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CERC makes a representation to DCGI asking for urgent intervention
Consumer Education and Research Centre(CERC), Ahmedabad conducted an online survey of personal care products and cosmetics sold on e-portals Snapdeal and Nykaa. While Snapdeal is an e-commerce platform with over 3,00,000 sellers, Nykaa is a popular online store that claims to sell only authentic items. The findings of our survey, which compared 25 products, were startling and raise several questions about the genuineness of products sold on Snapdeal.
CERC has written to Dr. S. Eswara Reddy, Drug Controller General of India, asking him to
intervene urgently. CERC has also sent the findings to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India to take steps in consumer interest.
Survey highlights:
50% to 92% difference found in the prices of the same products on Nykaa and
Snapdeal
Highly inflated MRP and unbelievable discounts on Snapdeal
Expiry date not shown for cosmetic products.
Negative customer reviews on branded cosmetics products on Snapdeal
Survey details:
Unbelievable discounts: The same product sold on the two portals is 50-92% cheaper on
Snapdeal. Unbelievable discounts are offered by Snapdeal. For instance, the price of one
unit of Indulekha Bhringa Oil on Nykaa is Rs. 432 whereas on Snapdeal it is Rs. 279 for
2 units (after 68% discount), which is 67.71% less than the price on Nykaa. How can any
seller afford to consistently sell genuine products at such highly discounted prices?
Product prices higher than MRP: Products are sold on Snapdeal at MRPs higher than
those on the brand's official website. In the case of The Body Shop Moringa Shower Gel, the selling price on Snapdeal was Rs. 469 after a discount of 57% on an MRP of
Rs.1,095. However, the same product was sold at a much lower rate of Rs. 325 (MRP) on
the official The Body Shop website as well as on Nykaa.This is a clear case of cheating
and misleading consumers by showing higher MRP with high discount.
No expiry dates: Expiry date is not shown for many products on Snapdeal. These
include Lakme 9 to 5 Primer+matte Lipstick, TheBody Shop Moringa Shower Gel,
L’Oreal Paris Magique Kajal. Expiry date is an important piece of label information. Use
of expired cosmetics or personal care products can cause serious skin and health issues.
On Nykaa, expiry dates are mentioned on all the products surveyed. As per the Legal
Metrology GSR 629 (E) of 23 June 2017, the packaging should contain “use by date” after which the product may not have the quality attributes normally expected by
consumers and should not be regarded as marketable.
Negative customer reviews ignored: Many users have posted negative reviews
questioning the quality and genuineness of personal care products purchased from
Snapdeal. This indicates that consumers have received substandard or fake products from
Snapdeal.
Contradictory description: Mismatch exists in the product visual and description which
indicates a clear lapse from the e-portal’s side. For example, the product shown is Lakme
Eyeconic Kajal but the description is that of Maybelline
Details of the survey are attached as (Annexure 1-4)
More evidence
A survey conducted by LocalCircles has found that one out of five products sold online are fake or counterfeit,with cosmetics and fragrances the most affected category. The survey also revealed that Snapdeal is the e-commerce site shipping the highest percentage (37%) of counterfeit/fake products.
Counterfeiting is a matter of great concern. Fake personal care products and cosmetics can cause serious health hazards as they may contain toxic ingredients. Moreover, selling of fakes amounts to cheating consumers and causing them a financial loss.
Appeal to DCGI
1. To urgently intervene and ensure that Snapdeal withdraws all products with incomplete
labelling and inflated prices – much higher than MRP–from their website.
2. Snapdeal should be made to recall the products sold to consumers and compensate them
for purchase of potentially harmful products.
3. Snapdeal should be made to have a transparent policy for selection of vendors and
products, and take strict action against vendors violating the policy.
Last October, e-commerce giants – Amazon and Flipkart – were issued notices by DCGI for
allegedly selling "spurious and adulterated" cosmetics including imported brands, and were warned of penal action. Action against Snapdeal, along with the steps taken against Amazon and Flipkart, will send a strong message to e-commerce portals that they have to curb the sale of fake products on their websites.
CERC online Survey
Differences of same products sold on Snapdeal Vs Nykaa*
Researched on 10 th January 2019.
Sr.
No.
Product Snapdeal Nykaa Remarks
1. Lakme Eyeconic Kajal
(0.35gm)
Price – Rs. 185 for pack of 3
units
Expiry date- Not given
Discount – 77%
Price- Rs. 162 for 1 unit
Expiry Date – 15 th May 2019
Discount – 10%
Comparison
Snapdeal for 3 units – Rs 185
Nykaa for 3 units – Rs 648
Snapdeal is selling at 71.45% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
2. Mac Ruby Woo Lipstick Price – Rs. 259
Expiry date- Not given
Discount – 90%
Price – Rs. 1500
Expiry Date – 15 November
2019
Snapdeal is selling at 82.73% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
3. Lakme 9 to 5 Primer +
Matte Lip Color
Price – Rs. 1745 for pack of 12
units
Expiry date- Not given
Discount – 60%
Price – Rs. 375 for 1 unit
Expiry Date – 15 th February
2020
Discount – 25%
Comparison
Snapdeal for 12 units – Rs 1745
Nykaa for 12 units – Rs 4500
Snapdeal is selling at 61.22% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
4. Indulekha Bringha Hair
Oil
Price – Rs. 279 for 2 units
Expiry date- Not given
Discount – 68%
Price – Rs. 432 for 1 unit
Expiry date- 15 May 2019
Comparison
Snapdeal for 2 units – Rs 279
Nykaa for 2 units – Rs 864
Snapdeal is selling at 67.71% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
5. Davidoff Cool Water
Men Daily use
Deodorant Spray
Price – Rs. 358
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –64%
Price- Rs. 3250
Expiry date- 15 October 2020
Discount – 29%
Snapdeal is selling at 88.98% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
6. Huda Beauty obsessions
Palette – Mauve
obsessions
Price – Rs. 450
Expiry date- Not given
Price – Rs. 2500
Expiry date- 15th October
2020
Snapdeal is selling at 82% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
*Illustrative
Discount –85%
7. The Body Shop Moringa
Shower Gel
Price- Rs. 469
(MRP-1095)
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –57%
Price – Rs. 325
Expiry date- 15 th April 2021
Whereas the MRP on the website of the
Body Shop is Rs. 325
8. Maybelline Kajal Pencil
Colossal 24H
Price- Rs. 225 for 3 Units
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –58%
Price – Rs. 153 for 1 unit
Expiry date- 1 st July 2019
Discount – 15%
Comparison
Snapdeal for 3 units – Rs 225
Nykaa for 3 units – Rs 459
Snapdeal is selling at 50.98% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
9. L'Oreal Paris Kajal
Magique (Pack of 2)
Price- Rs. 209
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –65%
Price – Rs. 570
Expiry date- 15 th July 2019
Snapdeal is selling at 63.33% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
10. HUDA Beauty Matte
Minis Liquid Lipstick
(Brown Edition)
Price- Rs. 429
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –5%
Price – Rs. 2900
Expiry date- 15 th Jan 2020
Snapdeal is selling at 85.2% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
11. M.A.C Studio
Waterweight Foundation
SPF 30 (30 ml)
Price- Rs. 259
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –78%
Price – Rs. 3300
Expiry date- 13 th Feb 2021
Snapdeal is selling at 92.15% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
12. M.A.C Studio Fix Powder
Plus Foundation
Price- Rs. 238
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –83%
Price – Rs. 2700
Expiry date- 15 th Nov 2020
Snapdeal is selling at 91.18% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
13. M.A.C Prep+Prime BB
Beauty Balm
Price- Rs. 244
Expiry date- Not g
iven
Discount –76%
Price – Rs. 2350
Expiry date- 15 th Sept 2020
Snapdeal is selling at 89.62% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
14. L.A Girl Pro Conceal Price- Rs. 315
Expiry date- Not given
Price – Rs. 595
Expiry date- 15 th July 2021
Snapdeal is selling at 47.1% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
*Illustrative
Discount –37% Note: The MRP of the Product on Nykaa is
Rs. 595 where as the MRP of the product on
Snapdeal is Rs. 499.
15. Bobbi Brown Long Wear
Even Finish Foundation
Price- Rs. 699
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –65%
Price – Rs. 4350
Expiry date- 15 th Oct 2019
Snapdeal is selling at 83.93% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
Note: The MRP of the Product on Nykaa is
Rs. 4350 where as the MRP of the product on
Snapdeal is Rs. 2000.
16. Shahnaz Husain Gold
Facial Kit
Price- Rs. 217
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –79%
Price – Rs. 1010
Expiry date- 15 th Aug 2020
Snapdeal is selling at 78.51% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
17. HUDA Beauty Contour
and Strobe Set
Price- Rs. 438
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –88%
Price – Rs. 2350
Expiry date- 15 th Oct 2020
Snapdeal is selling at 81.36% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
18. Clinique Moisturizer 50
ml
Price- Rs. 4735
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –50%
Price – Rs. 2550
Expiry date- 15 th June 2020
Snapdeal is showing the original price of the
Product as Rs. 9470. The price of the product
on Snapdeal even after 50% Discount is
41.71% higher than the original MRP of the
product mentioned on Nykaa (Rs. 2550).
19. Neutrogena UltraSheer
Dry Touch Sunblock SPF
50+
Price- Rs. 318
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –60%
Price – Rs. 467
Expiry date- 15 th Jan 2021
Discount –15%
Snapdeal is showing the original price of the
Product as Rs. 799 and providing 60%
discount. However the MRP of the product
mentioned on Nykaa is Rs. 549
20. Maybelline White
Superfresh Compact
Price- Rs. 599
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –70%
Price – Rs. 160
Expiry date- 15 th Jul 2019
Snapdeal is showing the original price of the
Product as Rs. 2000. The price of the product
even after 70% Discount is 73% higher than
the original MRP of the product mentioned
*Illustrative
on Nykaa (Rs. 160).
21. Neutrogena Liquid
Makeup Remover
Price- Rs. 2511
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –50%
Price – Rs. 337
Expiry date- 15 th Aug 2019
Discount –10%
Snapdeal is showing the original price of the
Product as Rs. 5022. The price of the product
even after 50% Discount is 86.57% higher
than the Price on Nykaa after 10% discount,
the original MRP of the product being Rs.
374.
22. Maybelline Dream Matte
Mousse Foundation
Price- Rs. 599
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –70%
Price – Rs. 725
Expiry date- 15 th Aug 2019
Snapdeal is showing the original price of the
Product as Rs. 2000 and providing 70%
discount. However the MRP of the product
mentioned on Nykaa is Rs. 725
23. Maybelline Baby Lips
Candy Wow- Cherry
Price- Rs. 390
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –35%
Price – Rs. 260
Expiry date- 15 th May 2020
Snapdeal is showing the original price of the
Product as Rs.600. The price of the product
even after 35% Discount is 33.33% higher
than the original MRP of the product
mentioned on Nykaa (Rs. 260).
24. Miss Claire Soft Matte
Lip Cream
Price- Rs. 499
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –29%
Price – Rs. 295
Expiry date- 15 th June 2021
Snapdeal is showing the original price of the
Product as Rs.699. The price of the product
even after 29% Discount is 40.88% higher
than the original MRP of the product
mentioned on Nykaa (Rs. 295).
25. HUGO BOSS Bottled
Night Eu De Toilette
Price- Rs. 726
Expiry date- Not given
Discount –82%
Price – Rs. 4200
Expiry date- 15 th May 2021
Snapdeal is selling at 81.71% lesser amount
compared to Nykaa
