Cheap ‘eau de toilet’ perfume sold on Brit streets contains cyanide and human urine
Fake designer perfumes being sold on the street and in pubs could contain cyanide and human wee.
The warning comes after £60,000 of bogus beauty products – with labels including Chanel, Armani, Dior and Hugo Boss – were seized by cops.
The City of London force’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit raided two commercial premises in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, on Tuesday.
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They uncovered 400 perfume bottles among seven tonnes of counterfeit clothing, accessories and wireless earphones.
The crime unit’s Det Sgt Matthew Hussey said: “While fake perfume can look almost identical to its genuine counterparts, lab tests of samples have shown that it can contain poisonous chemicals, including cyanide and even human urine. All of these can cause allergic reactions, such as skin irritation, swelling, rashes and burns.”
(Image: MEN MEDIA)
Police say fake cosmetics, including mascara and lip gloss, have been found to contain toxic levels of arsenic, mercury and lead.
Back in July, three teenagers were arrested after trying to flog fake perfume bottles that contained urine in Southport town centre.
They were nicked at a railway station after bottles of the fake brands were found in a carrier bag dumped over a wall.
Cops had been called to complaints of men using aggressive sales tactics.
(Image: MEN MEDIA)
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The police were told the men were trying to force shoppers to take cash out to buy the “perfume”, and two of the suspects were quickly stopped by officers.
Although they had no perfume on them, five bottles of “perfume” with wee in them were soon found in the bag dumped over the wall.
A photo shared on Facebook by the cops showed the haul, which included fake bottles of Chanel No 5, Boss by Hugo Boss, and Daisy by Marc Jacobs.
A police spokesperson confirmed: “When tested, the perfumes were confirmed to be fake. Among the agents contained in the mixture, urine had been used as a stabilising agent.
“The three teenagers were released under investigation. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
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