How to Spot Fake & Real Benefit Hoola Bronzer

There are countless counterfeit Benefit cosmetic products being sold by unethical eBay sellers. Here is a short guide on how to tell the difference between a FAKE Benefit Hoola Bronzer and a real, genuine one. In all photos, the fake is on the left and the real product is on the right. 

Cardboard Packaging

• The colour of the fake is more plum purple, real is darker and richer in colour
• Picture placement of the flower and bamboo shoots are different
• Please note that the genuine Hoola also comes in different packaging where the lid is attached and there is a mirror inside

You cannot peel the sticker on the back where it says ‘peel here’ on the fake!

The print quality on the sides of the packaging is less clear (blurry), darker and colours are not as vibrant as the printing on the real one.

Edges of the fake benefit are rounded whereas they are much sharper on the real one.

The Brush

• The most obvious difference is that the real brush has visible brush strokes on the handle, as though it has been hand painted. The handle of the fake one is a solid colour.
• The real brush handle is slightly smaller and shorter

The Product Itself

• The fake has very poor pigmentation – colour is faint and light, even if you scrub at the surface!
• Real Hoola is heavily pigmented, a little goes a long way. The colour is less orange and the powder is very finely milled.
• As you can see in the pan, the fake has a lot of red undertones, whilst the real Hoola is a natural and cooler-toned brown.

What do I do if I’ve accidentally bought a fake product?

If you have unfortunately received a fake product, I would advise contacting the seller and letting them know why you think it’s a fake. With some luck, the seller will reply and you will get a refund. Sometimes, the seller may ask you to send the item back before giving a refund.

If the seller has not yet replied back to you after a few days, I would advise contacting them again.

If all this has failed so far, I would advise opening up a dispute with eBay. Here are some guides on how to go through that process:

Dispute Resolution:

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/tp/questions/dispute-resolution.html

What to do when you don’t receive your item or it’s not as described: http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/buy/item-not-received.html

I hope this guide has been helpful to you all! Remember, using fake products can potentially be very harmful to your skin since you don’t know what the real ingredients are! People who make fake products are only interested in tricking you into believing they are real, they could be using any number of harmful ingredients in the manufacturing process.

Good luck and stay smart!

Feel free to check out my items for sale on eBay (I only stock genuine items): http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/acvat/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=

eBay username: acvat

If you’re interested in grabbing a bargain, check out my blog sale for used, good-condition and as-new makeup. :)