Brand Protection, Dupes, and Navigating the Unknown on Amazon

The rise of “dupe” culture in beauty, health, and wellness might feel like a modern phenomenon, but its roots run deep. Fashion, for example, has long thrived on imitation. While dupes aren’t new, what’s changed is the ecosystem they exist in. Social commerce, influencer-driven hype, and the mainstream embrace of lookalikes have created a marketplace where knockoffs aren’t just tolerated, but celebrated. 

Today’s marketplace is one where products are increasingly bought and sold through platforms like Amazon, driven by convenience and a near-instant gratification model. What once required trips to multiple stores or hours of research has now been condensed into a few clicks. This change has introduced a new breed of consumer, one who expects instant access to affordable alternatives to premium products. Social media platforms, especially TikTok and Instagram, have only accelerated this shift, with influencers and everyday users alike highlighting and recommending dupes to their followers. For many consumers, these alternatives are seen as savvy ways to achieve the look or feel of premium products without the associated price tags.

But while a fake handbag might be harmless beyond brand dilution, counterfeit skincare, beauty products, and supplements are a different story. Poorly formulated or unregulated alternatives can pose real health risks, often containing unknown ingredients or manufactured to a lower standard. 

Despite these risks, the demand for dupes isn’t slowing down. Customers, especially in the beauty, health, and wellness space, are drawn to affordability and trend-driven alternatives. This leaves brands facing a complex challenge: How do you protect your products, reputation, and customers in a marketplace that thrives on imitation?

We’ll explore how brands can take a proactive stance, from leveraging marketplace protections to educating consumers and staying ahead of emerging trends.

The Brand Protection Challenge: Defending Your Products on Marketplaces

Platforms like Amazon have invested in various legal and marketplace tools to help brands protect their intellectual property and ensure product authenticity. While these measures are a great first step in controlling your brand’s identity, brands are finding that dedicating resources to finding and reporting dupes is one of the best proactive approaches.

In addition to traditional IP protection, beauty brands are increasingly trademarking unique elements of their products, such as bottle shapes, packaging designs, and even specific ingredients, as a way to safeguard their intellectual property. This tactic is multifaceted. It provides brands with the legal leverage required to combat dupes and counterfeits, streamlining the process of removing fake products from platforms like Amazon. Additionally, it acts as a strategic marketing tool, helping brands distinguish their authentic products from knockoffs in the marketplace. By owning these unique features, brands make it easier for consumers to recognize genuine items, reducing the allure of lookalikes and safeguarding both their reputation and customer loyalty.

Tools like the Amazon Brand Registry, Amazon Transparency — a serialization service that helps authenticate products — and Intellectual Property (IP) Enforcement, where you can report potential infringement quickly. However, simply relying on these tools isn’t enough to guarantee brand safety in an environment flooded with counterfeit goods. Brands must actively monitor their listings and engage with these protections regularly to keep up with the Amazon Wild West. 

Brands should consistently provide high-quality content about their products, their ingredients, sourcing practices, and their overarching mission. This transparency helps educate consumers, builds trust, and serves as a protective barrier against fake listings. Enlisting third-party monitoring services can also support these efforts, automating the detection of unauthorized listings and simplifying the process of alerting sellers to cease selling counterfeit products. Brands should also regularly conduct audits of their marketplace listings to ensure no fraudulent or imitation products are listed under their name. This includes reviewing customer feedback to identify mentions of potentially unauthorized duplicates.

However, despite all these strategies, many brands still struggle to keep up with the pace of brand protection in the marketplace. Front Row understands this challenge intimately. We work alongside brands to not only protect their intellectual property but also to create a strong, authentic presence in the digital space that differentiates them from counterfeit competitors.

Conclusion: Proactive Brand Protection in a Dupes-Driven Marketplace

The demand for dupes in the beauty, health, and wellness sectors is likely to continue, fueled by social commerce trends and an increasingly price-conscious consumer base. However, this doesn’t mean brands are helpless in the face of imitation. By leveraging tools like Amazon Brand Registry, Transparency, and IP Enforcement, staying ahead of emerging trends, and engaging with consumers through education and transparency, brands can protect their The Midnight Library by Matt Haigproducts and reputation.

Navigating this challenge is a delicate balancing act, requiring continuous vigilance, innovation, and proactive engagement. Many brands, particularly those with limited resources or expertise, find it difficult to address these issues on Amazon, especially when the marketplace is just one of many omnichannel revenue streams. Proactively managing these complexities often demands significant investment of time and resources. 

For brands partnered with Front Row, our expertise in brand protection and combating dupes allows them to focus on what truly matters to their customers: minimizing purchase friction and ensuring the swift delivery of reliable products.

Podcast: The Rise of Dupes & How High-Growth Beauty Brands Can Protect & Expand

Interested in learning more? In a recent episode of Marketplace Masters, Paul Sonneveld was joined by Alexandra Carmody, SVP of Brand Strategy at Front Row, to explore how luxury beauty brands can thrive on the platform while navigating brand integrity challenges caused by counterfeits and dupes. Click the link above or below to watch the entire episode.