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

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.

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.

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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