everything you want at incredible prices. Christmas and year-end sales are ripe for the plucking.

Perfume Packaging

If you purchased your favorite perfume and see that the packaging has a different logo or is slightly misspelled – the bad news is that you have bought a fake. Whether you want an old favorite, or to buy a brand new scent, go online and check the maker’s site. They will have in-depth pictures of their products. 

• Take note of the size and location of the logo. 
• Look for any particular spelling flairs. For marketing reasons, some words may have exotic spelling. 

Check the online site you want to use. Does the packaging size match? The logo color and position? The spelling? Does anything look slightly off? If in doubt, email and ask for a photo, especially for more expensive perfume. Anything that rings the alarm bells – do not buy from them! You should report them to the relevant authorities to save other, less wary consumers. The law takes a very dim view of those selling off-brand products, and quite rightly so. All too often, these are from places with appalling conditions, so you will be doing the world a favor by doing your part in stopping them.

Barcode and Serial Number Checks

Genuine perfumes have a barcode and serial number on the bottle and the packaging. These will always match. A common con is gluing the serial number on the box or bottle. If you are in doubt, check for the perfume batch code, and check in with the perfume’s manufacturer. They keep records of all their products and will be able to follow the trail to find the end seller. If your code is not in the database, you have found a potential fraudster, and the manufacturer will be grateful to know all the details. A point to watch for is the manufacturing date code. Not necessarily to find a fake dealer but also to ensure your perfume is still viable. Old stocks that didn’t move or from businesses that went bang may find their way onto the market. Old, out-of-date perfumes are not worth the price. Their quality would have degraded, and the effect utterly spoiled. Get yourself a fresh fragrance from a reputable source.

The Color of Love

Some fake perfumes are very well put together. They almost capture the scent and have nailed the packaging. These can be tricky to spot, but an easy way is to notice the color. Go to your nearest big retail store or perfume shop and have a good, long look at your intended purchase. Take particular note of the color of the perfume. A fake can never copy this as their products have synthetic chemicals, so it is impossible to match coloration. If your new bottle of Opium is too yellow, it is either too old or a fake.

To Cap it All off

Perfume bottling and packaging are also indicators of authenticity. Authentic products come encased in shrink-wrap cellophane. This wrapping helps to maintain the contents and protect the vulnerable glass during transit. Glass bottling is another way to spot the dodo. The Real Deal will have smooth, slick glass bottles, while fakes generally have rough or chipped cheap glass. The ultimate test lies in the cap. Perfume manufacturers know that a tight-fitting lid will seal the bottle. A decent seal protects from leaks, and unwanted air from entering, thus spoiling the precious liquid. Purveyors of sham stuff avoid these lengths and will plonk on any old cap that fits. These are laughable in their intended use and are easy to spot. After all, no lid should drop off when you shake a bottle!

Buy the Best Perfume

The only way to ensure you get the authentic stuff is to be very, very sure of where you buy. Straight from the perfume house is best, but that is only an option available to some. If you have a luxury store nearby, you will be safe to shop there. For the rest of us, we must rely on online shopping to find our good stuff. Choose a reputable online shop with the size and power to buy bulk. That way, you know your discounted price is for all the right reasons. Check consumer feedback, read the reviews, and check your online shopping safety options. An excellent reputation goes a long way in our digital world. 

Buying a cheap knockoff is tempting. But, you will not be enjoying the years of expertise and dedication that went into making the original. You will be stuck with a poor imitation that will invariably end up smelling like an abused sofa cushion in a child-friendly restaurant. Why do that to yourself?

Shop smart, find the best – you deserve it!