GLUTATHIONE: EXPENSIVE does not mean AUTHENTIC |

GLUTATHIONE: EXPENSIVE does not mean AUTHENTIC

There has been a lot of talk about fake and authentic glutathione brands in the market today. How do you spot the authentic against the fakes? If it’s an expensive glutathione brand, does it mean it’s genuine? If it’s cheaper, does it mean it’s fake? Sellers of imported glutathione brands have various defenses regarding questions posted by curious beings who just want to know the plain truth about what they are going to buy. Let’s all try to discover the real deal, shall we?

What does exclusive distributorship imply?

Most imported glutathione brands here in the Philippines are sold by exclusive distributors. When one says that he or she is an exclusive distributor of a glutathione brand, it only means that all the other people who want to resell that exact brand would have to go to that “exclusive distributor” to buy it. If a certain B product from the U.S. is distributed exclusively by seller A, it must mean that resellers X, Y, Z…can only get their “B product” supplies from A.

Why do the retail prices of “B product” differ?

Deciding on the prices or mark-ups will always be the prerogative of a seller. Depending on how much resellers paid for “B product”, they have the privilege to determine how much profit they want to get, hence, the different market prices. But current market prices are mainly controlled by how much exclusive distributor will price the “B product”.

Because exclusive distributor’s “B product was imported”, he/she must determine the market price based on how much was spent on buying and shipping it from the US. Let’s say “B product” was bought for $10 and the shipping fee was $10 as well – the total cost is $20 (Php 860).

The safe estimate for the retail price is $40 (Php 1,720); while the safe estimate for the wholesale price is $30 (or Php 1,290) or lower. As you can see, exclusive distributor’s wholesale price would still be expensive because of the initial costs covered to have the product shipped to the Philippines. Consequently, resellers’ prices cannot go lower than the cost they spent buying the “B product” from exclusive distributor, lest they will not earn anything, right? Hence, the expensive price!

When you hear or read a glutathione seller’s line that goes like “Our B product is 1000mg, the $23 you are talking about is imitation of our B product…it is made only in the Philippines. Ours is imported from the U.S. Instead of glutathione, the content of their capsules is flour. You can research US-made glutathione, genuine glutathione is quite expensive. Considering that our B product is authentic and 1000mg it is affordable for its $40 price.”

Trust me, this is just plain sales talk! These merchants offer the same “B product” but they are at each other’s throats trying to snag that elusive buyer…saying things like “our B product is EXPENSIVE because it is Authentic!” Riiiight!!! But actually it’s just the same brand, only some resellers got a better wholesale deal or perhaps, other resellers just want to earn bigger bucks. In anyway, you cannot really validate their claims because “B product” does not have a corporate website.

Ask yourselves now: “Does it mean that the “$40 B product” is authentic because it is more expensive than other “B products” in the market? Does it follow that it is better than other “B products”? One thing is for sure, it comes from one exclusive distributor whose identity is still unknown.

True, the product might have been imported from the U.S. And true, most (if not all glutathione brands in the U.S. are FDA approved and authentic). But once you search this US-made “B product” online, the results will only yield Philippine websites, ads and forums. Now why is that? If you can smell the stink, then perhaps you’ve gotten wiser.

Why doesn’t “B product” have its own corporate website where we can contact the U.S. maker or U.S. manufacturer?

Of all places, America is the most clued-up and glued to the internet and e-commerce. Most businesses have websites where their products are displayed. Let’s take NOW Glutathione as an example. NOW Glutathione is manufactured by NOW Foods which is based in Chicago, Illinois, USA. You can see all their details on their corporate website. NOW Foods has a lot of international retailers who probably also have their own independent websites but essentially, one can research the identity of NOW Foods, the maker and manufacturer. So how come this “B product’s” U.S. maker and U.S. manufacturer don’t come up on search engine results? Why do you only see Philippine websites? I really find it hard to believe that a product made in the U.S. would not have even a single, lousy web page. So perhaps…

a. the supposed “US-based maker” is really not based in the U.S. but in the Philippines

b. the “B product” may have a different name in the U.S. and once imported, it was repackaged here in the Philippines under a different name…or perhaps…

c. the “B product” is really not imported from the U.S. and the American mark was specifically placed on the label to deceive buyers.

Once you see a corporate website dedicated entirely to “B product’s” U.S. maker, manufacturer, address, exclusive distributors and other proper and valid representations, then that’s the only time you can believe that it truly is a real product from the U.S. Otherwise, all that branding is just an ornate marketing ploy to reinforce colonial mentality or to tastelessly stimulate the popular preference for Caucasian complexion.

Granting that there is a “slight” error in representation, does it mean that those Glutathione brands are fake?

I am not saying that they are fake. Whatever way they choose to market or price their glutathione products, one cannot really tell if those glutathione brands are fake unless you have them tested by the proper authorities.

Suffice it to note, the price or the origin of a glutathione brand has nothing to do with its authenticity or quality.

One can sell fake glutathione for the same price that genuine ones are sold. One can sell authentic glutathione for a lesser price offered by other sellers of authentic glutathione. Anyone can claim anything but the burden of proof and responsibility should be handled by the maker, manufacturer and sellers of a glutathione product.

A note of warning: Do not believe everything a seller tells you because most of the time, it’s just an elaborate sales pitch which conveys everything good that you would like to hear. The actual quality or authenticity of glutathione brands are determined only by BFAD and their accredited laboratories. However, determining factual representations from fraudulent marketing ploys lies in the hands of the buyers themselves.