Fake it until you...can't: How high-tech labels are shining a light on fakes

Counterfeit products are a major headache for legitimate brands, draining their revenue and stifling their ability to grow and innovate. On top of that, these knock-offs often fall far short of the quality consumers expect and can even pose serious health and safety risks due to the use of harmful chemicals.

For luxury brands, counterfeits are a real menace. Not only do these fakes undermine the exclusivity and prestige of high-end brands, but they're also tied to broader societal problems, including organised crime.

To tackle this issue, brands like Hermès are pulling out all the stops. They're using a mix of strategies, from strong intellectual property protection and cutting-edge anti-counterfeiting tech like RFID tags and microchips, to strict legal action and unique patterns that make their products stand out.

A new exciting development in the fight against counterfeits comes from a research group at a Japanese national research university. They've developed innovative labels featuring cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) that reflect light to create a one-of-a-kind pattern or signature.

Initially, this signature can only be seen through a circular polariser. But when fluorescent dyes are added to the label, you need both a circular polariser and ultraviolet (UV) light to verify authenticity, making it even harder for counterfeiters to replicate.

The creation of fluorescent CLC particles, which display both circularly polarised structural color and circularly polarised luminescence, represents a big leap forward in anti-counterfeiting efforts as these labels will be very difficult to replicate. 

This breakthrough is set to boost brand protection and keep consumers safe from the dangers of counterfeit goods.