Counterfeit personal care product seizures fall by a quarter
The number of counterfeit personal care products seized by EU customs teams fell by a quarter in 2008, compared to 2007, according to the latest European Commission figures. There were still many fake cosmetics, perfumes and personal soaps discovered however – 4.58 million items in 2,134 cases. This made up 4.32% of total counterfeit goods seizures and 2.56% of individual fake items seized, says Brussels.
The number of counterfeit personal care products seized by EU customs teams fell by a quarter in 2008, compared to 2007, according to the latest European Commission figures. There were still many fake cosmetics, perfumes and personal soaps discovered however – 4.58 million items in 2,134 cases. This made up 4.32% of total counterfeit goods seizures and 2.56% of individual fake items seized, says Brussels.
China remained the key source of these counterfeits, with 54.8% of fake personal care items seized coming from that country. And the next two most likely sources have strong links to Chinese traders: the United Arab Emirates (13%) and Singapore (10.8%). Other notable sources were Turkey (6.8%), Thailand (4.37%), Mauritius (1%) and Hong Kong (0.6%).
The Commission report stressed the dangers of this black market trade: “These fake products can seriously injure consumers, or at least do not deliver the expected and promised results of the real products.”