Amazingly 10% of ‘designer’ fragrances are considered to be counterfeit. As a woman how do you protect your investment when purchasing your favorite perfume? The following is a list of 10 things to look for so you don’t get scammed when you make your next perfume purchase. 1. Labeling The label on your perfume bottle should be impeccable. It should be perfectly aligned on the bottle and not have any imperfections in the label itself or the printing. 2. Essential Oils Real fragrances are made with essential oils. These oils do not go rancid and can last in your perfume bottle for up to 5 years. The perfume should not look oily, feel oily nor should it have a skim of oil on the top wherein you have to shake the perfume bottle to mix the oils. 3. Bottling Designer perfumes are packaged in designer bottles which have no imperfections such as bubbles in the glass or moulding marks; lines in the glass where the two half were moulded together. If you see any of these imperfections in the bottling do not purchase it as it is a counterfeit. 4. The Packaging Inspect the outside of the perfume box. Make sure you check the spelling carefully on the entire box. You would be amazed at how the counterfeits make one small spelling error that can be hard to find. The packaging should also be made of quality cardboard and the coloring should be consistent all around the box. The cellophane wrapping should be tight against the box and not loose or bubbly. There should not be any glue or tape residue inside of the box. 5. The Fragrance Itself Essential oils are sweet smelling and never bitter or sour. If you smell any type of bitterness or sourness in the perfume it isn’t real and don’t buy it. 6. Consistency and Color All perfumes should be clear in color. There should be no appearance of oils or separation of oil and liquid or any darkness or cloudiness. 7. Barcodes If you notice that there are barcodes on the inside bottom of the box as well as the outside bottom of the box, don’t purchase it as it is a counterfeit. Barcodes should only be located on the outside bottom of the box. 8. Sales of Large Quantities If you notice someone on-line selling large quantities of ‘designer’ perfume you can bet that they are counterfeit. 9. Only buy from Reputable Sellers Online Many fragrances are sold on-line at reduced prices. This will be your best indicator that the perfume is not real. Be especially suspicious about bargain buys and of course any sale that is too good to be true is just that. If the perfume is being sold for half of the cost it should be sold for avoid the purchase. 10. Inscriptions on the Bottle An authentic bottle of perfume will always have inscribed on it the country where the perfume was produced, the date of production, expiration date and the composition of the product. If these are absent on the bottle it’s a counterfeit. Make sure you read the inscriptions carefully as counterfeiters will add an extra letter to a name or leave a letter out. Example: Cool Winter instead of Cool Water or Genzo instead of Kenzo.