Today I was sent a press release from Priceline which included a gift guide for Mother's Day. Ordinarily, I quite like these press releases as it gives me some good ideas about what to write about. Amongst other beauty items, the press release contained four perfumes - from Lancome, Estee Lauder, Juicy Couture and Marc Jacobs. You might have seen my little rant yesterday about how I was pissed off that Priceline sold grey market Orly polishes. In light of this, I decided that I would contact the PR's from each of these brands to find out whether Priceline was an authorised stockist for the perfumes. This is what I found out from the PRs:
Priceline is NOT an authorised stockist of Lancome.
Priceline is NOT an authorised stockist of Estee Lauder.
Priceline is NOT an authorised stockist of Juicy Couture.
Priceline is NOT an authorised stockist of Marc Jacobs.
This means that Priceline are also selling fragrances sourced from the grey market.
What is so bad about grey market fragrances?
I have gone into the whole issue of grey market cosmetics in much more detail here, but basically grey market fragrances are fragrances sourced from a non-authorised seller. This means that the authenticity of the fragrance cannot be guaranteed. So, you might be buying a cheaply made fake perfume or a genuine perfume that has been diluted to make it go further, or a genuine perfume that has been sitting in a warehouse for the last 10 years. This is bad, not only for the consumer who might end up purchasing a fake perfume made with dodgy ingredients that could cause a reaction, but also for the brands. If someone buys a perfume that they believe is genuine and it smells terrible, or has really poor staying power (due to being diluted), or worse case scenario they have a severe reaction to the dodgy ingredients, then they will never buy that perfume again. They will also most likely complain to their friends, or complain online.
StrawberryNet are probably the most well know seller of grey market cosmetics. I don't think that any brand would authorise them to resell their stock. However, when you purchase from them most people do so knowing that they are taking a risk that they may end up with a sub-par product. The problem with Priceline selling grey market cosmetics and fragrances is that the majority of people would believe that they are buying genuine products from an authorised reseller. Now, I am not saying that Priceline are selling fakes. I don't know know whether the fragrances they sell are fake or genuine - but that there is the problem - I don't know if they are fake but then I also don't know if they are genuine as they have not been sourced from an authorised distributor.
I am not trying to bad mouth Priceline here as I have happily shopped there for years. However, I do believe that we have the right to know whether we are buying genuine stock or not. As long as you are educated and are happy to take the risk of buying grey market cosmetics and fragrances, then go for it. But, I would hate for people to end up disappointed with their purchases and not know why it was not as good as they were expecting. Not all the fragrances in the press release I was sent were cheap. One was selling for $140, which is a lot of money to spend on something that cannot be guaranteed to be genuine. Up until yesterday I had no idea that Priceline sold grey market sourced goods, so I suspect that many other people would be similarly blinded to this fact.
Anyway, I am not saying don't shop at Priceline. Just trying to educate. If you are looking to purchase genuine fragrances, your best bet is Myer and David Jones. Or, if you are in doubt, go to the website for the brand of fragrance you are purchasing and it will either provide a list of authorised stockists or a customer service number that you can call.
Has this changed your opinion of Priceline at all? What are your thoughts on the grey market? Do you prefer to steer clear and spend your hard earned cash on genuine products or do you prefer to hunt down a bargain?
Monday, 22 April 2013
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Comments by IntenseDebate
Tammerly @ Spoilt · 622 weeks ago
Beauty Snippets · 622 weeks ago
Does this also mean that Target sell grey market fragrances too? (Though on a smaller scale as they don't seem to stock as much as Priceline...)
Sarah Kretchmer 74p · 622 weeks ago
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Kristine Simmonds · 621 weeks ago
Sarah Kretchmer 74p · 621 weeks ago
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Karina · 622 weeks ago
Sarah Kretchmer 74p · 622 weeks ago
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Shab · 319 weeks ago
1- random test, pick a clear glass perfume and hold a mobile torch underneath... do not shake the perfume, you'd see unfiltered precipitates of particles floating in the liquid.
2- absence or very low alcohol gives an oily texture to the liquid. Spray on your hand and blow air for 10 seconds... if its shiny and doesnt dry out then its SUPER fake. its just a perfume essence, doesnt matter if EDT or PARFUM...
3- EDT should last 8-10 hours, PARFUM should last 10-24 hours.. 1-2 hours perfumes arent perfumes they are body sprays! please know this fact and dont fall into grey areas of business
4- the stores are still legit as they fulfill import laws, local laws of selling and have all the paperwork. the government cares about the tax and duties. Fragrance isnt a patent thats why anyone can copy anyone!! the businesses are using loopholes of the market and hence selling fake stuff.
5- the finishing of product, the spelling mistakes, the bad quality packaging all gives you a clue. the max drop in price is a huge clue. Best Sellers like Aqua Di gio will sell even if you make the price from 100 to 200 $. Why would anyone drop it to 40@Chemist Warehouse. This is defying Supply CHain Principles.
SHabbir · 319 weeks ago
Yesterday, 11/02/2019 i tried five perfumes at Priceline!! Hugo Boss Bottled night, Tommy men, azzaro Chrome. All three had oil base in them and left a mark on my skin, the skin stayed oily where the perfume was sprayed. Shows lack of alcohol in the perfumes. In saudia people sell similar stuff like Oud and Ittar which is an oily concentrate of fragrances.
The counterfeit perfume companies around the world try to steal the original notes and make a copy thats 70-80 percent similar to the original. But they cant mix this fake liquid with Alcohol and T20 liquid etc. THey cant filter it using sophisticated machines. This will all make the item too costly to distribute. They can copy images and print it on packaging. THey can make similar bottles with rough edges and poor quality, caps will come off, wont get locked, the nozzle will leak, the bottle neck tightening ring will not be made of steel or cool looking material, the color might come off if scratch with nails, the barcode will look fake, spelling mistakes everywhere....
Klara · 622 weeks ago
Sarah Kretchmer 74p · 622 weeks ago
I am pretty sure that Chemist Warehouse are the same. I know that they are definitely not authorised to sell Lancome though would have to follow up with the other brands PRs to be sure.
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Saumya · 622 weeks ago
Sarah Kretchmer 74p · 622 weeks ago
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Kiki Chaos · 622 weeks ago
The only thing I buy from Strawberrynet is shampoo/conditioner. Do you think they could be fakes too, or are just the cosmetics grey market?
Sarah Kretchmer 74p · 622 weeks ago
I couldnt say whether your shampoo/conditioner could be fakes...they might be, or maybe old stock, or genuine, or stock aimed for other countries...thats what I don't like - the not knowing.
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Hany · 622 weeks ago
Sarah Kretchmer 74p · 622 weeks ago
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Denise · 570 weeks ago
National Insurance 71p · 384 weeks ago
Cover Up Tattoos · 374 weeks ago
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Harper · 300 weeks ago
Price list purchased Lancome perfumes from L'Oreal, Estee Lauder and Clicnique perfumes from Estee Lauder, Juicy Couture and Marc Jacobs from Coty Prestige. Those are the authorised distributors as well as the brand owners for those brands.
Lancome does not own Lancome brand, L'Oreal does!
Marc Jacobs does not own Marc Jacobs perfumes, Coty Prestige does.
You need to educate yourself more on who own what in fragrance industry. Do you think L'Oreal wouldn't mind that Priceline purchasing Lancome from grey market while they stock the full range of L'Oreal Paris?
Same goes to Chemist Warehouse. Its all part of a big market segmentation that those company play so people like you keep purchasing your perfume from Myer while those bargain hunters can go to Chemist WH or Priceline. Either way they still get the sales.
Scent Haven · 253 weeks ago