Beware: Expired Beauty Products Sold Online
By Deepa I.
Hi,
A lot of online websites sell international cosmetic products at discounted prices. I am a self-confessed shopaholic and I keep surfing these websites and buy a lot of online goodies. Sometimes, I do feel the efficacy of these products is not good and they do not bring out the desired effect. It may be mostly due to the “dumping ground effect.” It’s not that these products come free; we do pay a substantial amount. For example, around 2 months ago, I brought Olay White Radiance Intensive Serum from an Indian online website. I have been using it sincerely for 2 months and haven’t noticed any difference in my skin. I will review it separately later.
Today, I want to alert everybody about these exclusive skin care products that are sold on online websites.
Recently, there was a promotional offer on an online commercial website on branded cosmetics like Clinique, Elizabeth Arden, etc. I bought the Clinique Moisture Surge Combi pack worth Rs. 3499. The contents of which are the moisture surge spray, extended thirst relief and the refreshing eye gel.
I received the product yesterday and I checked the product’s manufacturing and expiry date in the cosmetic calculator shown in Rati’s post here. You can find the calculator here.
The product was manufactured in September 2008 with an expiry date of 36 months, i.e., September 2011. This means I have received an expired product.
I am very furious and wanted to inform all you IMBB followers. I am going to return the product to the company and ensure that I get my money back.
I would request all IMBB followers to please be aware of such promotional offers.
Best Method To Treat Acne and Cosmetic Calculator
Warning against Elizabeth Arden Products Sold in India
Deepa….thank you so much for this post. I will keep my eyes open and refrain from doing such purchases. Nupur and Rati had also pointed out such expired products sold online as well as through stores. Last month, the FDA under its new commissioner conducted a raid of body shop outlets and seized goods worth 72 lakhs that were expired but sold with new stickers. REad the story here……http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-05/mumbai/31585492_1_licences-fda-commissioner-food-stalls
Hi Jomol,
It is very shocking and its not just cosmetics. Even things like Lens solution. Once during my practice, i came across a news that a certain solution that bausch and lomb were selling in India was already discontined elsewhere due to severe side effects.
As i said in my article, we are suffering big time due to the dumping ground effect.
Yeah.. thats true.. and not just the cosmetics.. even the second hand and already worn designer apparels from abroad are being sold as brand new apparels in India.. I was about to buy a designer watch from Fashion and You but my hubby spotted some scratches on the watch in the zoom picture.. and I didnt get it. Thats when we discussed all international trade and found out that these online retailers actually sell second hand stuff otherwise why would a company sell brand new stuff for much lesser price that too when they have had to pay the import duties etc.
So, I have found a way to deal with this. Whenever I see a tempting product, I do a google search on it or rather look for it on the manufacturer’s website. If the product is listed there I compare the price and quality. If not, I understand that this means this product is no more sold or made by the company as it is either expired (made a long time ago) or second hand or defected piece which is why is it not listed on company’s website!
Good idea Surabhi,…..i had ordered a dress for my niece which I had liked online but it turned out to be quite ‘duh”
i bought an RCBPC watch from an online store some time back, and it turned out to be fake:-(
This is a great idea. I also try to do a similar thing esp with stuff like watches and shades.
OMG…such an eye opener….but apart from the online sotres selling expired stuff, exclusive brand stores are also doing such things….in feb-2012, I bought something from MAC in select citywalk, and when I came home and checked the stuff, one of the items had expired in january-2011…..can you imagine?? i lambasted the SAs at the store properly…. why can’t they keep checking the stock/ inventory regularly??? huhhh….
thanks for sharing….
i’d like to add here that i’ve noted many times that the nail-polishes which i buy through online shopping dry up quickly!! 🙁
moderation!!!!!
I agree with you Ritu. Infact I brought a H20 hand lotion from FNY. The product on the website had a dispenser. The product i received was in a tube and the minute I opened it the lotion oozed out. I freaked out and returned it immediately.
its sad we have to go through such things!!!
MAC???!! I am going to faint now..
yeah…. if MAC also does this, then what can we expect from other brands? and I happened to check the date just by-chance..was about to throw away the carton, and happened to check… ;-( thank god I did:)
such a sorry state….i’ve become vigilant from that day onwards!!
I mentioned a website name and the comment went into moderation.. 🙁
rescuing Surabhi 🙂
Yeah.. thats true.. and not just the cosmetics.. even the second hand and already worn designer apparels from abroad are being sold as brand new apparels in India.. I was about to buy a designer watch from an online site but my hubby spotted some scratches on the watch in the zoom picture.. and I didnt get it. Thats when we discussed all international trade and found out that these online retailers actually sell second hand stuff otherwise why would a company sell brand new stuff for much lesser price that too when they have had to pay the import duties etc.
So, I have found a way to deal with this. Whenever I see a tempting product, I do a google search on it or rather look for it on the manufacturer’s website. If the product is listed there I compare the price and quality. If not, I understand that this means this product is no more sold or made by the company as it is either expired (made a long time ago) or second hand or defected piece which is why is it not listed on company’s website!
Rescuing Ritu 🙂
oh wasnt aware..such a buddhu i am..:( i keep buying online all the time..thanks for this post
Aru…not only online…but stores also are selling stuff like this…..you know about that FDA raid on body shop outlets na ?
noooo i wasnt aware abt that either..:(..for someone who is so interested in makeup i think I shud take more effort and keep my eyes open..
No problem 🙂 please shop online carefully. You never know what you land up receiving. Another thing to note is, these products do not come free we pay a price for them and we land up getting damaged and expired items.
actually most of these gift packs avlb on these websites are originally gift with purchases.I saw a clinique gift pack on urban touch.com yest and then happened to chk the macys website.. and surprise surprise….the gift pack on urban touch.com and the gift pack which is marketed as a gwp with 28 usd purchase is the same !i wud say get ur imported stuff thru a frnd or relative or from the company website !
Shwetha…..these people are selling gifts too at a price 😯
yes !i always felt all these sites are a sham!when the product isnt officially launched in a country and then some website makes it easy for u to get it… it is too good to be true rite!
Yes I agree Shweta. I always thought that these websites are a sham… Its a shame that we dont value human life
Thanks for the post….till now don’t know we can calculate expiry date for cosmetics….
yes please do.. please check all cosmetics against this calculator. Its pretty accurate
this is happening at an alarming rate, especially online in India.. Great post this is… Thanks Deepa 🙂 I would never buy perfumes, deos, nailpaints online except from trusted sites. I remember some post of similar nature coming up here in IMBB. After that I am vigilant and saved so much money hi hi..
Anytime Ife 🙂 yes rati and others have been warming us from time to time. This time around i was the victim so I thought I should also post
If even a premier brand like Body shop is slapping fake expiry stickers on their products..think about the other imported stuff… scary…
Great post 🙂 It’s good that more people are sharing their experience here…makes us lot alert!!i never buy online…never ever !!!and im so happy that it’s been a good decision on my part:D and whenever i do buy skincare or cosmetics from stores, i do check the product code online..When Nupur did the post first, i did mention that that i bought sum high brand prod from the store which turned out to be expired!!i’m really not surprised anymore!!
I was so happy that all brands are coming to India and that i don;t need to shop and carry stuff from abroad anymore..but I guess i will continue to buy from abroad as much as I can..it’s really sad!! 🙁
Thank you shanaiia 🙂 the good thing is these brands are comming to India, but not with the same quality. I also buy abroad on and off and I find the same products have such good quality when brought in the US or UK. For eg: Olay. I find the creams Olay sell are amazing, But the ones sold here have no effect whatsoever
i googled more about fake n expired cosmetics being sold in india…and the number of articles are endless…it’s disgusting!!
moderation??again??
Heer sorry, rescuing 🙂
Oh God! I was never comfortable with Online shopping and I dont think I will trust OL sites again! selling expired stuff is a crime! what if someone applies and has allergies? these people are absurd!
Oh yes! tell me about it. I was so angry when I found this. If I was in the US, i would have sued the company big time. But then again this would have never happened in the US
OMG!! these kind of posts are coming in more.. an eye opener truly.. cosmetic companies need to have more responsibilities..
Wow..! i planned on buying some goodies at “discounted prize” online. Now i Will NEVER DO THAT AGAIN.. I can imagine how you would have felt.. We spend 4000 bucks just to receive an expired product that the company wanted to get rid of?? That’s just pathetic and sad on the part of the company. I wonder what such brands gain by doing like this. I mean apart from short term monetary gain, their entire brand name will get spoiled na?? And expired products seized from BODY SHOP outlets?! OMG..! How can we ever find out if they fix a new sticker??!
Exactly!! the sad part is the company person was supposed to pick up the product and they still havent bothered to pick it up. First of all, they sell expired products. Secondly such bad service. Its so scary. this is not just with small brands. I have noticed problems like this with some big brands too and as you said there is no way to find out if their sticker is new or not.
my comment in moderation.. :'( 🙁 🙁
Wow..! i planned on buying some goodies at “discounted prize” online. Now i Will NEVER DO THAT AGAIN.. I can imagine how you would have felt.. We spend 4000 bucks just to receive an expired product that the company wanted to get rid of?? That’s just pathetic and sad on the part of the company. I wonder what such brands gain by doing like this. I mean apart from short term monetary gain, their entire brand name will get spoiled na?? And expired products seized from BODY SHOP outlets?! OMG..! How can we ever find out if they fix a new sticker??!
good article!!!i had a horrible experience with 99labels as i too had received an expired Elizabeth Arden Perfume……moreover my online purchasing experience with Medplus too was not that satisfatory as i received a lipstick manufactured in Jan 2010….though there are 6 months more for the product to touch the expiry date i feel buying from the malls after a thorough check would be better!!!!
OMG!! I broght some jewelry from 99 labels and you should have seen the way they had sent it. It was a gold colour neck piece which had black spots all over. I was so disgusted
So, what is the best way to avoid buying expired products. We can avoid online shopping. But if they are sold in shops too, how do we make sure we dont buy expired goods? How do we check on cosmetic calculator for each product we wish to buy.
I am really confused now..
One way I see is we can buy Indian made products.
But what to do if we want to buy internation products like MAC, Chanel, Estee Lauder and all…??
Another question is are the products, like Nivea, Lakme, Ponds, Neutrogena, etc, that we buy regularly, are within the expiry date?? How to ensure?
Absolutely, I too have same concern.
Anybody can answer this? If any IMBB beauty know some shops which sell genuine products without the extra sticker in your city, this can help. 🙂
Ashu….you can check it at the counter itself whether they have stuck any sticker on top of the product and you ask them if they could peel off the sticker to show actual details.
Thats right Jomol. Half the time the SA do not want to peel the sticker.
But I want to know if people are aware of any cosmetics outlets in their respective city where they buy genuine products only.
Actuallu ashu you are right the SA wil not let you do that. But honestly i am not sure if there is any other way to find that out. IMBB readers, if you know of any methods that wil help us check if a product is geninue or not then please let us know
internet is very handy nowadays. 1 thing which comes to my mind after reading article and all the comments is that we can bookmark this particular site on our phone and whenever we are goin 4 shoppn, v can chck the product then and there itself..
yes i agree.
Pragnya, if you come across such outlets, you can write to the FDA commissioner about it and he is the one responsible to take action :). Will let you know how to contact him 🙂
Ladies, here’s the site for FDA of maharasthra http://www.fda-mah.com/, you can contact them here. I think each state has its own commission.
yeah agree with Jomol…we should contact the authorities,the companies and also educate ourselves online..there are many articles and videos online,,and i guess when in doubt,just do not buy..
great post…had a similar experience with an online shopping site who sold me an expired ELizabeth Arden perfume….another popular website which offers attractive discounts often sells revlon lipsticks that are just six months away from the expiry date…so beware
Yes.. lets not fall into this trap again and lets be careful.. Its our skin and we really have to be a lot more careful
very helpful info…thnx.
ur welcome 🙂
I had bought an oil from a site called drugneed.com…
i received it on time but the oil was expired.. it costed me somewhere around 70 rs.
i called them and mailed them the pics of the oil with the mfg date and all..
they asked me to ship it back.. i said its not possible to spend another 100 rs for a product
that costs only 40.. and till now i havent got any response from them..
this was my first buy online and i’m very upset with their service
Oh god.. even i gt a oil from drug need. I will check its expiry date.. drug need doesnt sell stuff on discounts we are paying the MRP rate + shipping and this is the quality.. This is so irritating
such an informative post… Hope you will get full money refunded soon. I wish if the online shoppign sites include the product expiry dates too…..
I hope so too 🙁 they wont do that.. if they did no1 will buy
This is so disappointing!! 🙁 🙁 🙁 Can’t trust buying these foreign brands in India..seriously..
Guys, I saw one sale by fashion and you which sells some brand called Vert. I searched online and could find only one relevant link, it was a brand in LA and that shop is closed now. I wonder how they got the products and how old they are….am extremely wary now of ordering new brands online…
Moderation! Help!
Hi
Wanted to purchase the Kiehl Acai Damage Correcting range from one of their flagship stores. The products had import date of 2011 and use by date of 2014. Just happened to check the mfg date sticker – the serum was manufactured in 02/2010 and the moisturiser in 07/2010. Why should I pay Rs 2500 for a product manufactured 2 years back. The SA gave me inane explanations like its imported from the US (yeah – and someone walked back with it and took 2 years to reach India) and the sticker is put just like that (yeah – what fun!), the import date is important and not the mfg date etc.
The way I see it, this is dumping.
I am so glad to see that this information is being shared! I have also been fooled at major discount “Racks” stores by the tempting discount prices on facial creams and have been furious as I find out the products are waxy and old! This is also a common practice on cruises and you get brand name facial products at 40% or even better discount-they know they will not see you once you finish your cruise- and the products are old and they sell to us before dumping them!
Hi,
I faced the same problem. Googled about the expired complaints and found this post. Just wanted to check if the company takes a stand.
I bought a Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse from Beauty Palace Andheri West on 10th July 2014. Today (12th July 2014) when I thought of using it, I checked out that the expiry date on the bottle says July 2014 and the bottle says that it was imported on Feb 2012. Since I opened the plastic seal, the store refuses to take it back in return for a fresh product. Today is Saturday and Maybelline customer care lines are open from Monday thru Friday. Please advice!
Regards,
I have been in a similar situation purchased a loreal travel pack of 3 creams and to my surprise it had expired in 2012 but the website I shopped from FASHIONANDYOU.COM delivered the product in 2014.Unfortunately I realised this after using it for few days ,it was late by then,I had red marks and pimples all over my face.Its been 5 months and neither I have received my money nor they have bothered to call back or revert to any mail.