Cosmetics firm Aprisa taps Covectra for security label

Skincare startup Aprisa has contracted Covectra to provide security labels across its product range, allowing the company to track and verify them through the supply chain.

Two-year-old Aprisa – which sells a range of premium creams to keep skin looking healthy with prices ranging from around $59 to $129 – will use Covectra's recently-updated StellaGuard label, which combines track and trace with authentication that can be carried out by the consumer using a smartphone.

StellaGuard labels feature a unique, serialized 2D datamatrix code, tamper-evidence and an authentication feature in the form of a film incorporating holographic "stars" in a random, non-repeatable pattern.

Aprisa chief executive Apral Jones said using the technology will give the company's customers "greater reassurance and peace of mind that what they are buying is the authentic Aprisa product."

The cosmetics industry has been growing at a healthy annual rate of around 5% in the last few years, and was valued at an estimated $415.3bn last year, according to market research from Fortune Business Insights.

That growth has made the sector an enticing opportunity for counterfeiters and skincare – which accounts for around a third of the total market – is viewed as being particularly profitable for fraudsters.

Recognising that, lawmakers in the US introduced the Personal Care Products Safety Act earlier this year in an attempt to shore up the FDA's powers to combat potentially hazardous counterfeit and adulterated cosmetics and personal care products.

Counterfeit cosmetics are often manufactured in unsanitary conditions, raising the risk of infections and exposure to noxious chemicals.

"E-commerce has experienced more demand for vulnerable cosmetic products due to the pandemic, heightening the need for secure packaging," said Steve Wood, Covectra's chief executive.

"In addition, the application of counterfeit makeup can be harmful and sometimes even deadly," he added. "StellaGuard brings intelligent next-generation labelling to the beauty and cosmetics industry and integrates seamlessly with our other solutions for a complete, highly secure anti-counterfeiting beauty labelling and packaging solution."