Is your Clarisonic Mia 2 Authentic? Signs You Got a Fake Clarisonic

Before you’re going to snatch that deal (or steal) on a Clarisonic Mia device or replacement brushes from an unauthorized seller, please think it through! In case you haven’t known about it yet, the internet is looming with fake Clarisonic devices, some of which might be sold at the retail price.

If you’re about to purchase a cheap Clarisonic, DON’T do it until you've finally verified if it’s REAL THING. You might be looking at a counterfeit.

This is a rather long post, but I hope you'll stick to the end! 


MY STORY

Fake Clarisonic (?) packaging

I swear I should have known this few days before I bought my ‘Clarisonic’. I was blinded by a ‘too-good-to- be-true’ offer.

Imagine, a Clarisonic Mia 2 device was being sold at roughly Php 3,700, which is approximately ($ 81), including shipping. 

Fake Clarisonic (?) packaging

Authorized dealers of Clarisonic, sell the Mia 2 at the retail price of $149 each, approximately Php 6,900 (doesn’t even include shipping!) If you’re lucky, probably you could snatch it at a lower price, probably 25% less at most. Still, with that discount, the device would still be expensive at a little above Php 5000 each.

The ‘shady’ offer, being only half the suggested retail price should have been a red flag, and I shouldn’t have ignored the signs. But, the dealer, did mention that it’s 100% Guaranteed Authentic, and this prompted me to buy the whole thing.

Fake Clarisonic Mia 2 (?)

Guess what?! I got a counterfeit!

Signs you got a counterfeit... 

If you’d check this guideline, my Clarisonic might look authentic. It feels authentic, too! However, upon closer inspection, I found some peculiar things about the device that finally made me think that it’s clearly the counterfeit version. I even managed to use the device without even knowing that it’s fake!

I don’t have an authentic Clarisonic Mia 2 (only a Clarisonic Mia 1) to compare it with, but I believe these signs are worth looking into as well.

PACKAGING

Packaging could tell you a lot about the thing you just bought. My experience on purchasing a Clarisonic taught me to scrutinize the packaging very well.

The fake Clarisonic box I got has a luxurious 'satiny' finish, and it kind of looks 'elegant' and authentic, despite the damages around the corner. This is the very reason why I didn't scrutinize it much at first, because it looked authentic!

See for yourselves!

But this, got me thinking:

According to this other guideline #2, (to be exact), what I got, based on the packaging alone, is FAKE!

And it doesn't end there, it gets worse! Take a good look at the following photos: 

Image 1

If you're sharp, you'd notice that the first sentence alone, doesn't make any sense at all. Punctuation is a little off, and there are obviously clerical mistakes that are unforgivable. Seriously, how could you interpret this: "...obstructio ns [sic] are removed, skin care products can absorb better...". And, I could even place 'sic' all over the box! 

Hard to believe this is actually designed in the US. And I wasn't even that 'sharp' when I first unboxed this.

Wait, there's more! Tell me what is wrong with the following photo? 

Image 2

 How about these two photos?

Image 3

Image 4

LOT / BATCH CODE (located at the bottom of your device)

The batch code is a special code embedded at the bottom of the device. A few years back, the best way to verify if a product is authentic or not, is through product registration at Clarisonic. All you have to do is register the batch code, and you're done!

Batch code (Fake version)

Of course, I did the very same thing as well, and I was able to successfully register my 'fake' device online.

Here's a snapshot:

But, to my surprise, you could actually input (and register) two or more Clarisonics of the same batch code! Red flag! Because counterfeiters could easily copy lot codes from authentic ones!

I tried googling my fake Clarisonic batch code (MT13356A) and got some results, too:

.

Taken from a forum. Look, we got the same batch code! 

There's no sign of MT13356A anywhere, instead, I just got another bunch of random numbers

So, basically, don't just depend on the registration notification.

LABELS

Take a close look at the authentic Mias in the Internet, and you'd soon notice that the spacing between 'Mia' and '2' are not that far.

2 spaces apart? 

BRUSH

Clarisonic is supposed to be a high-end product, and you're not supposed to find anything imperfect with it. And so, my fake Clarisonic did have some minor issues. Whenever I try to attach the brush on to the device, it would always end up askew - no matter how much you twist and turn - it always ends up that way.

Here are some photos of the brush: 

The inner circles are not evenly spaced. Can you see it? 

Fake device in action

The plain normal brush

Underside of the fake brush: with embossed figures, too! 

I couldn't make out most of the words here... 

CHARGING AND BATTERY HOURS

The original Clarisonic Mia utilizes magnets when charging. Of course, being a replica, this version of Clarisonic Mia 2 utilizes magnets as well, the only downside, is that the charger barely adheres to the surface of the device. I had to hold the charger in place to charge my fake Mia. On the other hand, my authentic Clarisonic Mia 1 didn't have such problems.

Basically, this problem alone on my 'Clarisonic Mia 2' indicates that I have indeed purchased a counterfeit version. 

This end here, utilizes magnets

TRAVEL CASE

To my dismay as well, the fake Clarisonic Mia 2, doesn't fit in the travel case it came with. I was indeed better off without it. 

fake Clarisonic Mia 2 travel case

CLEANSER

Just like the original, the fake one included a 'Clarisonic' Refreshing Gel Cleanser as well. I'm glad I didn't put this in the test. Who knows what's inside?!

CONCLUSION

I did regret buying my fake Clarisonic Mia 2, but I'm glad the seller was very kind to take it back and have it refunded. I will not disclose the name of the seller/company I got this from, though. 

In case you're still wondering what I replaced my Mia 2 with, I'm having fun with my new and authentic Clarisonic. I bought the cheaper and older version of the Mia 2, which is the Mia 1, and I love it to bits!

The sad thing about Clarisonic, though, is the availability here in the Philippines. They don't sell to the Philippines at all, and there are no authorized Philippine sellers yet. I asked somebody from the US to buy me one from one of the authorized sellers, and have it shipped internationally.

There are probably some things I missed/ forgot to mention, so please, if there's anything that you could add, please feel free to comment below. 

And if you feel that this would be very useful, feel free to share it to your friends, and relatives. 

Thanks for dropping by! 

Love,

Marie