HONG KONG: Customs officers were working to track down the suppliers of bogus cosmetics and skincare products following the arrest of seven people and seizure of more than 1,000 fake items in Hong Kong, a senior Customs official said on Monday.
The 1,011 counterfeits consisted of two fake Korean products – face powder and brow liner – and one American facial moisturiser, and were confiscated from six retail shops in Sheung Shui, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long between Thursday and Sunday, according to the Customs and Excise Department. The haul was worth about HK$24,000.
Senior Superintendent Yip Wai-sim, head of Customs’ Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau, said initial laboratory analysis showed the consignment did not contain heavy metals, but “further tests are needed to find out whether the products contain other harmful ingredients”.
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She said preliminary investigations indicated the fake products had been sold at the six outlets for three to four months. The buyers were mostly tourists from the mainland, Yip added.
Four of the shops are situated in Sheung Shui and sell mainly parallel trade products. The other two stores are dispensaries in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long. According to the department, initial investigations showed the shops were not linked.
Hong Kong Customs launched an investigation into the six shops after receiving information.
Initial investigations showed each product was sold for between HK$20 and HK$65, four per cent to 29 per cent cheaper than the retail price of the genuine item, according to the senior superintendent.
Because of the high quality of the packaging, it was not easy for consumers to distinguish the fake products from real ones, Yip said. She appealed to members of the public to shop at stores with a good reputation.
Between Thursday and Sunday, Customs officers raided the six shops and picked up three men and four women, aged between 22 and 47. The Hongkongers – six salespeople and one shop owner – were released on bail pending further investigation.
Yip said she believed only a small quantity of such counterfeits was being circulated on the market, adding that Customs would continue tracking down the sources and suppliers of these products.
She said there was no indication to suggest there was a trend towards increased illegal trade in fake cosmetic and skincare products in the city.
The department handled 19 cases in the first nine months of this year. There was an average yearly figure of 37 cases in the past two years.
According to the department, the maximum penalty for the offence is five years’ jail and a HK$500,000 fine under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
