We were helped by:
Yana Mirzoyan
Lawyer, specialist in foreign trade
Elena Babarik
Commercial director of the chain of stores of perfumery and cosmetics "L'Etoile"
Do you still think that it is difficult or even impossible to say with certainty where the real perfume is and where is their cheap copy? Experts, however, have a different opinion. If you act according to the instructions below, you will take home one hundred percent high-quality perfume from the store.
The first and foremost rule is to buy perfumes from trusted retailers., that is, in large chain stores. It is much more difficult to find a fake there than in some online shop or from a private trader. “Quality control here is carried out not only by official bodies, but also by representatives of manufacturers, with whom the chains have official contracts,” says Yana Mirzoyan. The advice is all the more valuable because “it is almost impossible to determine a fake by aroma or color,” Elena Babarik does not make us happy.
Packaging and quality printing also matter. “95% of perfumery products are cellophane by the manufacturer, including to protect originality: in most cases, you should see a transparent film with a small free play, neat seams, holographic signs on the packaging,” states Yana Mirzoyan. “In addition, make sure that the price is not suspiciously low (three or more times than usual). This is a clear sign that you have found yourself in a place of unauthorized perfumery trade,”warns Elena Babarik.
Remember: barcoding (EAN-13 code) and serial numbers - a mandatory element when exporting a product from the country of origin. Catch the barcodes of the first three countries-exporters of perfumes as a cheat sheet: France - 30 37, Italy - 80 83, USA - 00 09. But that's not all: on the base (or facade) of the box and on the bottom of the bottle, there must be a serial number (the same!). Many luxury manufacturers mark this number with gold embossing to show how important this element is.
If the package does not indicate the composition, date of manufacture, expiration date, country of origin and importing organization - know, in front of you is clearly a fake perfume. If anything, all the principles of perfume labeling are given in the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union, namely in part 9.2 of Art. 5 "On the safety of perfumery and cosmetic products", adopted by the Decision of the Customs Union Commission dated 09.23.2011 N 799. "According to the rules of trade carried out on the territory of the Russian Federation, all the above data must be duplicated in Russian," Yana Mirzoyan clarifies. We are talking about the same white sticker - a special sticker that distributors and official representatives of brands are required to mold on imported packaging. We just hint that this is an automated process, which means that the output should be a super accurate result.
Good news: at your first request, the seller is obliged to provide the TR CU Declaration of Conformity (technical regulation of the customs union) or a certificate of conformity. Attention, such a document cannot be issued for a perfume manufacturer or any foreign person - only for residents of the countries of the Customs Union (Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan).
Do not believe if they say that you have a customs confiscated in front of you. “Original perfumery products imported in violation of the law are detained by the customs authorities until all the documents required for import are properly executed. They store it in specially designated places until the court makes a decision on confiscation, says the lawyer.
And he adds: "Then the goods are transferred to the territorial administration of the Federal Property Management Agency, which, after the conclusion of the expert examination of their safety for human life and health, ensures the implementation in accordance with the current legislation or organizes processing (another possible option is destruction)."
