With the holiday season approaching, and perfumes and beauty products among the French people’s favorite gifts, the FEBEA is sounding the alarm. The rise of “dupes” (copies often sold at very low prices) exposes consumers to real risks to their health and safety.
According to an OpinionWay study conducted for the Federation, 77% of French people give cosmetics as gifts at least occasionally at Christmas (with perfume topping the list).
A market flooded with copies
The supply of counterfeit products increases significantly around Black Friday, Christmas, and New Year’s. The FEBEA points in particular to non-European platforms such as Temu, Shein, and AliExpress, but notes that more traditional-looking sites may also offer them.
“These products target both young consumers (Millennials and Generation Z), who are often unaware of the risks, and more knowledgeable consumers, who nevertheless fall victim to cleverly concealed deception,” explains the FEBEA.
The Federation points out that for 96% of buyers of counterfeit products, the very notion of risk is vague or even non-existent.
“The holiday season is a key time for our sector. We encourage everyone to choose safe, verified, and compliant products from our French manufacturers. This year, no counterfeits under the tree,” insists Emmanuel Guichard, General Delegate of the FEBEA.
With the holidays approaching, FEBEA recommends four simple steps to ensure safe shopping:
• Choose reliable and recognized brands
• Favor trusted websites
• Check the mandatory information (composition, INCI list, …
