If you haven’t heard about it yet, there are fake condoms (mostly Durex) on the market. And if you buy Durex in Korea, chances are you’ll get the fake one.

Sadly I am one of the victim myself – picture below which I took myself, proves it.

 

Notice the CE mark box on the left. This can be a good source to spot fake ones.

 

There are general suggestions to spot the fake one, but there isn’t a solid way to tell with 100% certainty. From what I heard, one way to tell is look for the CE mark. The box on the left, one I bought in UK, indeed has one. On the other hand, durex I bought from online store in Korea (box on the right) does not have CE mark, I believe that this is a fake one. So long for my money spent to counterfeit makers! (sob…)

Though one way to avoid fake condom is getting it from reliable offline retailer, there has been occasions that fake durex were spotted in Boots (well known UK retail store). As durex seems like the most popular brand for counterfeiters, I should refrain myself from getting any durex for a while.

Problem with fake condom is that we don’t know where and how it’s made. It could be made in very unhygienic factory. And you can’t trust the quality of the material – as these condoms are made with cheaper cost, most ingredients must be poor quality. Especially for the lubricant coated on it, you never know what it is made of, and it will be all over your body if you put it on!

So be ware of fake condoms and look very carefully when you get one. Also, durex is not the only brand that has fakes. Here are some other links you can read about fake condoms.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/20802937
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-15/chinas-counterfeit-condoms