It has been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Not when it is actually causing terrible havoc.
This is the dilemma of Anna Magkawas, CEO and Founder of Luxe Beauty & Wellness Group, which manufactures and distributes the popular Luxe Slim, an appetite suppressant used by many celebrities including Vice Ganda, Dimples Romana, Tony Labrusca, Zeinab Harake, Pau Fajardo, among many others.
According to Anna, Luxe Slim is now being copied and sold by unscrupulous individuals via social media.
“They copy our products down to the packaging and sell these to unsuspecting victims, claiming to be directly connected to us,” she told us during a recent meeting.
“Thankfully, hindi nila magaya ang lasa ng produkto namin,” she added. “I haven’t tasted the fake ones pero I was told that it tastes like dirt.”
Her biggest worry is that some people are now reaching out to her directly, complaining about the quality of the products.
“They didn’t know they were duped, na napeke sila,” Anna said.
She advised buyers to study the packaging properly as the fake ones could be easily differentiated via quick inspection.
“Mahahalata mo na agad that the packaging is done cheaply, event the font used, the colors used, these are all wrong. And our products are generally packaged bigger, maliit lang yung sa mga fake.”
“And it’s better talaga to buy directly from us or via Lazada and Shopee,” she added.
As of now, Anna is still studying legal options possible to put an end to the rise of these counterfeit products.