How we guarantee authenticity
Every fragrance and cosmetic sold at Vanity Hub is 100% authentic: an original product made and filled by the brand, in the brand's own packaging. Stock arrives sealed in its factory wrapping. We do not sell decants, refills or testers.
What a brand mini actually is
A brand mini is a small bottle the fragrance house produced and filled itself, with its own box and its own batch code. A decant is a small vial that someone else filled from a larger bottle. Both can hold the same perfume. Only one of them can be verified, and only one of them is what we sell.
| Brand mini | Decant | Tester | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filled by | The fragrance house | A third party | The fragrance house |
| Packaging | Official mini box | Plain vial | Plain box, often marked |
| Batch code | Yes, on box and bottle | None | Yes |
| Sold at Vanity Hub | Yes | No | No |
How to check it yourself
You should not have to take a seller's word for it, ours included. These five checks work on any designer fragrance, wherever you bought it.
- Batch code. A genuine bottle carries a batch code printed on both the box and the bottle, and the two match. Fakes often have no code at all, codes that differ between box and bottle, or printing that sits crooked or smudges.
- Cellophane. Factory wrapping is tight, with clean folds and sharp corners. Loose or baggy wrap, visible glue, or blurred print on the box underneath are all warnings.
- The sprayer. A genuine atomiser releases an even fine mist on the first press and the pump feels firm. One that spits, dribbles or needs several presses to start is a bad sign.
- The opening. A counterfeit usually smells sharply of alcohol for the first few seconds and then thins out quickly. A genuine fragrance moves through its notes over several hours.
- Longevity. Most fakes fade inside an hour. A designer eau de parfum holds for several hours on skin, and a parfum concentration holds longer still.
Why minis get counterfeited less
Counterfeiters work on volume, so they concentrate on full size bottles of the best known scents. That does not make a mini safe by default. It means the seller matters more than the size, which is why the checks above are worth running on anything you buy from anyone.
If something looks wrong
Message us through the contact page with your order number and a photograph of the batch code on both the box and the bottle. Send it before using the product if you can, and keep the packaging.
More questions
Sizes, sprays per bottle, expiry dates and how to store fragrance in Philippine heat are answered on the frequently asked questions page.
