How to Check if a Cosmetic Is Original (India Buyer's Guide)

There's no single trick for spotting a fake. Packaging copies have got good enough that "the font looks off" no longer works on its own. What does work is stacking several checks, starting with the cheapest and most reliable one: where you bought it.

1. Check the seller before the product

Most counterfeit trouble in India comes through marketplaces and social-media shops, not through brand stores. Buy from the brand's own website, its official store on a marketplace, or a retailer the brand lists as authorised. On Amazon and Flipkart, look at who the seller is, not just who delivers it. "Fulfilled by" a platform doesn't mean the platform vouches for what's inside. Be cautious about new sellers with few ratings, and about prices well below what the brand charges on its own site outside a sale.

2. Read the label like a regulator would

Under India's Cosmetics Rules 2020, cosmetic labels have to carry certain details. These include the product name, the manufacturer's name and address, a batch number, the date of manufacture, a "use before" or expiry date, and the ingredient list. Imported products should also show importer details and a registration certificate number (CliniExperts has a readable summary). On top of that, Legal Metrology rules require the MRP and net quantity.

If any of those are missing, that's a flag. A product with no manufacturer or importer address, no ingredient list or no batch number is one you should be wary of buying, genuine brand or not. The imported creams flagged by CDSCO this September are an example of the problem (details here).

3. Check the batch code

The batch number should be on both the outer box and the product itself, and they should match. A mismatch is suspicious. The code also usually tells you when the product was made. Our batch code checker decodes the formats of several brands and works out whether the product is still in date.

One caution: a code that decodes fine doesn't prove a product is genuine. Counterfeiters copy real codes. A manufacture date that's years old, or past its shelf life, is a bigger warning than a valid-looking one is reassurance.

4. Compare the ingredient list

Many brands publish full ingredient lists on their website. Compare your pack to it. Our product scan pages show official lists with their source and the date we checked. Formulas do differ between countries and change over time, so a small difference isn't conclusive. A completely different list is.

5. Compare how it looks, feels and smells

Look at print quality, spelling, how the seal and cap fit, the weight, and the colour, texture and scent against a product you know is genuine or against photos from the brand's site. Useful, but it's the least reliable check here. Good fakes are close, and some genuine batches differ slightly.

6. Ask the brand

Send customer care the batch number, a photo of the pack and your invoice or order details, and ask whether the batch is theirs and where it was supplied. Many brands will tell you.

Higher-risk categories

Be extra careful with sunscreen (a fake may not give the SPF on the label), anything promising to "whiten" skin, eye products, and prescription-strength creams sold without a prescription. Whitening creams in particular have been repeatedly found to contain mercury.

If you think you've bought a fake

1. Stop using it. If you have a reaction, see a doctor, and mention the product.
2. Keep everything: the box, the product, the invoice, photos and the listing page.
3. Report it to the platform and ask for a return and refund.
4. If the platform won't help, contact the National Consumer Helpline (call 1915, or file at consumerhelpline.gov.in). The helpline works with major e-commerce companies to escalate complaints.
5. Tell the brand, so it can act against the seller.

Quick answers

Does a valid batch code mean it's original?

No. It tells you the date the code represents, not authenticity.

Is Nykaa or the brand's own store safer than a marketplace?

Generally the risk is lower because the stock comes through authorised channels, but no source is perfect. Keep your invoice.

Can I test for mercury at home?

No reliable home test exists. If a cream has been flagged or has no manufacturer details, stop using it.