Fake Perfumes May Contain Bacteria And Urine

By Margarita Nahapetyan

According to ABCNews.com, it is very dangerous to use fake fragrances as they may contain such things as urine, bacteria and antifreeze which will be absorbed into the skin along with all the other active ingredients.

Valerie Salembier, senior vice president and publisher of Harper's Bazaar magazine, made a warning statement on ABC's "Good Morning America," saying that people are putting something on their face, neck, or their wrists - very sensitive parts of the body - so, to have active ingredients that could endanger one's life is a very serious health risk. Salembier and her colleagues have dedicated themselves to testing fake products for more than 6 years. In the January issue of Harper's Bazaar, it is fake perfumes that are being exposed and targeted.

Experts in Britain and Ireland conducted a thorough investigation, analyzing and testing fake fragrances, as a result of which they detected urine in some of the scents they seized. Authorities speculate that the reason urine is being used is as ph balance stabilizer as well as for its color. Dermatologist Jeannette Graf, of Great Neck, N.Y., told ABC that a real perfume does never cause any kind of reaction or skin irritation, but there are more and more cases showing that counterfeits can cause contact dermatitis, or even an inflammation of the skin.

According to Graf, people will instantly say that they felt different as soon as they put on fake perfumes. In particular, they feel burning, they may see redness, they just do not feel comfortable, feeling that the scent does not smell right. And that is almost immediate, Graf says. Dermatologist added that she is beginning to see an increased number of cases, because these days counterfeit perfumes are easy to buy on the streets and on the Internet.

The experts say that before you buy a cheap designer perfume, you should be aware that it could be a fake and contain products that could even be harmful to your health. According to Valerie Salembier, these are the things you need to keep in mind before purchasing a fragrance:

• If a designer fragrance seems too cheap, it is very likely to be a fake.

• On a real perfume, the cellophane is wrapped very tightly around the box. Most fake products, however, don't have the cellophane so tightly wrapped. If the cellophane is moving around the box, that is a sure sign the perfume is a fake.

• If the perfume's box is made out of very thin material, the product is most likely a fraud. Any high-class beauty manufacturer is using paperboard of the highest when creating a carton for their product. Thin packaging signals the product is a fake.

• It is very important to watch for an uneven brand name or any misspelling on the packaging.

• The product's barcode should be at the bottom of the perfume box. If the one is at the side of the box, you should be suspicious.