Counterfeit BoxyCharm Products?

[shopaholic15]

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?

[kay3344]

But when they Launched the website a whole bunch of shade happened. They listed on the website everything was paraben and cruelty free... yet the box clearly states parabens. Also compare this ingredient list to higher end 100.00 moisturizers... propelyne glycol shouldn’t be such a large ingredient. You can find the same packaging on Ali baba for 1.70 a tube. The ingredient list is identical less one item. Manny mua wiped it off his face and said it smells like gak slime but they removed that part of his video and called it a meem. I wrote them about the findings of other charmers. Here is the response...

Thank you so much for contacting BoxyCharm! We have received your communication regarding Faccia cosmetics. We will be assigning your email to the team who can further resolve your concern and one of our specialists will be assisting you as soon as possible. We thank you for being a part of the BoxyCharm family!

[lmaster]

Interesting @kay3344 what did they end up doing?

[kay3344]

I will follow up when they contact me again :).

[lmaster]

@kay3344 Im very interested in what they have to say

[kay3344]

I’m still waiting to hear back again :/.

[Angelex]

Anastasia Beverly Hills is already produced in China... along with SEPHORA, Smashbox, Urban Decay, Tarte, Too Faced, Becca, It, Elf, Morphe, Pixi, Lorac, Stila, and a ton of other brands that everybody uses. The majority of the cosmetics companies have factories in Asia. Just because a cosmetics company has factories in China doesn’t make them counterfeit. And just because a cosmetics company makes an agreement with a sub box to subcontract part of the manufacturing process also doesn’t make the products counterfeit. Counterfeit means that the products are being produced without the knowledge of the cosmetics company. I absolutely think that the sub boxes should be completely transparent about where the products are being made, but to accuse them of making counterfeit products is ridiculous.

[SoulKisses]

it is appalling the ignorance associating China with fake, counterfeit or BAD. Truth is the west moved to at home/IT type jobs and it is hard to find experienced factory workers for actual production. last year Italy signed a famous contract with China: they export materials and ingredients from italy to factories in China for production. Wont mean stuff will be worse or fake. Smh....

[kdorts]

I don’t have a subscription but I have heard about this and watched the YouTube video about it. I wanted to purchase some a highlighter on Mercari but after hearing about this I started doing research too. I noticed the mini blushes sent in there box are listed on the website with having talc and but the full size ones do not. If they are making specific products cheaper for sub boxes as well as themselves then that is a shame.

[shopaholic15]

I checked an Elemis cream I got in a Boxycharm from a few months ago. This cream actually came in a box so I have a complete ingredient list.I’ve compared it to the ingredient list from the legit product and oh my lanta. It’s shockingly different.

Here’s the ingredient list from Elemis: Aqua/Water/Eau, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Polyacrylate-13, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Stearic Acid, Fragrance (Parfum), Lauryl Laurate, Sodium Benzoate, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Polyisobutene, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Potassium Sorbate, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Citric Acid, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Tocopherol, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Padina Pavonica Thallus Extract, Disodium EDTA, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Rosa Centifolia (Rose) Flower Extract, Acacia Decurrens Flower Extract, Porphyridium Cruentum Extract, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool, Citronellol, Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil, Cuminum Cyminum Seed Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Limonene, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal.

Here’s the ingredient list on the Boxycharm version:

[heartsmyface]

@shopaholic15  Manufacturers have to abide by the laws of each country.  If a company owns a warehouse in four separate countries and each country has a different banned ingredient in the products recipe, alternatives will be agreed to and used.  
You see this with simple everyday items like Kit Kat bars.  The ingredient list is far different in Japan than it is in the US.  
An ingredient change isn’t a reliable tell that something is counterfeit.  Actually, a different ingredient list is a good sign that companies are being upfront about the contents.  

[Angelex]

@shopaholic15 I went to check the Elemis website, because I do have a Boxy subscription too, and of course it makes me wary/ concerned to hear things about the products in Boxy potentially being fake.  I'm a fairly oblivious person, so it's entirely possible that I'm missing it, but I don't see the particular ingredient list that you posted.  Did you get it directly off of the Elemis website, or did it come from another website that just sells some Elemis products?  I know that Elemis doesn't post the full ingredient list for a lot of their products on their website.  I looked up my shipping confirmation for that Marine Cream set I posted a pic of, and I did order it directly from Elemis on 12/2/19.

[Angelex]

Is that the Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream? I like a lot of their products and I order directly from Elemis. I have a ton of products from the Christmas sale (I'm a total sucker for GWPs and they had some good ones for Christmas lol). I admit I was too lazy to read the entire ingredient list, but the pic of the box you posted looks like it matches the ingredient list for the Marine cream, on the box I got directly from Elemis. Sorry about the rip lol, I'm not very careful when I open my boxes.

[LadybugIP]

PSA:

After yesterdays explosion on social media about Boxycharm buying the packaging from Fairytale cosmetics and putting their own product into the packaging in a lab that they own in China, I started digging through my stuff. I have 11 Boxycharm palettes. 6 of those palettes say, "Made in PRC" PRC = People's Republic of China. One of my PÜR palettes even says the shadows are made in PRC but the packaging is made in USA.. All of these companies are supposed to be made in USA/France/Italy not PRC. So, yes. Boxycharm IS sending fake products to it's customers. I have cancelled my subscription and you should too. Check your products and please, do NOT use them anymore! Chinese makeup is full of poisons. Please do not use makeup made in China! Even if you think it is a trusted brand, it is not! Do you research like I did, please please do not trust Boxycharm or makeup products made in China.

[heartsmyface]

@LadybugIP   Okay it’s one thing to prefer makeup made in Italy, France or the USA because you prefer their labour practices or their laws regarding animal testing, but to say all Chinese makeup is full of poisons because SOME factories produce counterfeit makeup is blatantly false.  
China produces wonderful makeup brands!   Maysu, KanS, Tasu, Moamis, Marie Dalgar, Herborist and Chando to name a few.   They also produce legitimate makeup for many US brands.  just because it’s made in China doesn’t make it poison.  

[ny9264]

What about Morphe? All my Morphe palettes say made in china.

[shopaholic15]

Wow! I had no idea this happened. Where was said explosion? IG? I googled and couldn't find anything (on page one). Very curious to read more.

I watched the makeup episode from Netflix's Broken series and I am hyper paranoid of where my cosmetics come from now.

[Jess33777]

I totally agree with you!

[AshGarcia]

@shopaholic15 That doc on Netflix was a real eye opener. I don’t care to use any brand that produces in China, regardless if the product is legit or not. I’d rather not risk any potential reaction or contamination.

[treestar86]

I've noticed that any cheap makeup I get online , like nyx or milani, smells strong and then I notice it says made in china...so I'm a bit wary of using them.

[AshGarcia]

@treestar86 A family member of mine used to travel to China a lot to inspect plants and investigate counterfeiters for his company. He told me a long time ago not to purchase brand name products from dollar stores as many of them are fake. After that I’ve always been wary of deals that are too good to be true and been careful about where I purchase certain products. I was a bit skeptical of boxy going in, but also looked up the ceo who was known to have businesses that helped companies liquidate excess inventory. I just wouldn’t have thought that included expired products, which is where my main concern lies especially after receiving a product marked 2017.

[Kim888]

@shopaholic15 I believe Boxycharm / Ciate addressed this - ciate updated their ingredient list on their website to reflect talc according to a reddit thread. 

 I don't believe boxycharm is selling counterfeit goods; however, the ingredients in some skin care products ( like the Kypris Item) definitely had order of ingredients changed. While not hidden, I do think it's shady to claim you are including a high priced item and then change the product for the box.