Faux fragrances. Copies sold on the cheap of designer brands are easy to find. Any street corner in most big cities have tables displaying any fancy designer fragrance made for a fraction of the retail price and online, store after store advertises pricey brands at 75% off. But more than ever, sometimes you may get a little something extra with your bootleg purchase.
. "Knockoffs are poorly made, cheap, and reactive. You don't have accountability with a knockoff. It could be made in someone's bathtub for all you know." Bad reactions, she says, range from a runny nose to redness and eczema.
Fragrance is absorbed by your body. It is a class of product that you ingest in some way," says Patrick Bamburak, director of forecasting and planning for Dior Perfumes in North America. "You want to go to a legitimate place where it should be bought." Counterfeit fragrances have not been subjected to the quality-control tests and research and development on which legitimate makers spend money and time. "When you wear a fake, the experience is a lot different," Bamburak adds. "It's either more concentrated and will be more strong or will have an alcoholy smell that won't last." And fakes have been found to contain contaminated alcohol, antifreeze, urine, and harmful bacteria.
Bootlegs can not just smelly substitutes, but dangerous ones that can give you an unsightly rash or worse, a trip to the ER for a serious chemical burn.
So guys, listen up. This Valentines Day don't try to impress your lady with a copy of the expensive brand that you can't afford, don't believe the hype that you can buy Dior for 2 for $10. Your lady probably won't be fooled anyway. Stick within your budget and get her a less expensive brand from the drugstore, or skip fragrance all together and get her a nice floral gift instead. Her skin and her nose will thank you.
