U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and import specialists assigned to the Miami Seaport Port intercepted 1,440 cartons, containing more than 60,000 bottles of imported perfume bearing counterfeit trademarks, just ahead of Mother’s Day. Custom’s officers on April 9, 2020 inspected a shipment from China seizing counterfeit perfume brands under protected trademarks belonging to Christian Dior and CHANEL.
If genuine, the seized perfumes would have an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price of more than $1.7 million.
Counterfeiters mislead consumers by creating products that are confusingly similar to the real commodity. Upon first glance you see the name brand packaging, both box and perfume bottle have colors resembling those of the genuine products. Oftentimes the perfumes state they are manufactured in France to emphasize a more luxurious product, but upon closer look, they are actually made in China.
Fragrance is absorbed by the body; therefore, consumers need to be aware that wearing counterfeit perfume could expose them to potentially hazardous chemicals. Counterfeit fragrances are commonly bought online and in flea-markets and not from the manufacturer’s authorized vendors.
In fiscal year 2019 approximately $1.5 billion worth of counterfeit goods originating overseas were seized by U.S. Customs. China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkey and Canada were the top five countries of origination for counterfeit goods seized by U.S. Customs.
