Fake and original skincare: how to tell them apart

Why fake skincare is so common

At a press briefing in June 2026, NAFDAC Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye said cosmetics are the most counterfeited products in Nigeria, followed by food and beverages. She said fakes copy the packaging of real brands so closely that even retailers struggle to tell them apart.

Counterfeiters do not always print new containers. In September 2025, NAFDAC seized fake cosmetics worth about ₦500 million from a military market. Martins Iluyomade, NAFDAC's Director of Investigation and Enforcement, said the people behind them reproduce the containers and refill them with fake cream or lotion.

In February 2026, Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority inspected 14 shops in the cosmetics lane of Madina Market and found counterfeit ORS Olive Oil Sheen Spray on display in every one. It seized 643 pieces, and none of the retailers could show proof of purchase. In June 2026, a week-long FDA sweep across 15 regions of Ghana seized 4,504 unregistered, fake and potentially hazardous cosmetics.

In South Africa, a police-led raid on a wholesale warehouse in KaNyamazane, Mpumalanga, in July 2026 recovered more than 10,000 counterfeit skin-lightening creams and medicines.

Look at the packaging and print

Compare the product with one you know came from the brand, or with photos on the brand's official website and social media pages. Look at these details:

• Spelling and grammar on the label, including the ingredient list and the company address.
• Print quality: blurred text, colours that bleed, or a logo in a slightly different shade or position.
• Security features the brand uses, such as a hologram. Ghana's FDA pictured the original ORS Olive Oil, with its hologram, beside the counterfeit.
• The batch number and dates. They should be clear and printed on the container itself. A date on a loose sticker, or print that rubs off with your finger, is a warning sign.
• The barcode, the manufacturer's name and a full address.
• The container: thinner plastic, a lid that does not close properly, or a label that peels at the edges.

Our guide on how to read a batch number and expiry date shows the signs of a changed date in more detail.

Inspect the seal, smell and texture

Many creams and lotions come with a foil seal under the lid, a shrink wrap or a cap that breaks on first opening. If the seal is missing, torn or loose, the product may have been opened and refilled.

Once it is open, compare it with what you know. A fake or refilled product may:

• smell different, stronger, or of a perfume you do not recognise
• have a different colour, or separate into oil and water
• feel thinner, greasier or grainier than usual
• sting, burn or itch when you apply it

If a cream you use every day suddenly looks, smells or feels different, stop using it. Keep the container and your receipt. You will need them if you report it.

Think about the price and the seller

A price far below what other shops charge can mean a fake, an expired product or a product brought into the country without registration. Ghana's FDA has warned that a product sold ridiculously cheap should raise suspicion, and it tells the public to buy cosmetics only from licensed outlets.

Online sellers are harder to trace. The World Health Organization says mercury skin lightening products can still be found advertised and sold online, even in countries with tight controls.

Look for the registration number or quality mark

Each country has its own registration or quality mark for cosmetics. Here is what to look for:

• Nigeria: a NAFDAC registration number. See how to verify a NAFDAC number.
• Ghana: registration with the Food and Drugs Authority, which regulates food, medicines and cosmetics under the Public Health Act, 2012. See our guide to the FDA in Ghana.
• Kenya: the KEBS Standardization Mark. KEBS says you can text the code under the mark to 20023. See the KEBS Standardization Mark.
• Uganda: the UNBS Quality Mark, also called the Q Mark. UNBS asks the public to buy cosmetics that carry it.
• Tanzania: registration with the Tanzania Bureau of Standards, which has regulated cosmetics since July 2019.

A number or mark on the label is not proof on its own: counterfeiters copy them from real products. Search the number and make sure it matches the product name, the size and the company on the label. See the signs of a fake NAFDAC number.

The health risks of fake and banned creams

The greatest danger comes from lightening creams that contain banned ingredients. Nigeria bans mercury and hydroquinone in cosmetics, Ghana and Uganda ban hydroquinone, and Kenya's KEBS has banned 131 cosmetic brands that contained one or the other.

• Mercury. NAFDAC says mercury is a toxic substance and is prohibited as an ingredient in cosmetics. Regular use can cause rashes, skin discolouration and blotching. Mercury passes through the skin, and long exposure to high levels may harm the kidneys, the digestive system and the nervous system.
• Hydroquinone. NAFDAC says hydroquinone is prohibited in skincare cosmetics and should only be used under medical supervision. In Kenya, KEBS says skincare products with hydroquinone, steroids or hormones should be registered by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board for medical use. Ghana's FDA has linked heavy use to thinning skin, poor wound healing and permanent stretch marks. The US Food and Drug Administration has received reports of skin discolouration that may be permanent, a condition called ochronosis.

Seizures show how widely these creams are sold. In November 2025, UNBS inspected 25 shops in Jumbo Arcade, Kampala, found banned products in 21 of them, and seized 2,087.8 kilograms of cosmetics containing hydroquinone. In June 2026, the Tanzania Bureau of Standards destroyed 8 tonnes of banned cosmetics in Mkuranga District.

The World Health Organization says mercury skin lightening products are hazardous to health and are banned in many countries. The US Food and Drug Administration says children and pregnant people face a higher risk and should avoid them.

If a cream burns, stings or changes your skin colour, stop using it and see a doctor or pharmacist.

Some companies protect their products with anti-counterfeiting methods. You can verify a product protected with Batach with your phone at batach.io/scan.

What to do if you think a product is fake

1. Stop using it. Keep the container, the outer packaging and your receipt.
2. Write down where you got it, the date, the price and the batch number.
3. If it caused a reaction, see a doctor or pharmacist and show them the product.
4. Report it to the agency that regulates cosmetics in your country.
5. Tell the brand through its official customer care line.

The agency for cosmetics is not always the one for medicines. In some countries a food and drugs authority covers cosmetics, and in others a bureau of standards does:

• Nigeria: NAFDAC. Call 0800-162-3322 or visit nafdac.gov.ng.
• Ghana: the Food and Drugs Authority. Use the complaint form on fdaghana.gov.gh.
• Kenya: KEBS, on its toll-free line, 1545. Report counterfeits to the Anti-Counterfeit Authority.
• Uganda: UNBS, on its toll-free lines, 0800 133 133 and 0800 233 233.
• Tanzania: the Tanzania Bureau of Standards, on 0800 110 827 or at tbs.go.tz.
• South Africa: cosmetics fall under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, and municipalities can be authorised to enforce it. Ask the health department at your local municipality where to report.

Our guide on how to report fake products in Nigeria explains each Nigerian channel in detail.