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Post in Makeup Is Life
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Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

Can we talk about BoxyCharm for a minute?

 

There’s been buzz about the possibility of Boxy sending out counterfeit products for some time now. I was skeptical at first but the box I got this month changed my mind. It’s to do with the Ciate blush. I was stoked to get it because it’s something that’s been floating around in my online shopping carts for a while now. The biggest appeal was that it did not contain talc. This was confirmed from their website where it explicitly boasted that the product was free of talc. I used the blush for a few days and noticed some bumps/redness starting to pop up on my cheeks. This is strange for me because it’s rare I break out (even during a crazy hormone time). I was researching why this could be and talc came up. Talc is a monster ingredient I diligently avoid because my skin doesn't agree with it.  But the Ciate blush didn’t have talc so it couldn’t have been that…right? Nope. The blush I received was made in China, not Italy like I expected, and the second ingredient listed? Talc. What? How? A quick google search showed me I wasn’t the only one peeved about this. It left me with more questions than answers. I tried contacting their customer service to no avail.

 

I went further down this rabbit hole and discovered a few more products I received came up as potential fakes/counterfeit. The $150 QMS cream. The authentic version sells for 150 Euro and is 15 ml. The one that came in Boxycharm is 17 ml (?) and had no box, no ingredient list, and no hygiene seal. Suspicious.

Moreover, the cult classic Too Faced BTS mascara was another product under fire. I checked the one I had received and compared it to one bought from Sephora and they are VERY different. The colour of the tube, the stamping, the lip, the brush. And if I recall correctly, that mascara didn’t come with a box either. In my quest for answers I did find statements from Ciate saying they moved their production from Italy to China a few months ago, but suspiciously removed their talc-free claim from their website. Too Faced stated they made a BTS mascara specifically for Boxycharm…perhaps they did so with a lower standard than usual?

 

I feel so deceived. I have cancelled my subscription. Am I alone in feeling this way? Is this just a conspiracy theory? Has anyone else had something similar to share or something to validate my frustration?

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Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

I just received the honey grail face oil by farmacy and it’s completely fake! 
super cheap made for boxy packaging, and the ingredients are in Arabic, I translated them and the ingredients list is completely different! 
I feel this should be stated on the website that they are selling counterfeit products, and I Own the honey grail bought here on Sephora and it’s NOT the same at all 

super frustrated as I have spent a lot on these boxes 

I know this feed is older but just thought I would update 

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

So I purchased a bunch of products in the pop-up from boxycharm. One of them I was super excited about with the 111skin black diamond Contour gel. I got the ingredients list from the box in my boxycharm and compare them to the ingredients on Nordstrom's website. To my shock and awe there were two more ingredients on the Nordstrom website that weren't listed on the box in my boxycharm.  Also some of the ingredients were listed in a different order. Which leads me to believe that the products I'm getting in my boxycharm are not the same quality as the real deal. Very disappointed and canceling my boxycharm subscription.

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

@Aclay1981 I think I've read this critique of BoxyCharm and 111 Skin on other sites, too.  In fact,I think it may not even be unique to Boxy Charm.  I think I've seen it in reference to Allure Beauty Box, too.  I'm not sure why 111 Skin would put out two versions of one product: the cheap Chinese made version which gets put in subscription boxes; and the expensive european produced version which makes it in into the department stores.  

 

Honestly, I don't hold the subscription boxes responsible for this bait and switch as much as I do the brand.  I wouldn't by 111 Skin from Saks or wherever just because I now know that the same products are available so subscription services for significantly less and most importantly because I know the brand doesn't value their name/brand/integrity enough to keep quality consistent.  You might buy it from Saks but who knows when 111 Skin will switch over to the Chinese-made version on Saks?  I don't want to be guessing about my quality and cross-referencing ingredients on different websites.  

 

What a very dumb business model for 111 Skin.

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

I tried a 3 months subscription, and it had Nothing special to it. 

 

I specifically checked Brands in the profile section, and Never received anything from those brands.

 

Boxy says "it has limited quantities, and so you might receive something else" F That, if you advertise products from specific brands, make sure Everyone receive them, because Everyone pays the same price.

 

99% of the products i received were from brands i Never heard from.

 

Also, the lip products i received from Each bag was a similar color of a very dark brown red, what is that????? 

 

BoxyCharm is a scam imo. It maybe wasnt in the begining, but it is now.

 

I also tried Ipsy which is a bit better, but still not worth it. And now Ipsy bought Boxycharm. Why.

 

Anyway, im done with makeup subscription boxes. I preffer skin care and boxes that have Better and real usefull things.

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

Holy sh*t. I subscribe to boxycharm and reading this freaks me out. I heard about selling fakes a while back too.

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

I noticed immediately that the Huda eyeshadow I got in my first Boxycharm box was NOT the same as the Huda eyeshadow palette I got from Sephora. The colors aren’t as vibrant and don’t glide on. The quality of the one from Boxycharm is far below what Huda should be it’s more like a cheap drug store brand in my opinion. My second order came with a very pricey vitC treatment that retails for $98 that was marked down to $24. I never used that product before but read amazing reviews when I received it I noticed a bad odor and can’t imagine that’s a product worthy of such praise. As others said Boxycharm may be getting old stock or having these products made especially for them with lower quality or different ingredients but if that’s the case I think it’s deceptive to list the retail price as if it’s the same product you would get and expect at retail price. Has anybody else noticed these issues? 

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

Hell yes its deceptive!! That's crazy! 

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

@shopaholic15 

Think about when you go to TJ Maxx and Ross. You sometimes see Anastasia Beverly Hills, or Kat Von D. Sometimes you even see Stila Cosmetics. It's all overstock. You know how when brands put stuff for sale? It's bc they wanna get rid of it. So, whenever they want to get rid of an item because they're discontinuing it, or changing the formula they give it to people like TJ Maxx and Boxycharm. Hence why it's so cheap. When they "change the packaging" just for that box, it's all advertisement. They want to stick out from the other items you got. 

It's not fake. If it was a counterfeit item it would be largely misspelled and have odd chemical smells, etc. Or changes in packaging that would make it try to seem like it was mimicking the specific product, not a whole other prettier version of it. If there was a problem, then brands would be responding every time they're tagged in Boxy's posts and it would be everywhere by now.

P.S America's main source to get stuff is China, so the country it comes from doesn't matter. You probably won't have to worry about fakes either love unless you're buying from Amazon, Santee Alley or from the side of the road. Just pay attention to misspells and products that look like extremely extremely close mimics because those are the ones you worry about.

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

From what I have discovered recently is if you haven't noticed yet that most of our boxy products are made in the USA instead if where the brand actually is made because allegedly boxycharm has deals with these brands to pretty much make copycat products using the brands ingredients list so I'm sure the brands make some sort of profit by doing this but the items are in fact are not coming directly from the brand manufacturer boxy is manufacturing their own products so it would be safe to say that no they dont always include the exact same ingredients as they do if you were buying straight from the brand's website. Just cross check your boxy items to legit items  so technically yes they are fakes because are dupes made by boxy!

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

There are many reasons for this happening...

 

Some items sold by subscription boxes are "made specifically for said box." This may come in the form of a collaboration with a MUA or brand such as Spongelle X FabFitFun and sometimes even boasted on the brand's website (so you can go back and repurchase the product you received and adored.)

 

The brand wants to advertise - not lose money. Other times, this comes in the form of a cosmetic company making items specifically for a box. The ingredients will be the same but the packaging may vary because it's "box specific" and their objective is to get their brand and product noticed, not for eBay'ers to buy a whole bunch of subscriptions with the intention of reselling their items at a much lower cost, thus jamming the brand's price point. The size or packaging will differ slightly, and sometimes it'll even say "not for resale" on the outer packaging or bottom stickers.

 

Sub boxes receive discontinuing / changed product sometimes. Some companies give sub boxes the bulk of the items they're discontinuing / packaging is changing / formula is changing / unpopular shades or colors. (Ever notice some of those freaky orange lipsticks and random neon eye shadow singles?) It gets their brand out there and works as a form of advertising and is also a deduction versus throwing the lot in the dumpster. Everything has a "sell by date," so this is a win/win for the box, the brands and (usually) the recipient. You may not like the shade, but you'll like the formula and remember the brand and you'll visit the website and maybe even made a purchase.

 

Large brands in sub boxes? Bonus! Sometimes the sub boxes purchase these items (think: doorbuster sales. They'll have X number of Tarte palettes and you might even subscribe or resubscribe to get yours. You might even sign up for a 2nd subscription to get an extra.) It's all about brand and advertising. Some companies sell cheap to sub boxes and some sub boxes receive the "nicer" items for free with an exchange of the promise to add the lesser interesting brand items (owned by the same parent company as the nice "big brand" items.) It's always a different agreement depending on the brand and the box.The brand receives advertising and the box gets contents. The better the content, the more subscriptions are sold. The more subscriptions are sold, the more the box can afford to add in nicer things -depending on the brand. 

 

Struggling / new brands sometimes give product to sub boxes. A less popular brand can receive 10-fold on their investment. A lot of times, that product will be a less popular item which they have too many of or, items that are changing formula. The website may list one set of ingredients, because of you BUY FROM THE WEBSITE that's what you'll receive. Get it elsewhere, it's a different, older formula.

 

Ever get something with no outer packaging or a terribly dented outer box? Some brands will give those items to sub boxes because otherwise, they'd have to be trashed. Might as well give (or sell cheap) to a sub box for the advertising that comes with it. 

 

The items are real. However the items make their way into the boxes, it's for good reason and they're not fake. I have never heard of a sub box procuring from gray market (although I won't say it's impossible.) QMS is a newer, smaller niche brand with absurdly expensive, I own several QMS products and I like them a lot. However, I'm fairly certain they're not faked. If you think something has arrived that's pretend, then contact the company and ask, "do you have a working relationship with Boxycharm?" and they will tell you yes or no. Then you can inquire further. Also, Boxy support sometimes seem to take a day or few to respond to product inquiries, but for me they always answer my questions. Thus far, I've not gotten anything fake (knock on wood!) but I'm fairly confident that they would never do that because of the potential legalities involved with the brand as well as the consumer, but that's just my opinion. They've been pretty good with products for me, which is why I stick with the sub. FFF and Boxy are my two. 

 

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

That all good but, The point of it is Boxy is Not advertising  their products as 'Not whats sold in stores' or "Similar to original. So yes it is deceptive, misleading, and false advertising. If it is not 100% the same ingredients then its not the same product.

 

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

I would understand why everyone would think this,  but I should point out that I received A LOT of beauty boxes and I review each item from the box. I have been in contact with the chemists, companies & the subscription boxes and I have not yet come across anything fake. Ipsy and boxycharm are by far my favorite.  I do know that when a company wants to promote an item they send them to these subscription companies.  The issue with the blush i would put blame on the company it self. I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on such great products because of rumors. 

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

YES! YES! YES! I have bought some products from Sephora and when I got the same items from Boxycharm, I realized that they were completely different in quality. Same brand same product but different quality. At least I am not going crazy but now I realized how they managed to give the boxes for so cheap. You pay for what you get that is for sure.  And nowadays, ladies please note that a lot of products are made in China from Boxycharm. I WOULD NOT put them anywhere near my face or eyes or lips.  Just google and educate yourself about the products from China. Notorious for being harmful for you!  And furthermore, on Boxycharm website, you can't even give a lesser than 3 star ratings. How fake!

Anonymous Insider

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

I got a GlamGlow moistertrip from boxy charm...I have really been into IT cosmetics cream and this stuff has like no smell no reaction to my skin...is it possible it's a counterfeit?

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

@shopaholic15 

If this is true, that's so horrible! 

I watched a documentary about counterfeit makeup products.  This one girl bought a counterfeit Kylie Lipstick for super cheap and was excited since they were all sold out online.  It turns out there was superglue in it and it glued her lips shut 😥

 

I never buy any products outside of Sephora or the actual website/ store and always avoid Made in China/ PRC products

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

I have been a member of Boxycharm for over 3 years and have never had any problems with any of their makeup. They are not giving out counterfeit products, you sound like a disgruntled customer who broke out with a rash. They have top rated products. 

Anonymous Insider

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

Yes, let's talk about this.  As a matter of fact there's not much to talk about except for the FACT that Boxycharm is manipulating consumers.  There is NO question that they manufacture many products in their lab in China, repackage it and sell it as the original - all with cheaper and altered ingredients.  Someone wrote that it is false to assume products from China are using cheap ingredients.  Well, that would #1 depend on the company just as anywhere else #2 Boxycharm dictates what goes into the "fake" products made in their lab which happens to be somewhere where overhead and production is dirt cheap.  Now FACTS:  1. Many products are sold as the real deal but are not.  The packaging looks the same.  The ingredients are not.  They are not the same ingredients that make the product a quality product, period. 2. There was one beauty influencer who promotes Boxycharm who questioned a product Faccia-skin, which had numerous red lights going off.  She brought it to her viewers for comment and said she would report back after she got an answer from BC.  Instead she never mentioned it again and was reprimanded by BC for questioning them. 3. Some products are legit, at least it seems so from their ingredients.  However safety seals and packaging is non existent for the most part. I have had numerous products that looked tampered with. I've had products go bad in a short time.  I've gotten filler products from brands that no one has ever heard of and then hear the influencers try and make them sound cool.  I've had eyeshadow palettes sold as the real deal arrive in cardboard pallettes designed to look like the original aluminum containers ex. Iconic London which came in Feb 2020.  If you buy a Hershey bar and get it home, open it and taste it to find it's really a generic brand chocolate bar - and then look on the back to see that it was made on Mars are you going to go back to that store and say, "Oh well they didn't mean it".  You better damn well believe they meant it. And you are exactly the type of customer they are looking for. I don't know why this is on Sephora's site - but I will say at least with Sephora's play box you get real samples.

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

I thought the same as what others have said. I thought they are selling products on their way out get a big discount from the brand for remaining inventory. That’s cool but it seems what they are doing now is getting new products from whatever brand making them cheaply in china so its not a counterfeit because the brand is essentially selling it was a “private label”. So its like if you get White Castle burgers at White Castle and they are great. Then you buy the frozen box kind at 7-11 and make in the microwave. It’s the same name but its not the same lol corners where cut. 

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

Just came across this so thought to share my experience. I have been a member of Boxycharm for quite some years but recently I developed a reoccurring stye in my eye that I could not figure out why it was happening. It would happen only after I wear makeup and I usually have a bare face. I knew it was a makeup product but couldn’t figure out which one. Around the same week, my sister developed a really weird scar on her eyebrow from the brow bar kit that was included in Boxycharm. Rest assured, we both have never experienced something like this and we healed immediately after giving up makeup for few days. Anyway, I did not think much about it and I still want to give Boxycharm the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they are selling expired stuff or I don’t know but now I am a little uneasy. This month I received the First Aid beauty pads and after using them, my upper lip has started burning so I wanted to investigate. I do not have sensitive skin and this is not something that is the norm for me. I first of all, the product did not have an ingredients list and the packaging looks slightly different from the original online at FAB website and Sephora. I will include pictures for y’all thoughts on it. I did unsubscribe because I will not take a chance with my health. I am throwing away all the makeup I received from them. I hope this is just a suspicion and not true.

OriginalOriginal

 

Original has ingredient listOriginal has ingredient list

 

What I received in BoxycharmWhat I received in Boxycharm

 

No ingredient list from the one I received in boxycharmNo ingredient list from the one I received in boxycharm

 

Re: Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

you CANNOT  use glycolic acid anything on your lips or they will at minimum get irritated (or like dumb me who didnt know better, you get Pamela Anderson lips lol)

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