From QR codes to unmarked bottles - how to spot when you've bought fake Olaplex
Ever since Olaplex went viral and became a go-to product for hair experts and healthy-hair lovers, several dupes have appeared on the market.
But from QR codes to unmarked bottles, experts have warned customers how to spot the difference between the genuine luxury hair product and the fakes.
The Olaplex range, which is priced between £24 and beyond £80, includes shampoos, conditioners and treatments that claim to safely repair broken bonds and rejuvenate hair'.
Olaplex has urged lovers of its products not to risk buying inauthentic versions due to possible safety and quality issues.
Hair expert Grace Poston-Miles told MailOnline: 'Always buying from a salon rather than online can guarantee a genuine product'
Olaplex insists that its shampoos and conditioners are safe for daily use. The brand makes several more intensive treatments that are not meant to be used daily but rather as an add-on treatment once or up to a couple of times each week. The No. 0 Intensive Bond Building Treatment, a spray that coats the hair in the company's patented bond-building compound, should be used at most a few times per week on dry hair.
READ MORE: Olaplex CEO comes out fighting against $75,000 lawsuit as users worldwide complain the products 'cause hair loss and damage'
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The No. 9 hair serum and the No. 6 Bond Smoother leave-in treatments meanwhile can be applied every time after you wash and condition your hair 'to give your hair every last dose of definition and smoothness.' The bonding oil is similar in that it smooths hair but is applied as a final step.
Perhaps the most contentious product in the brand's line in the No. 3 pre-shampoo treatment, which is to be used up to three times per week. The treatment has a spate of negative reviews online interspersed with many that make such claims as it transformed one's hair for the better or has become a 'holy grail' product.
The line is meant to re-build the damaged disulfied bonds responsible for the strength of the hair fiber using its patented ingredient, Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate.
Those bonds are largely responsible for how strong our hair is and how prone it is to damage. The amount of disulfide bonds within the hair determines how curly the hair is - the more bonds the curlier the hair.
The company suggests the No. 3 product be used one to two times per week, while the shampoos and conditioners are designed to be used more often, as much as everyday.
One huge tell-tale sign of a fake, according to the brand, is a missing QR code.
'All our consumer products contain QR codes on the bottom back side,' its website states. 'If a QR code is missing, scratched off or tampered with in any way, do not buy it as the product could be fake, expired or diluted.'
Meanwhile, the haircare brand has urged its customers not to buy unmarked sample bottles or products with hand written labels, as this is not a genuine product.
'Our bottles are as shown and we do not have any other packaging,' it wrote.
One hair expert, Grace Poston-Miles, who owns Grace Hair + Beauty salon in Chichester, West Sussex, and counts models and influencers among her clients, told MailOnline that watching where you buy can ensure securing the real deal.
'Always buying from a salon rather than online can guarantee a genuine product,' she said.
'Customers should also be aware of the consistency of the product - fakes can be watered down.'
Asked if she would recommend the haircare brand to customers, Grace said: 'I would recommend Olaplex to everyone but especially people with concerns around the condition of their hair or people who use a lot of bleach/colour/ heat as it helps to rebuild the hairs' internal structure.'
When asked if she would recommend the product, Grace said: 'I would recommend Olaplex to everyone but especially people with concerns around the condition of their hair'
Grace, who would recommend Olaplex, considers influencers and models among her clients
It comes after the brand's CEO Jue Wong fiercely defended the brand on Instagram last night amid a $75,000 US lawsuit.
The lawsuit - filed in California - argues that Olaplex products caused baldness and blisters for more than two-dozen customers.
READ MORE: Luxury 'hair protectors' made by Olaplex 'caused women to go BALD and break out in blisters', lawsuit claims
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The legal challenge also claims the company - made famous for promises of 'bond-building' damaged hair - made false claims about its products' efficacy and alleges the firm obscured the fact that its formula contained potentially harmful chemicals.
But celebrities, YouTubers and influencers such as Kim Kardashian have all sung the product's praises in recent years.
There has been a mountain of growing controversy regarding Olaplex, primarily on TikTok and Instagram, where 'de-influencers' and reality-TV actress turned beauty influencer and entrepreneur Kristin Cavallari have warned followers to stay away from the range of products.
The brand has asked customers to buy from one-of-three places to ensure the products they purchase are authentic: An authorized professional salon, the Olaplex website or from authorized retailers.
On their website, it states: 'Olaplex does not allow its products to be sold outside of its authorized distribution channels and takes action when it discovers these sales have occurred.
'Diversion is a problem faced by many in our industry. When unscrupulous salons and businesses sell product to unauthorized stores, or to unauthorized customers, the entire industry is hurt.
'We protect our product by using only the highest quality materials and patenting our technology all over the world. Olaplex also believes in protecting its customers.'
The brand has asked customers to buy from one-of-three places to ensure the products they purchase are authentic: An authorized professional salon, the Olaplex website or from authorized retailers
Grace Poston-Miles, who owns Grace Hair + Beauty salon in Chichester, West Sussex, has warned customers to look out for Olaplex products which seem watered down as these could be fakes
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