Skincare brand Cosrx says TikTok awash with fakes

South Korean cosmetics company Cosrx has taken to Instagram to warn its customers of a glut of counterfeit versions of its products being sold via social media sites, including TikTok, in the UK and elsewhere.

In one post, the brand posted a video by beauty influencer Blake Healey that describes how she was scammed by a TikTok shop, and provides advice on how to tell the difference between the genuine product and the knock-off, which comes in lookalike packaging but is labelled as being made by 'Carvenchi' rather than Cosrx.

The counterfeiters sometimes use the same logo as the genuine product and Korean text on the labelling to make them appear authentic. According to the UK arm of the company, no seller is authorised to sell its products via TikTok.

In a post, the company said: "We are getting more and more reports of counterfeit products, and customers asking us to authenticate their purchases. To ensure your favourite products are legitimate, please always purchase…from brand partners. Outwith these channels, we are unable to confirm authenticity of all products."

According to Corx, the rise in counterfeit products is being driven by a trend among some purchasers to seek out cosmetic 'dupes' that are available more cheaply, but lack the quality of the original brand.

"We are warning customers to purchase products from only official UK channels such as Boots and Superdrug, as well as LookFantastic, Sephora, Cult Beauty, Beauty Bay and now at The Fragrance Shop to ensure authenticity," said Abraham Kayrouz, UK representative at Cosrx, as reported by cosmeticsbusiness.com.