Internet beauty myths

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Buying beauty products online can be hit-or-miss, with some turning out to be fakes or even bottles of water. Here are some survival tips.

The cosmetics industry online is now worth $15 million in Australia alone.

Shoppers from around the country, no matter how remote, can fill up their Internet shopping trolley with the hit of one button.

And just days later, the very latest lip gloss, foundation or face cream will land on their doorsteps.

Self-confessed beauty addict, 22-year-old Renee Geddes, says she often saves up to 70 per cent by purchasing make-up online.

It's easy to shop around and compare prices and all without the pressure of a sales assistant.

"A few sites have free postage and it's a lot cheaper anyway, but the main difference for me is the convenience," Renee said.

"And you can sit in comfort of your own home and browse through things."

It's no wonder retailers are tapping into this new trend: one online store can be just as profitable as a busy walk-in shop or counter. While Australian Internet consumers are becoming more savvy, many are still being caught purchasing on the grey market, a new market where substandard or counterfeit goods run rife.

"It's the old saying, you pay peanuts you get monkeys," said freelance beauty writer, Lucinda Mendel.

"When it comes to cosmetics, you have to be particularly careful of huge discounts. I mean, if you see a luxury brand like Creme De La Mer for 50 per cent less, you have to be very suspicious about it."

What's more, as Lucinda points out, it could be dangerous to your health.

"A lot of these counterfeit products are filled with water," she said. "There's been cases where fragrances have been found to contain vodka, urine, human and animal urine and very toxic chemicals.

"There have been cases of people developing really bad allergies, having to go to hospital, skin irritations, eye irritations."

Almost 30,000 counterfeit perfumes worth $2 million hit the Australian market last year, before they were intercepted by customs. Nobody really knows how these fake fragrances would have been distributed.

Some Internet sites have been known to pop up in one day and do 24 hours of trading, before they shut down again.

"You'll find products that aren't in boxes, products that don't have proper seals, hygiene seals that you find in department stores when you buy product," warns Lucinda.

"Also, you'll find spelling mistakes and just generally products in bad order."

But for thousands of consumers like Renee, who regularly purchase over the Net at discount prices, they have no idea what they're buying may not be the real thing.

And that's where the problem lies and why the grey market thrives.

"A lot of the people say that they get it direct, wholesale, or from the manufacturer," Renee said.

"Obviously, a few things would be old stock, so that's what you've got to be wary of. But things like lip glosses, it doesn't really matter if it's a few months old, they don't tend to go off.

"You can't regulate human behaviour. If they want to buy something from a discount store in another country, you can't regulate that."

But if you choose a legitimate and registered Australian site, you should be safe.

Managing Director of beauty website rescu.com.au, Bahar Etminan says consumers just need to be educated about where to purchase their cosmetics. "With an international site or an unknown website, you've got no-one to speak to, so you don't have that comfort factor of the human element," Bahar said.

"You're really just being processed through the back office of you know it could be some dodgy warehouse."

Apart from price, there are other benefits of using registered sites: many, like rescu, also offer online beauty advice and access to cult products before they hit the stores.

"A lot of the websites here do have good savings," Lucinda said.

"You might save $5, you might save $10, you might save $20 off a product. They'll also discount about-to-be-discontinued products."

Adorebeauty.com.au, Meccacosmetica.com.au, rescu.com.au and specific brand websites like MAC and Aesop are just some of the recommended safe sites up and running.

If you have any doubts about what you've purchased or the website you've been using, here's what to look for:

• No expiry date or batch number on product or packaging
• Spelling mistakes on the label
• Differences in smell & consistency
• Poor quality printing
• Flimsy cardboard on packaging