#Recently, a consumer who purchased a luxury perfume from a well-known domestic fashion platform raised a complaint, suspecting the product to be counterfeit. The buyer, identified as A, stated, "Compared to products purchased at duty-free shops or official brand outlets, the font was different and the scent evaporated quickly, which made me suspect it was not genuine." A added, "I was aware it was a parallel import, but I bought it because it was advertised as an authentic product." Luxury perfumes such as Jo Malone and Maison Margiela are being sold on fashion platforms at prices about 30–40% lower than the official retail price.

A consumer complaint has been posted on the online community DC Inside, stating that luxury perfumes purchased through a fashion platform are suspected to be counterfeit. The photo is attached to the post on DC Inside.

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As domestic fashion platforms are cultivating 'beauty' as a new growth engine, controversy over counterfeit products continues. In particular, consumer anxiety is growing over products that come in direct contact with the skin, such as perfumes and skincare items, due to heightened safety concerns.

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According to industry sources on May 14, fashion platforms have recently been strategically expanding their beauty categories to boost transaction volume and user engagement as part of efforts to improve profitability. Initially, Musinsa operated by hosting beauty brands within its platform, but to further expand its beauty category, it launched a dedicated beauty section in November 2021. Ably opened its beauty category in March 2021, and in April this year introduced its own private label brand, 'Bybly', further growing its beauty segment. Zigzag was about a year behind Ably, opening its separate beauty section in April 2022.

The issue is that as controversies over counterfeit luxury perfumes persist, the responsibility for verifying and managing the parallel import–centered distribution structure is effectively being shifted onto consumers. Parallel imports involve a third party—neither the brand owner nor an officially licensed importer—purchasing goods in bulk overseas and selling them in Korea. While parallel imports can offer consumers attractive prices thanks to overseas bulk purchasing, the distribution channels are often complex and opaque, making it difficult to verify authenticity.

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Parallel import sellers present 'import declaration certificates' or 'identity inspection reports' as proof of authenticity, but these documents do not guarantee that the products are genuine. The import declaration certificate simply proves that the goods have cleared official customs procedures. The identity inspection report is meant to confirm whether a product matches a genuine sample, but in practice, the same documents may be used for different products or even for counterfeits, meaning the possibility of fakes entering the supply chain cannot be completely ruled out. As a result, consumers are relying on subjective factors such as scent longevity and the condition of the product's packaging design to judge authenticity.

In fact, according to data submitted by the office of Oh Sehee, a member of the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee from the Democratic Party, and obtained from the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency, the number of counterfeit detections from 2021 to August 2025 was highest at Bungaejangter, with 54,547 cases. This was followed by Naver Smart Store with 12,886 cases. Among fashion platforms, Ably had 271 cases, Zigzag had 65, and Musinsa had 3 cases of counterfeit products detected.

Screen when searching for perfume on Zigzag. Zigzag App

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Fashion platforms are making efforts to improve quality by strengthening monitoring and removing counterfeit sellers, but the industry points out that, due to the open market nature of these platforms, it is impossible to completely block counterfeit products. An official at Ably commented, "It is indeed difficult to monitor every seller individually," adding, "We are operating with internal guidelines such as immediate removal if a product is identified as counterfeit." A Zigzag official also stated, "We operate under a system where we purchase inventory directly from parallel importers, and we are making efforts to verify the authenticity of products in this process."

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There are concerns that repeated counterfeit controversies could damage trust in entire platforms. A distribution industry source pointed out, "In the case of parallel imports, products are sometimes produced overseas and only the packaging is changed domestically before distribution, so extra caution is needed. If cases of purchasing counterfeits through platforms accumulate, it could lead to an overall decline in trust in these platforms."