How To Link Perfume Security Seals With Supply Chain Tracking Software – What To Look For?

Studies have shown that the cosmetic industry loses nearly €5 billion a year to counterfeiting. And, undeniably, financial losses that stem from fraud, supply chain diversion, and adultering can be significant for any manufacturer of cosmetics, perfumes, and beauty products.

But the damage that bad actors can cause does not end here! If your perfume brand falls victim to counterfeiting, the chances are that you will report severe reputation damage and loss of customer trust.

With so much at stake, it is essential to secure your perfumes and track them throughout their journey through the supply chain and until they safely reach the hands of your consumers. But how can you do so efficiently and affordably?

An ad hoc supply chain tracking software such as Authena Shield™ can help. Learn more below.

What Is a Perfume Security Seal?

Perfume security seals are strategies that allow you to prevent and address counterfeiting risks within the supply chain. When each perfume bottle package is complete with a physical security seal, both the company and the end-user will be able to access information about the product’s journey through the supply chain, ingredients used, and authenticity.

There are several perfume security seals you can choose from for your brand protection strategy. With different level of security, these include:

• Barcodes (less secure, usually readable only by industry operators)

• QR codes (less secure, readable by industry operators and final customers)

• RFID tags (resistant to cloning, usually readable only by industry operators)

• NFC seals (resistant to cloning, readable by industry operators and final customers)

To protect products, Authena’s patent-pending Near Field Communication (NFC) tags are the most efficient way to secure your products. These tags can be also linked to NFTs – or Non-Fungible Tokens – which exist in the metaverse. NFTs are unique strings of numbers and letters that are connected to a real-world asset (in this case, a perfume bottle). When the units change hands, are sold, or are transported away from the supply chain, each transaction is immutably and securely imprinted in the blockchain.

Since NFCs are readable by any modern device (such as smartphones that support the Authena application), customers and supply chain managers can have immediate information about the product, its authenticity, and its transactions.

Perfume security seals can also have anti-peeling and tamper-proof features, and offer refilling protection. And, they are designed to fit your packaging design!

Benefits of Perfume Security Seals

Every year, €5 billion and 500,000 jobs are lost to the counterfeit trade in the perfume and cosmetic industry. The need for an efficient supply chain tracking software and product authentication strategy could not be more evident.

Introducing security products seals is a great step towards a safer supply chain and industry as a whole. What’s more, security and tamper-evident seals for the perfume industry offer a wide range of unique benefits. These include:

• Protecting your products from counterfeit and fraud like diversion, adulteration, and refilling
• Preventing your perfume bottles from being opened illegally
• Delivering to your company detailed and real-time information about how and when the product travels through the supply chain
• Providing essential customer data, including when, where, and how your products are bought, opened, and used by your customers
• Allowing your customers to access information about the product, thus providing unparalleled transparency and guaranteeing its authenticity
• Preventing financial losses and reputational damages that come with low-cost, low-quality counterfeit products using your brand
• Lowering the risk of public health issues, scandals, and costly recalls

Working with a product authentication expert can help you understand more about the benefits of introducing an ad hoc tracking system in your company.

Why Is Supply Chain Visibility Important?

Gaining better supply chain visibility has never been more important than it is today. Indeed, thanks to new and emerging technology, the supply chain is growing at an unprecedented rate, and it has never been more complex, layered, and far-reaching.

Of course, this allows companies to expand and supply an international audience. At the same time, such a complex supply chain does not come without its fair share of issues. And, one of the main ones is the lack of visibility – in an era during which customers value authenticity more than ever!

Smart packaging solutions – coupled with tailored supply chain tracking software – allow you to maintain unit-level visibility and traceability across your entire supply chain – no matter how extensive it is or you are planning to make it.

How to link supply chain tracking software with perfume security seals

Investing in supply chain tracking software is only one part of a more complete product authentication strategy. Indeed, the software will automatically record transactions and information about the product itself.

But how can your company, your distributors, and your end-users access this information? This is where security seals come in. Tamper-proof or tamper-evident seals, when used as part of a more comprehensive smart packaging strategy, can be read by any mobile device or smartphone supporting the NFC feature and using the Authena app. These seals guarantee the authenticity of perfumes by allowing for a safe and secure exchange of information between the product itself and the user.

Authenticator Apps

Authenticator apps designed uniquely around your needs are created to deliver information about your products to your users. The kind of app and supply chain software you will need to use depends largely on who your customers are.

B2B Supply Chain Software

B2B supply chain software is designed to guarantee distributors the authenticity of the products they are buying. For them, obtaining information about a product’s supply chain is essential to maintain their reputation and safeguard their customers’ experience.

This type of authenticator app will aim to provide information about larger batches of products or an entire range of perfumes.

B2C Supply Chain Software

If you are selling directly to the end-user, it is essential for your authenticator app to be highly intuitive, easy to use, fast, and user-friendly. When working with authentication experts, you will be able to design an app that matches your brand personality and voice and allows you to deliver easy-to-read information about your perfumes to your customers.

Conclusion

Securing the supply chain and guaranteeing unparalleled levels of authenticity to your customers and distributors is more challenging than ever. And these challenges are bound to multiply as the reach and complexity of the supply chain increases. At the same time, customers have never been more eager for transparency and authenticity – especially in the field of cosmetics and perfumes.

Working with the product authentication experts at Authena can help you introduce within your company an ad hoc supply chain teaching solution.