Is it a Dupe or a fake?
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Is it a dupe or is it fake? | Do you know the difference?

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Is it a dupe or is it fake? I am totally amazed that there are so many who use these words wrong and don’t seem to know the difference between a fake and a dupe. Maybe I am living in a bubble here. Usually the problem doesn’t seem to occur in the blog world but more in the world of YouTube.
So let’s clear it out shall we.

First of all, I will just say that I am not judging anyone for buying fakes, I totally get why people do it. The prizing on some beauty products is ridiculous. My goal with this post is to simply clear the words out and stop anyone from getting fooled to buy stuff they think is legit. And also to know the problems that could occur.

What are dupes?

A dupe is a product that can look completely different than the original or almost the same on the outside, but the product inside is supposed to be similar or almost the same as the original. The quality of the product can be just as great as the original.
So here comes an example. The naked palette 1 is the original product. The W7 lightly toasted is supposed to be a dupe for it. Which means the shadows inside are very similar to the original product. No were on the W7 palette does it say naked palette, instead there is a completely different brand behind the product. This is a safe product to buy because it is a dupe of the original and a lot cheaper than the original. The brand W7 stands behind their product and the ingredient list of their products.

Is it a dupe or is it fake
Is it a dupe or is it fake Dragon liquid lipstick a dupe

Same goes on eBay or Aliexpress, where you can find so many fakes that it is ridiculous. But you can also find dupes here. Usually the packaging is almost the same but there is some difference, for example the name of the product. Picture of the dragon lip product. This is a Dragon lip product and NOT a fake, nowhere does it say Kylie Jenner. They merely ride the wave of a famous packaging.

What are fakes?

Fakes are a product that seems to be the original one, and sometimes it can be really hard to tell them apart. They are meant to trick you into buying a fake product that you think is legit. This is not a safe product to buy because the company’s behind these products copy everything as well as they can, the packaging, the text, including the ingredient list. So here is where the problems come in for you as a consumer. The importance here is that the people behind the products don’t care what goes in them, their goals is to make it look the same. You truly don’t know what you are buying because the ingredient list is not a true list of what the product actually contains it is merely copied from the original to look the same. And it can contain almost anything.

Heres an example, the Kylie Jenner lip products are circling the net and on eBay you can find MANY fakes.

Is it a dupe or is it fake
Is it a dupe or is it fake. FAKE NYX product

Problems when buying fakes (Not dupes)

Allergic reaction
No clean environment when producing the fakes. They are often produced in basements or old factories which in turn leads to lots of bacteria like E. coli in the products, rat feces and they have even found human pee in some products.
High levels of arsenic, lead, mercury and aluminum
Can cause eye infections, skin rashes and chemical burns

I am not saying that this will happen to you if you buy fake product, but I am saying that there is a risk of these points happening to you. I also say that some of the points like high levels of arsenic, lead, mercury and aluminum doesn’t need to show up directly when using the product, but instead is accumulated in the body over time.

So why do company make dupes and fakes?

The answer is simply, money, money, money. It doesn’t matter if it is a dupe or a fake. Companies will ride the wave of others (that’s worth copying) and I guess this will always be the case.
There is no problem (if you don’t see the ethical part) as long as it is a dupe (could be of the product or the packaging). No problems here. The ingredient list is their own, and they stand by their product.

So what rules to follow?

If the prize is too good to be true, it most definitely is.
Stick to the dupes and not the fakes, and at least you know that they undergo some testing before they are sold.

So can I buy products from China or Asia?

YES, of course, but don’t buy the fake products. Dupes and other products from Asia are tested, as all other countries do. I can write more about this if you are interested in their testing.
There will also be a post later on why you should buy skincare products from Korea instead of whatever you are using today.

Please let me know you thoughts on the topic, and again if fakes works for you and you like it, I am not judging, just want to inform you on the risk.


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8 Comments

  • Brielle Marie

    This was really interesting and informative! I’m surprised to see youtubers reviewing fake products. This used to just be called a scam, and avoided at all costs.

  • koreanbeautyse

    Hi Brielle.
    Thank you for your comment. I totally agree with you about fakes being scams. I was so surprised myself but it seems to be very common on YouTube. I do think that it is status involved in it. If someone can have a products saying Anastasia on it (even though it is a fake) it feels good or something. Other than that I have really no clue to why people need to buy a fake product. I usually never buy very expensive makeup, but that is because I don’t see the value, and to me the name of the product is not important, rather the product itself.

  • Brielle Marie

    There are so many amazing dupes for less! I think that’s my favorite part of makeup and fashion. I’ve never been into brand names either, but it’s true that’s some people’s preference

  • koreanbeautyse

    I feel the same. When finding those great products without paying a week salary. Thats the amazing feeling, not owning something just because it is a specific brand.

  • Tess

    Hi Indra. That is a great question. When you look at a dupe, the brand is not a fake brand, so they go through all the same regulations as more famous brands and their ingredients are checked as they normally would. A fake newer go through any testing, they just add what they want in the product and put a brand on the packaging.

    Still there are always product people will react to, no matter the prizes or the brand behind it. I know people that can’t use some products considered high end, simply because their skin can’t manage, whilst others swear by them.
    I really recommend you to try the product on a sensitive part of you body before putting on your face, but this recommendation is for every brand, not only dupe or cheaper product. Simply make a swatch on the inside of your arm and leave it there over night and then you will see if your skin has any reaction in the morning. Just let me know if you have any other thoughts. //Tess

  • Monika

    Hi thank you for articles it’s interesting. I just want to say that not all fake product are bad and not all cheap stuff is bad. Some of the branded real stuff can cause irritable and allergy even infections , this is because some of The people’s are allergy on some ingrediance. Some of the branded make up having red pigment made from dead bugs. Look on lable for this :
    carmine,cochineal, cochineal extract, crimson lake or carmine lake, natural red 4,[1] C.I. 75470,[1] or E120,
    and you will be surprise what you wearing on your face and lips. The people who making fake make up it’s making cheap, because they know that people’s will buy who can’t afforded expensive make up but it’s not mean that they will put so bad stuff in there . Everything must be tested before can br sale . Even on branded make up on the line in the factory people’s don t have much control… it’s can be rats, mice, bugs ect.and this can come in to the product….this is everywhere dosnt matter cheap or expensive ….sometime this expensive product can be worse made then this cheap one . And sometimes it’s boycott. People’s can scare other people’s to not buy cheap stuff so the people’s will but this expensive one . You know everywhere is business people’s won’t care ….thry just care about your money nothing more 😊 so sometime the branded can put some cheap ingrediance because they are sure you will buy it and not look deeply to it because u trust them …

  • Tess

    Thanks for your great comment, and I totally agree. I am actually a budget person myself, and love to find those products that are cheaper but still great. And I agree that just because a product has a fancy name it doesn’t mean it safe anyway. And you simply have to try to see what your skin reacts to. But at least if a product comes from a brand that is not fake there is a brand behind the product that can answer to what they have done and their MIGHT be repercussions (hopefully at least) but a product that is a simple copy (now I mean a product that says for example NYX but truly isn’t) doesn’t have anyone to answer for it. It of course doesn’t make anyone safe.. But I have never been a person who cares about the expensive brands, so for me it is not important to own a copy of something that isn’t what it is supposed to be. I rather by an amazing dupe than have a fake brand though.. But sadly I know that brands and labels are important to a lot of people, and to be able to own an Anastasia product even though it is fake, is truly important to some…

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