ELC093

ACADEMIC WRITING FOR

FOUNDATION STUDIES

Prepared for

Pn. Aini Andria Shirin Anuarudin

Prepared by

Siti Nurlaila binti Abdul Ghani (2013615568)

Siti Maizura binti Ghazali (2013636866)

OUTLINE
Topic :Counterfeit make-up and beauty products
Thesis statement:
People should take proper measures to avoid buying counterfeit make-up and beauty products
because they are harmful to our health, impacts the economy negatively and are linked with
other illegal activities.
1.

Counterfeit make-up and beauty products are harmful to our health

1.1

1.2
to

Fake products do not go along with the regulations and is often found to
contain substances that can affect ones health.
1.1.1

Unlike the manufacture of genuine cosmetics, their counterfeited

counterparts are not controlled and do not go under rigorous testing.

1.1.2

Counterfeited make-up and beauty products have been found to

contain potentially harmful metals along with other banned substances.

The harmful substances in counterfeit make-up and beauty products are found
cause allergies and other skin diseases.
1.2.1

1.3

Substances used in real products are replaced with other cheaper but
unsuitable alternatives that may not be beneficial to us.
1.3.1

2.

Fake products have been found to contain substances such lead,

mercury and arsenic that would cause swelling, redness and irritation
and even long term health dangers.

Fake perfumes are found to use urine as substitute to stabilisers used in

the genuine products.

Buying counterfeit make-up and beauty products impacts the economy negatively.
2.1

2.2

Countries are losing a lot of money because of the selling of counterfeit makeup and beauty products.
2.1.1

The people responsible for creating and distributing the knockoffs sell
them with a reduced price and get away with the profit.

2.1.2

Fake products cause tax revenue losses and additional welfare

spending.

Counterfeit products also cause a fortune to the counterfeited brands, and

therefore reduce investments on their part.
2.2.1

Counterfeited brands will suffer from direct loss of sales and

irreparable damage to the corporate brand/reputation.

2.3
3.

Loss of money and investments will eventually lead to loss of jobs.

Counterfeit make-up and beauty products are linked with other illegal activities.
3.1

Organized criminal gangs are found to be involved in counterfeiting.

3.1.1

3.2

A number of criminal gangs around the world are found to be active in

the counterfeiting industry.

The profits of counterfeit products are used to fund other criminal activities.
3.2.1

Organised criminal gangs pursue several different criminal activities at

the same time and using the proceeds from each form of crime,
including counterfeiting, to fund others.

Conclusion :
Counterfeit items are illegal and the buying of it, no matter how affordable it is, will only
bring negative impact to not just consumers but also the world in a lot of aspects such as
socially or economically.

ESSAY
Cosmetics are a big thing in the market nowadays. Those who care a lot about how
they present themselves to other people would definitely buy them out of need. These
products are often sold at a high price and this is a problem to those who cannot afford them.
However, recently, products of the same name but different price have been popping up in the
market. Consumers all around the world would notice that these products are priced lower
than the usual. These cheaper products would most probably be counterfeited products.
Counterfeited products are imitations of the real thing but usually sold in a reduced price. The
reason why people still buy counterfeited products is because who would want to resist a
bargain? Bargain prices are something good to us but considering what would happen if we
buy and use these counterfeits, it would not be worth it. Even though they look the same,
these counterfeits are far from the original. Therefore, it is only right that people should take
proper measures to avoid buying counterfeit make-up and beauty products because they are
harmful to our health, impacts the economy negatively and are linked with other illegal
activities.
Firstly, counterfeited beauty products should be avoided because they have been
found to be associated with bringing harm to the consumers wellbeing. The reason for this is
mainly because these fake products do not go along with the regulations and is often found to
contain hazardous ingredients (Burrow, 2012). This does not happen with genuine products
because unlike the manufacture of their counterfeit counterparts, the real products are strictly
controlled and go through a lot of rigorous testing. Without testing, the usage of potentially
harmful metals and other banned substances in the content of the products will go unnoticed
to everyone except to those who are responsible for it. Moreover, whats more worrying is
that these harmful substances can aggravate the skin and in the worst case scenario, cause
lifelong negative effects on the body and the brain (Kemp, 2012). Lead, arsenic and mercury
are among the toxic cocktail found in counterfeited products and are able to cause swelling,
redness and irritation and even long term health dangers. It is also found that as a method of
reducing manufacturing costs, ingredients in genuine products are often replaced by cheaper
alternatives and they may be unsafe to us. For example, Smith (2012) stated that paint
stripper and nail varnish have been found in liquid eyeliner and some fake perfumes sold in
the market are proven to contain urine as a substitute for stabilisers used in the real thing. Our
health is important to us and therefore fake products should be avoided at all cost for the
harm they can bring to consumers.
Another reason as to why counterfeited beauty products should be avoided is because
it impacts the economy negatively. The selling of these fake cosmetics has resulted to
countries losing a lot of money. Countries are losing money because the people who are
responsible in manufacturing and distributing the knockoffs sell them with a reduced price
and get away with the profit without paying a single tax. For the genuine products, unlike
knockoff goods, the creators and manufacturers of the real products have to pay taxes such as
government taxes for the products to be distributed and sold in shops whether it be locally or
internationally around the globe. Furthermore, counterfeited products also cause a fortune to
the brands they mimic and will therefore reduce the investments they get (Ministry for

Economic Development [MED], n.d.) Aside from the loss of investments, counterfeited
brands will also suffer from a direct loss of sales. The counterfeited products corporate brand
and reputation will also suffer because of the complaints they will get for the inefficiency of
the counterfeit cosmetics manufactured under the same name. Since it is business, one failure
would probably lead to another causing a chain of reactions. So, the loss of money and
investments at the end can cause loss of jobs especially to the company whose brand has been
counterfeited. With all the negative impacts fake cosmetics can cause to the economy, it
would be a wise choice for everyone to avoid buying them.
Counterfeit cosmetics are illegal and to know that these products are linked with other
illegal activities would hardly be a surprise to anyone. Apparently, organized criminal gangs
around the globe are actively involved in the counterfeiting industry. What is more worrying
is that this illegal act is found to be associated with a wide variety of unlawful activities.
These organized criminal gangs pursue several other different activities at the same time and
the proceeds they get from each form of crime they commit, including counterfeiting, are
used to fund the others. Reports from Interpol (as cited in Kemp, 2012) say that the money
made from fake cosmetics is used for smuggling and terrorism. From the elaboration, it is
clear that buying counterfeited cosmetics will only encourage these groups to enlarge their
business. Therefore, buying fake cosmetics should always be avoided as they are a product
of crime and will further encourage other illegal acts.
In short, counterfeit cosmetics are illegal and the buying of it, no matter how
affordable it is, will only bring negative impact to not just consumers but also the world in a
lot of aspects such as socially or economically. To avoid health deterioration, consumers are
advised to take proper measures from buying fake cosmetics since over the years, the
manufacturers of these items have perfected the mimicking of the real packaging making the
counterfeit products look like a dead ringer to their counterfeited counterparts. Proper
measures that should be taken include buying from an authorized seller, examining the
product and the packaging for a batch number before buying and also taking in any notable
differences and compare them with a trusted genuine product. By taking in these proper
measures, consumers will be able to kill two birds using a stone since they will be preventing
the deterioration of their wellbeing, the destruction of the world economy and criminal
activities can also be drastically reduced. Therefore, it is only right that consumers take
proper measures to avoid buying fake beauty products.

REFERENCE LIST
Burrow, A. (2012, November 16). Toxic Makeup: The dangers of counterfeit cosmetics.
Forge Today. Retrieved from http://forgetoday.com/lifestyle/toxic-makeup-thedangers-of-counterfeit-cosmetics/
Kemp, C. (2012, September 31). The toxic trade in fake make-up: How counterfeit cosmetics
containing dangerous levels of arsenic are being sold online to unsuspecting bargain
hunters. Daily Mail [UK]. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
Ministry of Economic Development (n.d.). No to Fake. Retrieved from
http://www.uibm.gov.it/attachments/no_to_fake_cosmetics.pdf
Smith, C. (2012, May 10). Health warning over fake beauty products. Scotsman. Retrieved
from http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/health-warning-over-fakebeauty-products-1-2286435

LIST OF PARAPHRASES
1. Original sentence: There is no regulation controlling counterfeit cosmetics, which means
they often contain dangerous chemicals (Burrow, 2012)
Paraphrased sentence: The reason for this is mainly because these fake products do not
go along with the regulations and is often found to contain hazardous ingredients.
2. Original sentence: The cheaper imitations that are flooding the market may look
legitimate as well as please the purse but they have been found to contain
ingredients that at best irritate the skin and which could, in the worst cases, cause
permanent damage to both the body and the brain (Kemp, 2012)
Paraphrased sentence: Moreover, whats more worrying is that these harmful substances
can aggravate the skin and in the worst case scenario, cause lifelong negative effects on
the body and the brain.
3. Original sentence: In dodgy products seized by law enforcement agencies in the past,
paint stripper and nail varnish have been found in liquid eyeliner, while urine has been
discovered in fake perfume it had been used to mimic stabilisers found in the real
product (Smith, 2012)
Paraphrased sentence: For example, Smith (2012) stated that paint stripper and nail
varnish have been found in liquid eyeliner and some fake perfumes sold in the market are
proven to contain urine as a substitute for stabilisers used in the real thing.
4. Original sentence: The counterfeiting of cosmetics therefore represents a loss of profits
for the proprietors of the counterfeited brands, and therefore reduced investments on their
part (MED, n.d.)
Paraphrased sentence: Furthermore, counterfeited products also cause a fortune to the
brands they mimic and will therefore reduce the investments they get.
5. Original sentence: Profits made from counterfeit make-up are used to fund drugs
smuggling and terrorism, say Interpol (Kemp, 2012)
Paraphrased sentence: Reports from Interpol (as cited in Kemp, 2012) say that the
money made from fake cosmetics is used for smuggling and terrorism.