In the past few years, dermal fillers have come to gain a strong stand in the cosmetics market. The reason for this is not far-fetched – if there was anything that worked as well as they did for aesthetics, they would be expected to sell well too.
Just like any other bestselling product, dermal fillers have been plagued by vendors peddling the fake variant.
This is not only a huge concern for manufacturers, legitimate sellers and distributors, but to the end users too. Afterall, there is no telling what could go wrong when you inject a poor substance into your skin.
We have, thus, set up this piece to help you choose the authentic products over the fake ones when shopping online.
1. Get in touch
One of the tell signs of a fake website / ecommerce platform is the lack of contact details. Even if there were, they would not have anyone at the other end.
That is because they were never interested in offering you customer service in the first place, only to rip you off. It is, thus, recommended that you try reaching out first.
If they do not have a solid contact plan in place, or do not reply, that is usually a red flag.
2. Look for product identification
The medical industry has been standardized to the extent that many of the devices and medications come with identification tags. These codes are there to enable easy tracing and tracking of products back to their manufacturers and production lines.
These identifications are not hidden and would always be on the packaging. If you cannot find it there, it doesn’t hurt to ask the seer about it. If the seller still cannot provide it, you will be better off buying from another vendor instead.
3. Location is important
Location is always key, even when you are buying online. Most of the legitimate companies with online outlets have a brick-and-mortar establishment where they can be checked out. If this is true for the online vendor, you usually have nothing to worry about. Likewise, check for where they ship their products from.
4. Compare prices
Everyone wants a good deal, but some deals are just too good to be true. When this happens, it is probably too good to be true. If a dermal filler is being sold for a ridiculously low price, you should not ignore that as a sign.
This is not to say the legit businesses don’t offer steep discounts from time to time. However, the distributors of these products get it from manufacturers within a certain price range (which is usually fixed or varies slightly based on volume of purchase).
That means they will only sell to you (or the vendor) at a certain price too if they will realize their profits. With such changing of hands, the product will end up within a defined price range in the end.
Thus, a discount that is too steep to be true might be a setup – one you should avoid.
5. Social media
A company worth its salt will see the need to have social media accounts. So, do well to check for that vendor on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and such other social media platforms.
Again, it is one thing to have a social media account, and it is yet another to run a functional one. Ensure the company posts regularly and replies to comments from their customers. Trust us when we say an illegitimate company won’t go through all that stress just to stay up.
6. Special features
Manufacturers are aware of counterfeits in the market, and they make moves to curb that. This is the brain behind the addition of concepts like holograms on product packaging, verification codes and so much more.
Another way to go is looking at the details on the product packaging. Many fakes are always made to look like the real thing, but the fault in the little details.
Sometimes, it is in the spellings. At other times, it is in the explanation of features, presentation, etc.
7. Social proof
Social proof is very important to a business, no matter how truly good such a business is.
More than what the company says about itself, what do other people say about it? Look for recommendations online and offline – especially from independent sources who do not have a motivation to lie.
We recommend reading through the negative reviews too as those speak a lot of truth about the company. However, don’t dwell on the negatives unless they make up the huge chunk of customer feedback.
8. Reviews
Before putting your card details onto that online platform, ask if they have reviews from third party websites. All of the credible companies make use of review platforms, such as TrustPilot, Feefo, etc to collect user feedback about their services.
That would help you form a better opinion about not only the product, but the entire company at large.
Shop Right
There might be more fakes out there than you know, but the legitimate vendors are also still out there doing good business. All you have to do is spot one, and you would be set for all your orders from then on.
