Identifying fake MAC Pigments ***Guide with photos***

fashioniztah_07

fashioniztah_07

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xqueeze_me
Let me guess, its 3 of the 8 pigments that's on sale: Azreal Blue, Cornflower and Dark Soul?

As for the Pink Opal, its mighty weird that it doesn't have a batch code to go with the name on the label under the jar. The jar looks old and used too.. Here are the pictures of my Pink Opal.

PinkOpalBaseofJar.jpg


PinkOpalBackofJar.jpg



the bottom jar on my pink opal looks authentic except for da missing shade number.
 
dizzygal

dizzygal

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by fashioniztah_07
the bottom jar on my pink opal looks authentic except for da missing shade number.

In 2006 MAC had a labelling problem and the 3 digit batch codes ended up missing from some of their jars, if your piggie has its shade name on the base label then it might not mean its a fake, you really need to look and check as the others have said that the base of the jar has coltainer 3 on it and a 4 digit code,the disc/insert must also have these numbers, if they have your item is real as for colour, monitors and photography expertise can vary
 
Addicted_2_MAC

Addicted_2_MAC

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xqueeze_me
This post has been revamped.

MAC Pigments, authentic AND counterfeit, compared are:
  • Dark Soul
    DarkSoul1.jpg
  • Golden Olive
    GoldenOlive1.jpg
  • Pink Vivid
    PinkVivid1.jpg
When one is a newbie/noobie, one can't really tell the difference in-depth when comparing an authentic MAC Pigment to a counterfeit. Fear not! A detailed account will be shown in the following pictures and descriptions to distinguish between AUTHENTIC and COUNTERFEIT MAC Pigments.

**Please note that (C)ounterfeit is always on the LEFT side and (A)uthentic is always on the RIGHT side in the pictures.**


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********BOX SECTION********​


Top of Boxes:
~ Fonts on the (A) colour label shows consistency in printing, sizing and spacing whereas fonts on the (C) colour label shows inconsistency in printing, sizing and spacing.

~ Positions of (A) colour labels are located on the TOP RIGHT corner on top of the box whereas (A) colour labels are located on the bottom left corner. Here's the classic FAKES!

~ These are classic FAKES because it's just a letter and number on both the top of the boxes and bottom of the jars. (A) labels on top of box should be the colour name and (A) labels on the bottom of the jars should be the colour name and batch code (except for Glitters).

~ Leftover residue from another sticker label found on (C) Dark Soul box.

~ (C) colour labels have a BLACK base whereas (A) colour labels have a white under base.

~ (C) Dark Soul and (C) Pink Vivid have scratches leading to the colour labels and some previous sticker residue was left there, which indicates that the previous colour labels have been removed and replaced with another.

~ Bubbles underneath (C) colour labels on top of boxes may indicate that a previous label sticker have been removed OR its just plain crap label-sticking technique.

~ When the top is flipped up/open, you can read the (A) colour label as is, whereas you have to turn your head upside down to read the (C) colour labels (with the display hole facing you).

Front of Boxes:
~ Printing is done poorly on the (C) boxes. caffn8me has mentioned that MAC is very strict with printing.

~ On the (C) boxes, the first "/" after Net Wt. is vertical compared to the 2nd "/" after 7.5g on the Net Weight description just below the display hole - Golden Olive boxes.

~ Pink Vivid - (C) Pink Vivid is 7.5g whereas (A) Pink Vivid is 2.5g and the "/" error on the (C) box as well.

~ Sometimes, the Net Weight description on the (C) boxes are way too close to the display hole.

~ MAC logo on (C) boxes are bolder than the (A) boxes.

Back of Boxes:
~ Printing (AGAIN!) done poorly on (C) boxes.

~ (A) boxes spell POLVOS CON PIGMENTOS whereas (C) boxes spell POLVOS CON PLGMENTOS - Pin-point PIGMENTOS error.

~ (A) boxes show consistency in line spacings whereas (C) shows inconsistency in spacing between TORONTO, ONTARIO and CANADA M5V 1R7, LONDON WIK 3BQ - Pin-point spacing error.

Bottom of Boxes:
~ (A) barcodes are STICKER LABELS whereas (C) barcodes are printed onto the boxes.

~ (A) barcodes are different when it comes to different MAC Pigments.. (C) barcodes on the other hand are IDENTICAL even when it comes to different pigments - Comparisons.

~ Batch codes on (A) MAC Pigment jars FOLLOW the (A) barcodes or batch codes embossed onto the back of the box - Comparisons.

~ Obviously, (C) batch codes on the jars and boxes do NOT follow each other.

~ Counterfeiters take ONE box and print thousands of them, including the leaflets. The 3 (C) boxes show.


********JAR SECTION********​


Labels on bottom of Jars:
~ (C) Pink Vivid is DEFINITELY a fake because the month of production is 0??

~ Font difference between (A) colour labels and (C) colour labels.

~ Colour labels difference - (C) colour labels are big with smooth shiny surface whereas the (A) colour labels are smaller with less to no shine.

Inner Cover Lids:
~ The (A) lid has a 4 digit number on the outer lid, another 4 digit number, 2 digit number, 1 digit number AND "Colt-ainer III" in raised lettering on the inner circle while the other (C) lid does not have anything on them.

Base and Bottom of Jars (Marine Ultra is the only authentic jar):
~ The (A) has a 4 digit number, 2 digit number, 1 digit number AND "Colt-ainer III" in raised lettering on the INSIDE bottom and OUTSIDE base of the jar.

~ (C) jars are all smooth and have NO raised lettering or whatsoever.

~ Comparisons - (C) base of jars are THICKER compared to the (A) base of jars.

Crappy Glue Job on the wad seal for the (C) Lids:
~Wad seals were glued loosely to the black cover cap.


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caffn8me - As for swatching fakes, please be very careful. You have no idea what ingredients are in the fake pigments and other counterfeit products have been found to fail safety tests. NEVER use them on your face and if you swatch them on your hand (which I personally wouldn't do) then wash them off very quickly as soon as you've taken the picture.

Ambi- Well, they might contain just about anything, like rat poison, there's no way of knowing [without some professional chemistry] and people who make these probaby don't give a crap if someone goes blind or something, they just want your money.

I hope you will find this guide useful. Please pass it on if someone needs help with identifying MAC Pigments.

Also, please feel free to add any extra information that I have missed out on the counterfeit and/or fake MAC Pigments! Thank you!
smiles.gif


*PHEW.. Took me 4 hours to revamp this post!*​


thank you for sharing this info to us. its really helpful
 
Kaitlin_82

Kaitlin_82

New member
Thanks so much for all the great info. I did a little research on Ebay, and found it really surprising, that there were sellers whose products were obvious fakes (stickers in totally wrong places, prices waaaay too low etc.) but who still had hundreds of deals under their belts and 100 % positive feedback. I mean how clueless are these buyers?!

I think from now on I'm going to use only really really reliable sellers such as hoanganhcali and my-boo-kitty, and buy all unavailable stuff from my local official MAC-shop. I mean, it might cost a few bucks more, but at least I'll have peace of mind.
 
Julzie

Julzie

Well-known member
Does anyone have the Gold Stroke full size pigment that they can take pictures of? I bought a full size Gold Stroke but I'm not sure if it's fake.
 
rockin

rockin

Well-known member
I'd be wary of a seller who has 'private' bidders on things like this - it's often done to prevent anyone warning the bidders of a problem. Those brushes they are selling would make me concerned, too.

That said, I believe that the number on the sticker on the bottom of the jar can be either printed or stamped. I don't know this colour to be able to judge it on that. Have you checked the inner clear plastic lid to see if it has the numbers on it, and also the inside base of the jar? The guide at the beginning of this thread will tell you what it should say.

If you can post pictures, I'm sure someone will be able to confirm for you whether it is genuine or not.

I see the auction says 26 US OZ - what a big jar LOL
 
rockin

rockin

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Julzie
Does anyone have the Gold Stroke full size pigment that they can take pictures of? I bought a full size Gold Stroke but I'm not sure if it's fake.


I'm awaiting delivery of a Gold Stroke pigment bought on ebay myself, so I'll be interested to see this, too.
 
ibleevenfaeries

ibleevenfaeries

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by rockin
That said, I believe that the number on the sticker on the bottom of the jar can be either printed or stamped. I don't know this colour to be able to judge it on that. Have you checked the inner clear plastic lid to see if it has the numbers on it, and also the inside base of the jar? The guide at the beginning of this thread will tell you what it should say.

i checked the clear plastic lid and looks exactly like the lid from my teal( which is real since i got it from MAC) and there are numbers there and on the bottom
 
sharkbytes

sharkbytes

Well-known member
oh man, I just knew I bought a fake the second I tried using this. I almost always buy in-store, but I really wanted Electric Coral pigment, and I couldn't find it anywhere. I wish I had seen this site before, because it came from d.i.v.a-la-g.l.am on ebay.


I forget who it was but earlier in the thread someone posted about the fakes having a very talcum-powdery smell. Thank you! That was right on the money, this smells like a Secret deodorant.

It just seems unbelievably off to me...but I felt like I must be wrong, because it isn't exactly a new shade. I'll try to get pictures up tomorrow, thanks everyone in this thread for all the expertise
smiles.gif
 
sharkbytes

sharkbytes

Well-known member
Here are the pics from that Electric Coral pigment I ordered from diva la glam...there's six total and I hope I've thumbnailed them correctly!







 
Xqueeze_me

Xqueeze_me

Well-known member
It actually looks ok from the pictures for the Electric Coral.

I don't think they have Electric Coral fakes yet and the label on the bottom of the jar is correct: MAC PRO pigments have see-through labels on the bottom of the jar.

The batch number on the sticker barcode also matches the colour label on the bottom of the jar.

I smelled my Electric Coral pigment and it has the faint/tiniest smell of sweetness but not to the extreme like sweet talcum powder. BUT I am able to tell the difference when I compare the smell between authentic MAC pigments and the fake crap. Maybe I should scrap that info... Sorry, sharkbytes!
 
sharkbytes

sharkbytes

Well-known member
Ah Thank you! I'm really glad to hear that the numbers match up and everything. It does smell really odd, but then again, I've never smelled an actual Electric Coral pigment to compare. I have a hard time working with it, but it could just be that this particular pigment is finer, or something like that. I appreciate you taking the time to have a look!
 
wolfsong

wolfsong

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by sharkbytes
oh man, I just knew I bought a fake the second I tried using this. I almost always buy in-store, but I really wanted Electric Coral pigment, and I couldn't find it anywhere. I wish I had seen this site before, because it came from d.i.v.a-la-g.l.am on ebay.


I forget who it was but earlier in the thread someone posted about the fakes having a very talcum-powdery smell. Thank you! That was right on the money, this smells like a Secret deodorant.

It just seems unbelievably off to me...but I felt like I must be wrong, because it isn't exactly a new shade. I'll try to get pictures up tomorrow, thanks everyone in this thread for all the expertise
smiles.gif


I have only heard of fakes coming from that seller. The pigment colour and texture looks a bit different to my authentic Electric Coral, and it shouldn't smell talcy (talc is a very inexpensive filler ingredient used in cheap/fake cosmetics).

Who knows though? The seller may have accidently flogged a real one
winks.gif
 
Ericita

Ericita

Well-known member
Hi everyone, I'm so thanked I read this topic!
I'm from Chile and the only way I can get some pigments is buying them from someone who imports them, and I think he probably buys them from ebay (because some of them are LE charm size, so he can't get them in MAC stores not even in Canada or the USA...)

Now my question is:
Is there any way to know if the pigment itself is fake? The little bottle looks ok and is the same way as the charm sizes I've bought in MAC stores, but how can I know if someone bought a set of charm size, emptied and have the original pigment and then just put some dangerous thing in the bottle and then sold it?
I trust the seller here in Chile. He is a good guy. But maybe he bought them from a bad seller?
I'm particularly curious about Pinked Mauve for example. As it is a limited edition I have no means to compare the color on the MAC store to know if it matches exactly...

I'm sorry about my english, hope you understand.
Thanks.
 
wolfsong

wolfsong

Well-known member
Can you take photos of the pigments (a photo of a few of the jars without their lids on taken from above, and a swatch of one or two pigments would be great)?

The texture of MAC pigments is hard to fake - not impossible, but most fakes look and feel a lot different to MAC's.
 
wolfsong

wolfsong

Well-known member
Counterfeit makeup is potentially very dangerous (skin erosion, allergic reactions, skin reactions, toxicity, blindness and even death). You can always buy or mix up a batch of authentic pigment that matches all of the counterfeit colours (but with a better texture) without risking serious harm
smiles.gif
 
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