MAC counterfeit: How to spot a fake MAC lipstick

Whether it's special dates like Valentine's Day or Black Friday, we're all looking for attractive prices. Cosmetics lovers look for discounts in shops, on websites and on social networks. You browse and see a bargain price, much lower than what you would normally pay. The products look so beautiful and tempting - but beware: they may be counterfeit. As you know, MAC is a very popular make-up brand, particularly for its wide range of lipsticks, which makes it a target for counterfeiters. If you're a make-up enthusiast, you may already have come across counterfeit MAC lipsticks. It's worth knowing how to spot the difference so you know what to spend your money on. Counterfeiters copy the real thing closely, but there are slight differences. You need to be extremely careful when buying this kind of product on the Internet. So, if you're unsure about your purchase, simply read the guide below to find out how to spot fake MAC lipsticks.

MAC logo on the cap

One of the best ways to spot a fake MAC lipstick is certainly to look at the "MAC" written on the cap.

So pay close attention to the MAC logo on the lipstick cap. The font on the real tube is much smaller in height and closer together. A fake tube will have a similar font, but it will be a little larger and more spread out from the "M" to the "C".

• If you only have one tube, look for photos of genuine or imitation tubes online for comparison.

• On the cap of the real lipstick, the MAC logo appears to be almost etched into the cap of the tube. A fake one may look more printed or stuck on and the logo may fade over time.

• The dots on either side of the "A" must also be perfectly round. Imitations may have oblong or spotted dots.

• The logo of a fake MAC lipstick can also be positioned a few millimetres higher than the logo of a genuine MAC lipstick.

On the left the fake MAC lipstick tube, on the right the real MAC lipstick tube.

The smell

Real MAC lipsticks all have a sweet vanilla scent. Fake ones, on the other hand, smell more like chemicals or plastic. So smell the tube of lipstick to see if it's a fake. As for the intensity of the smell - the smell is always the same, but its strength can vary. So a lipstick that smells faintly or intensely of vanilla cannot be a fake.

Inside the lipstick tube

The aluminium part of the tube

Let's move on to the aluminium part of the MAC lipstick tube. Simply remove the cap to see if the aluminium tube is shiny. If you're buying online, simply ask the seller for a photo of the inside of the lipstick. The aluminium part of a fake MAC lipstick appears dull with no shine, whereas the real thing is always shiny and silver. This is because genuine MAC lipsticks are often made from an alloy such as aluminium and steel.

What's more, because of the alloy used to make MAC lipsticks, they should feel heavier than a counterfeit tube.

On the left is the fake tube of MAC lipstick with defects, on the right the real tube of MAC gloss lipstick.

The mechanism inside

If there's one thing no MAC lipstick is different from, it's the white mechanism inside that turns the tube. In fact, the tube must always look like the image on the right below, it will never be different and must never be similar to the photo on the left, which shows the fake lipstick. As you can see in the photo on the left, the white mechanism is separated by a few millimetres from the top of the tube. This is absolutely not the case on the real tube on the right. What's more, the edges of the mechanism on the counterfeit are rounded and poorly finished. On the genuine tube, on the other hand, the edges of the white mechanism are straight and perfectly aligned. Pay close attention to this detail and don't hesitate to ask the seller for a photo, as this could prove very useful in your search.

On the left, the mechanism of the fake MAC lipstick tube, on the right, the mechanism of the real smooth and shiny MAC lipstick tube.

The shape of the lipstick

Also consider the shape of the tip of the lipstick. The shape is often different between a real and a fake MAC lipstick. Genuine lipsticks always have rounded, upward-pointing tips. In all cases, they stand out clearly from imitations because they are always carefully treated, which is absolutely not the case with fakes. As you can see from the photos below, there is an excess line on the fake lipstick on the left. Something the real MAC lipsticks never have.

On the left, the fake MAC lipstick tube with a stripe, on the right, the real MAC lipstick tube, smooth and shiny.

The sticker below

The important detail to check is the sticker on the underside of the MAC lipstick. As you can see from the comparison images below, the counterfeit MAC lipstick on the left has a shiny silver sticker (you can see the light reflecting off it). Whereas the genuine lipstick still has a matt grey sticker. What's more, the genuine MAC lipstick will always have the name of the colour, the finish and the batch number on its sticker. This is not often the case with imitation MAC lipsticks.

On the left, the sticker on the fake MAC lipstick tube, on the right, the sticker on the real MAC lipstick tube.

The corresponding number

Ideally, lipstick comes in packaging. Unless you buy it second-hand and the seller no longer has the packaging, but they usually keep it so that they can resell it more easily. This packaging will be very useful for checking the authenticity of your MAC lipstick. On the packaging you'll see the lipstick number printed or embossed. This can then be compared with the number at the bottom of the label. If the two numbers don't match, you can be sure that it's a MAC counterfeit.

Numbers that must match

Make sure you don't get ripped off

If you want to buy your MAC lipstick from a private seller such as Vinted, make sure the seller isn't trying to rip you off with a counterfeit. To do this, use our guide to identify the authenticity of MAC lipstick, as well as a secure payment method. Obvy, the secure payment solution between private individuals on classified ad sites, allows you to turn around if the seller tries to defraud you. All you have to do is turn around and you can get your money back without any difficulty. What's more, you'll also have all the information you need about the seller to lodge a complaint against them. Happy shopping!