How can brands use packaging to reduce product counterfeiting?

Brands can reduce counterfeiting by layering multiple label-based protections, such as holograms, VOID tamper-evident seals, and serialised QR codes, so a counterfeiter must replicate several distinct security technologies simultaneously rather than just one, while also giving consumers and channel partners an easy way to verify authenticity.

A single security feature, however sophisticated, can eventually be studied and imitated by a determined counterfeiter, particularly if it is generic or widely available. Layering overt features that consumers can check themselves, such as a custom hologram, with covert features only the brand can verify, such as UV ink or forensic markers, raises the difficulty and cost of producing a convincing fake significantly. Adding tamper evidence through VOID patterns or destructible labels further protects against a counterfeiter refilling or repackaging genuine containers.

Beyond the label itself, brands benefit from making verification easy and visible: a clear scan-to-verify prompt on packaging encourages consumers to check authenticity, which both protects them directly and generates data on where counterfeit scans are originating. Regularly reviewing and updating security features, rather than using the same design indefinitely, also matters, since a static feature gives counterfeiters more time to study and copy it. Working with a security label specialist who understands the specific risks of the brand’s industry, whether that is excise fraud in liquor, grey-market diversion in cosmetics, or medicine counterfeiting in pharma, helps ensure the chosen combination of features actually addresses the threat the brand faces.