আপনার সানস্ক্রিন কি আসল? পাঁচটি যাচাই

A fake serum wastes your money. A fake sunscreen lets you walk around believing you are protected, which is worse, and you will not find out for years.

Sunscreen is also among the most counterfeited categories here, because it sells fast, it is bought repeatedly, and almost nobody checks.

1. The texture should match the reviews

Every popular sunscreen has hundreds of people describing exactly how it feels. If yours is noticeably thicker, greasier, or smells different from what everyone else describes, that is a signal. Trust the consensus of strangers over the seller.

2. Check the filters on the ingredient list

Chemical sunscreen filters have long, specific names — uvinul, tinosorb, uvasorb, octocrylene, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate. Mineral ones list zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. A sunscreen whose ingredient list contains none of these is not a sunscreen, whatever the front of the bottle says.

3. Compare the label print

Counterfeit packaging is usually close but not exact: slightly fuzzy text, a mismatched font weight, colours a shade off, a barcode that looks reprinted. Pull up the brand's own product photos and compare them side by side. Look at the small print, not the logo — the logo is the part they get right.

4. The seal and the batch code

The inner seal should be intact and the batch code should match between the carton and the bottle. A sticker over a code, or a carton whose code is missing entirely, is worth a question.

5. Price that is too good

Imported sunscreen has a floor set by freight, duty and the exchange rate. A price well below everyone else's is not a bargain someone found — it is a different product.

If you have doubts

Stop using it and go back to the seller. A legitimate shop would rather take a return than have you wearing something that is not protecting you.

Sunscreen is the single highest-return step in any routine aimed at dark spots or early lines. It is worth buying carefully.