IPO campaign launched as toxins found in counterfeit beauty products
What was announced
Tests of seized counterfeit cosmetics found potentially harmful substances such as mercury, lead and methanol, as fake beauty purchases rise among young adults.
Key points, in the publisher's words
- Counterfeit beauty products are putting people’s health at risk, prompting warnings from the Intellectual Property Office, Trading Standards and beauty industry experts about the dangers of fake cosmetics. They are urging people to buy from trusted sources.
- Testing of products seized in the UK found four in ten (40%) contained potentially harmful substances. These include mercury, high levels of lead, methanol and nicotine.
- The Intellectual Property Office’s ( IPO ) new Face the Fakes campaign is highlighting the hidden risks identified through testing of seized counterfeit products. These include a skincare product containing 13,200 parts per million of mercury and high levels of lead in make-up. A counterfeit fragrance contained around 80% methanol, a toxic alcohol that can cause serious poisoning.
Figures in this announcement
Each line is quoted from the original. Figures are as the publisher stated them on the day.
- “A counterfeit fragrance contained around 80% methanol legitimate cosmetics sold in the UK must meet strict safety requirements.”
- “People therefore have no assurance about what ingredients they contain or how they have been made one in five (20%) young adults aged 18 to 24 who bought beauty products in 2025 admitted knowingly buying fakes.”
- “This is more than three times the proportion recorded in 2023 (6%) nearly three in four people who bought counterfeit cosmetics and toiletries purchased them online.”
- “Testing of products seized in the UK found four in ten (40%) contained potentially harmful substances.”
- “These include a skincare product containing 13,200 parts per million of mercury and high levels of lead in make-up.”
- “A counterfeit fragrance contained around 80% methanol, a toxic alcohol that can cause serious poisoning.”
Who and where
UK bodies of power
- Intellectual Property Office (executive agency) · more news
Where this sits in the 10 levels of power
Topics, as GOV.UK files them: Copyright, Designs, Patents, Trade marks.
Receipt
- Original: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ipo-campaign-launched-as-toxins-found-in-counterfeit-beauty-products
- Published 2026-11-02 09:00:04 UTC
- Read by this site 2026-11-02 09:15:05 UTC from GOV.UK
- Saved copy: receipt 6586, with its SHA-256 fingerprint
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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