AlpVision joins the fight against cosmetic counterfeiting
at tackling the problem of counterfeited cosmetics and fragrances.
A particular challenge for luxury cosmetics makers, counterfeiting
is estimated to cost the industry billions in lost revenues every
year.
The company says that having collaborated on a technical level with a number of leading players, the first cosmetic and fragrance products using AlpVision's Cryptoglyph technology, are enabling the protection of secondary packaging against counterfeiting.
The company, which specialises in digital security printing and data security, developed theCryptoglyph technology, a covert digital security feature that can be printed with standard printingequipment and seamlessly integrated into the packaging process.
Headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, the company says that because of security issues it is unable to reveal any of the names of the companies it has been working with, but hints that it is collaborating with some of the most prominent players in the industry.
"Secrecy and privacy are two fundamental pillars of a brand protection policy," explained Roland Meylan, AlpVision director.
Meylan says that the company's technology can be used to secure any type of cosmetic or fragrance that uses secondary packaging, including cartons, aluminium and plastic, as well as a variety of printing processes.
"Our knowledge is that cosmetics are more offset oriented for primary packaging, which is an area where we have a great deal of expertise."
One of the biggest advantages of the technology for cosmetics and fragrance applications is that it combines an authentication process with a track and trace process, which means that counterfeit and gray market products can be identified by the manufacturer.
"On top of this the technology is not visible and does not require any modification or limitation to the packaging design. In fragrance and luxury cosmetics, this is seen as a crucial advantage," added Meylan.
The technology is relatively easy to incorporate into the packaging production process too and the authentication process only requires standard consumer electronics equipment such a flatbed scanners or mobile phones.
Ultimately the proof of such a technology is in the potential cost savings. Meylan says that the cost of implementing the technology works out at approximately one euro cent per package, which is reduced as economies of scale kick in.
This cost compares favourably with other solutions such as special ink and holograms and does not involve any modifications to the packaging line. Considering the loss of a batch of luxury fragrance could run into hundreds of thousands of euros, the investment might prove to be relatively small.
