Why You Should Be Afraid to Buy Beauty Products on Amazon
Why You Should Be Afraid to Buy Beauty Products on Amazon
Est. Read Time: 5 minutes
Why are the professional beauty products you love $10 cheaper on Amazon than they are on Pomp or other websites? The answer boils down to unauthorized retailers.
Unauthorized retailers on sites such as Amazon seem to have everything. We’re all guilty of falling down the wormhole of discounts and 24-hour shipping. Though you may be getting products for cheaper and faster, the risks of doing so far outweigh the convenience.
There is zero regulation.
The reason why premium products on Amazon feel too good to be true is because they are. Most people do not realize it is illegal for premium skincare products to be listed for purchase on an unauthorized retail website unless they are an authorized retailer on Amazon. Since there is little to no regulation for sellers on third-party websites, the product you purchased at a discount may not even be the real product. Or worse, it is a stolen, already used, expired, or watered-down product. That’s right: the cleanser you bought on Amazon may have been a return from someone else.
But it has a 5 star rating.
Unauthorized retailers on Amazon are pros at creating smoke-and-mirrors. You may be thinking, “if the product is not authentic, why does it have 5 star reviews?” Many suspicious sellers incentivize users to leave positive reviews and even artificially fabricate user patterns to inflate positive feedback under their products. Because there is no regulation, the 5 star reviews have a more than high chance of being fake.
Prioritizing transparency.
Because Pomp and similar platforms are authorized retailers for these premium products, there is no artificiality to the cost, quantity, or make of what we sell. What you see is what you get. When you purchase on an unauthorized site, sellers do not have to be honest with you about what you get. They could be completely dishonest in the product description if they so choose. Amazon sacrifices its reputation by hosting these unauthorized retailers while tarnishing the actual brand’s reputation for a high quantity of sales. If you purchase a product that ends up being fake or expired, you most likely will come back to Amazon to give a different brand or product another chance. Creating a cycle of overconsumption even though you are likely receiving a counterfeit product.
This year, reconsider stocking up on your bucket list of beauty products on Amazon Prime Day. Skipping the discount is worth it if you are doing right by your skin. Whether or not you choose Pomp to shop resourcefully, be sure you purchase on authorized websites. Your budget and your skin’s health will thank you in the long run!
Resources
Why You Should NEVER Buy Skincare Products from Sellers on Amazon, Ebay, etc.