Fake Kylie Cosmetics lip products, other counterfeit makeup seized in L.A. Fashion District

More than $300,000 in counterfeit makeup and beauty products was confiscated in downtown Los Angeles last week, according to the Los Angles Police Department.

The makeup included dozens of bogus products, including ultra-popular lip kits purported to be from Kylie Jenner’s beauty line, Kylie Cosmetics.

“Please purchase from an authorized retailer,” LAPD Capt. Lillian Carranza said. “Previous tests of counterfeit makeup reveled animal feces and chemicals that can be hazardous to your health.”

In 2018, the LAPD seized roughly $700,000 in counterfeit cosmetics from 21 locations in downtown L.A.’s Fashion District. Items dressed as Kylie Cosmetics and Urban Decay products were included in that bust. Det. Rick Ishitani said the products contained animal feces, bacteria and high levels of metals.

According to Ishitani, the counterfeit products had again made their way to the Fashion District’s Santee Alley. After receiving various complaints, officers last week found the people involved in the sales were not the same as those arrested in 2018. No arrests were made, but the LAPD did distribute cease-and-desist warnings.

“We didn’t want to go over there, arrest people and make a big scene,” Ishitani said. “We wanted to give them a fair warning.”

Jenner, the creator of her namesake makeup line, has occasionally tweeted warnings to shoppers who purchase counterfeit items designed to look like her own.

And the FBI for years has warned shoppers from buying phony cosmetics and fragrances, items that often contain ingredients and bacteria that can cause acne, psoriasis, rashes and eye infections.

Warning signs that products may be counterfeit include packaging that differs from the authentic brand, a slightly or drastically lower price and distribution of the product at unauthorized retailers, including flea markets, mall kiosks and over the internet.