YouTube Stylist Testimonial

I was excited to come across a passionate Redken stylist who has his program on YouTube called, “Ask JD” an artistic director from the Antenna Salon in Norwich, CT. In this episode he answers a few questions about why you should only buy salon products from your professionals and I think it’s great to also hear it directly from one of our passionate stylists.

BusinessWeek.com Makes it Clear That Counterfeits Risk Our Safety in More Ways That We Can Imagine

These past months I’ve written about counterfeit shampoo, toothpaste, fragrances, pharmaceuticals, and even wine to create awareness of the risks associated with purchasing unauthorized products that touch you and your family’s bodies.

It would be nice to think that we have complete control over our exposure to counterfeit goods, but I recently read an article on BusinessWeek.com titled “Dangerous Fakes, How counterfeit, defective computer components from China are getting into U.S. warplanes and ships” which explains that counterfeiting goes far beyond these household goods, and could potentially affect our national security.

In a July 24 e-mail, an F-15 engineer, whom BusinessWeek agreed not to identify, wrote: "Suppose that a part like that makes it onto a flight-critical piece of hardware or mission-essential piece of hardware. The[re] is a very good chance that the part may work...but what happens at 40[,000] ft and -50 degrees? Hardware failure. Not good."

As Harper’s Bazaar explained to me, we need to keep in mind that by purchasing goods from unauthorized retailers we are potentially funding these criminal organizations that could potentially threaten our national security.

Anticounterfeiting Measures Seen as Boost to Battle Bogus Goods

In WWD, I was excited to learn this week that the U.S. government has enacted a bill that will fund a cabinet level position in the White House focusing on anticounterfeiting initiatives.

The proliferation of so many bogus apparel, footwear, handbag and accessories hit record highs this year, especially on the West Coat as products come in from China.

This new bill provides increased resources for the Department of Justice to fight against fake goods and intellectual property infringements.

I’m glad to see that the government is helping businesses fight this issue, especially during these tough economic times.
To read more about it, click here.

I Experienced IndiviDUALity

A couple weeks ago, I attended a Matrix event introducing a new trend called IndiviDUALity. I was surrounded by hundreds of stylists who gathered at the new MGM Grand at Foxwoods to witness the IndiviDUALity runway show in which models were transformed on stage to show how their cut & color could be used to create two styling interpretations to bring out their inner duality.

Afterwards, I enjoyed a night of dancing and mingling with the Matrix Artistic Design team. I personally enjoyed speaking with Errol Douglas, one of the Matrix Global Designers responsible for the trend. I had read that Errol was honored earlier this year by the Queen of England as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) – for his services in hairdressing, so naturally I wanted to speak to him more about it.

The event was a huge success and I know many will be inspired to visit their salon and challenge their stylist to create a look that represents their IndiviDUALity.

A Good Riesling

I enjoy a good glass of wine, and like to occasionally browse Food & Wine Magazine for the latest wine news. I was browsing the latest issue the other day and came across an article titled “Wine Scams: A Counterfeiter Confesses,” which immediately called my attention for obvious reasons.

The author, Lettie Teague, narrates how “…the most publicized claim of fake wine (so far) involves billionaire American wine collector William Koch, who has filed four lawsuits alleging that he was sold fraudulent wine, including a 1784 Château Lafite reputedly owned by Thomas Jefferson.” This inspired Lettie to take a look at the history of wine counterfeiting.

Apparently since the Roman times, Romans doctored wines with various substances like lead to make wine sweeter, then in the mid-1980’sin Austria produces employed diethylene glycol as a sweetener to obtain higher ratings. Unfortunately, we know lead can cause death, and diethylene glycol is a compound used to make antifreeze and can kill or cause kidney damage.

Coming back to the present day, Bill Kock’s court case inspired Lettie to try to fool her own discerning friends. She was only successful at fooling some of them, and if you read the article you will see that they did not appreciate the joke.

Bill’s story on the other hand, is one you will hear more about as it has spawned a book, The Billionaire's Vinegar by Ben Wallace, and Will Smith has bought the rights to the story to turn it into a film. This is a movie I look forward to watching.

Fortunately my favorite wine, a good Riesling Marceau, is not on the list of the top five most commonly frequently faked. Although I will make sure to look for signs to make sure my purchase is legitimate.

A Documentary Worth Watching

Over the weekend I watched a great documentary made by National Geographic entitled “Illicit, The Dark Trade.” I wanted to share with you how Dr. Moises Naim, Editor of Foreign Policy Magazine for 10 years investigating illicit trade and author of the book that inspired the documentary, explains that consumers' insatiable demand for counterfeit merchandise has given birth to a vast and dangerous criminal system.

When someone buys a fake handbag, they are touching the tip of an iceberg. They are touching the end very long chain of networks that in fact constitutes a criminal enterprise of global nature," said Dr. Moises Naim in the documentary.
I work in New York, a city where illicit goods are available on every street corner. The documentary points out how the counterfeit trade which includes everything from sunglasses to watches to pharmaceuticals, and even car brakes, supports additional illicit underground activties such as…a kidney bought from a broker in India, the illegal nanny paid for by a professional couple, the drug dealer with heroin from Afghanistan.

And if it doesn’t already seem dangerous enough, it gets worse. Dr. Naim explains how the demand for these counterfeit goods creates an underground network through which other illegal activities can also take place. The handbag you purchased in a NYC corner may seem harmless, but in fact it travels through a supply chain that can carry far more sinister products from an AK-47 to machinery to build atomic weapons.
This film really demonstrates how we all need to reevaluate how our desire to own a “name brand" knowing that we are purchasing a fake product not only supports a grey market but also fuels global crimes against humanity and even national security. The first step is educating ourselves and our friends about this issue and this film is a great vehicle to spread the word.

Purchasing Products on eBay

I was browsing at Staples, and noticed their price matching guarantee sign for all new computers EXCEPT for those purchased on eBay. I did a little online research and found that HP is experiencing some of the same issues as our salon professional brands, as many of their products are being counterfeited or sold at unauthorized online dealers and in some cases, customers are being scammed and not shipped products at all from eBay sellers.

While I realize that cost of a laptop is much higher than a bottle of shampoo, I want to stress the importance of what it means to purchase products from an authorized retailer and what that means to you. As exemplified by the Staple’s policy, they not only match pricing but they also provide servicing and a return policy for products as an authorized retailer of HP. If you buy a computer from eBay and it blows up or doesn’t work, chances are HP won’t guarantee your product. We also do this for our salon products purchased at our authorized salons. While you may think that you are finding a great deal on eBay, you may be purchasing a fake, defective or in some cases unsafe product. We simply do not offer our professional product brands such Redken, Matrix, Kérastase, Mizani and PureOlogy to be sold on eBay. Purchase them from your salon professional!

Counterfeit Kérastase Product Found at Wegmans

Recently, as our team in the field buys back products at unauthorized retailers in our fight against diversion, we came across a suspicious looking bottle of the popular Kérastase Bain Miroir at Wegman’s. As you can see in the photo below, the packaging was NOT created by our manufacturer.



In most cases, when the packaging is counterfeit, so is the product. As we suspected, in this particular case, the shampoo is also fake and full of cheap detergent.

So, what does this mean to you?

1. You are paying $32.49 for a counterfeit bottle of luxury shampoo that is full of undocumented ingredients. You could have bought the real product for .50 less at your local salon with a guarantee for the product and furthermore, had beautiful hair.
2. This is a fake product sold outside of a Kerastase salon or from Kerastase.com which exemplifies how these unauthorized retailers do not have final control over the products they place on their shelves putting their customers at risk.
3. This counterfeit Kérastase contains chemicals and ingredients that are not part of the Kérastase approved formula. Do you really want that to touch your head?

This may be one example and to the untrained eye, I understand that this bottle could be mistaken for the real thing which is what a good counterfeiter wants. To protect yourself, ONLY PURCHASE products from your salon professional or in this case from an official Kérastase salon or from kerastase.com. Wegmans has cooperated with us-they have removed Kérastase from their shelves and are divulging their source so we can follow up, but really, one may ask, should this be necessary? Consumers and brands should be protected and this grey market should be avoided.

Take Care of Yourself

I know times are tough in this economic climate, but I also know that your local salon can be a nice way to treat yourself and relax. I find I always get a spring in my step after a fresh shampoo and haircut. Your local salon can be a great oasis during stressful times and be sure to purchase products from your stylist to take the experience home with you. Also, remember, your stylist needs help during these challenging times.

Harper’s Bazaar Tells Readers that Purchasing Counterfeit Products is Not a Victimless Crime

I wanted to share with you some insights about a great meeting that I had on 8/21 with Harper’s Bazaar about their Anticounterfeiting Initiative. Valerie Salembier and Julia Fry from Bazaar shared with me that each year, Bazaar publishes an editorial feature exposing the atrocities of the fake trade, hosts an Anticounterfeiting Summit attended by industry insiders, attorneys and law enforcement, and supports the effort with “Fakes Are Never In Fashion” marketing extensions. This is a very inspiring program, and I hope that you visit www.fakesareneverinfashion.com to learn more.
Valerie shared with me that their objective is to spread the word about this global problem. Just like L’Oreal, Harper’s Bazaar is committed to fighting this criminal epidemic. Counterfeiting does much more than damage brand image and profits; it funds some of the most serious crimes of our time.
You probably don’t think of in this manner, but it is important that you realize that whether you buy a luxury bag or a bottle of shampoo from an unauthorized retailer, you could be supporting child labor, organized crime and even terrorism.
If you are a fan of cinema like me, or just want to learn more about the shadowy world of illicit trade, I recommend you watch a National Geographic documentary titled “Illicit, The Dark Trade.”