To help fight counterfeit perfumes, a doctoral student in forensic science at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), in collaboration with the chemistry section of the Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale de Montréal, analyzed and compared more than a hundred samples, authentic and counterfeit. And through analysis, the scientist managed to get the illegal essences to reveal some of their secrets, and it doesn’t smell very good. Perhaps, under the tree this year, you will find a small package containing an elegant bottle with a heady fragrance that you will happily spray yourself with.
Perfume remains a classic gift, whether at Christmas or any other occasion, but it comes with a cost that pushes many consumers to look for more attractive prices. However, the bargain of the century smells like a scam. Since the pandemic, with the help of online commerce, the counterfeit perfume market has been booming and very lucrative.
According to a 2016 study by economic consultant Frontier Economics, the global market for counterfeiting and pirated goods was already worth nearly $1.13 trillion in 2013. The study estimated that it would reach $2.
8 trillion in 2022. PhD student Pier-Louis Dumont, who already has a master’s degree in chemistry, suggests that the amount for 2024 is probably even higher. He drives the point home by adding that some studies indicate that counterfeiting is as lucrative, if not more so, than other illegal activit.