PLEASE SEE MY OTHER GUIDE ON HOW TO SPOT OTHER FAKE MAC PRODUCTS, AS THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO PUT IT ALL IN ONE GUIDE.  THIS GUIDE COVERS FULL SIZE MAC PIGMENTS.  ***I HAVE REMOVED THE INFO ON PIGMENT SAMPLES SINCE EBAY HAS BANNED THE SALES OF THESE.

^^I AM SORRY THIS GUIDE IS SO LONG, BUT SEVERAL UPDATES HAVE BEEN MADE DUE TO NEW FAKES COMING OUT!!! 

***NEW INFO ADDED FOR NEW FAKE PIGMENTS AS NEEDED.  LAST UPDATE 6/18/07:  SEE BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR NEWEST INFORMATION ON "NEW" FAKE MAC PIGMENTS!  Please be sure to read all the way to the end so you get the newest information on all of the fakes pigments as they come out.  They keep changing!

#### 4/7/08:  Be aware, if pigment prices are too good to be true, buy at your own risk.  There have been reports of new fakes that are almost IDENTICAL to the real thing, however, I have not been able to prove this enough to print it here.  I still need to check several other colors (if I can get them) and until I do, I can not comment (the ones I have checked, I feel are authentic and there can be many reasons for slight differences in the boxes, because MAC does have things made in different countries, there are scratches or dents in boxes that can occur during shipping, they could be old boxes like with some rare colors, and MAC is making alot of limited edition items in China now, so this could account for subtle changes (not with the pigment itself, but with the packaging).  Some of these have allegedly been purchased from REPUTABLE SELLERS who probably didn't know they were fake since they are supposed to be very good fakes (like the brushes that came out over 1 year ago).  BEWARE OF WHAT YOU READ ON FORUMS!  There are sellers being accused of selling fakes without adequate proof.

The best advise I can give for pigments is to buy from a reputable seller if you are OR are not familar pigments (there are many different textures).   Feel free to take questionable pigments to MAC HOWEVER, DO NOT TELL THEM YOU BOUGHT THEM ON EBAY because they will either tell you that they can NOT comment since you did buy them on Ebay, or a few employees have been known to not be honest because MAC doesn't want you to buy your pigments on Ebay!  Just compare the jar you bought with the ones in the store.

PIGMENTS, FULL SIZE:  There have been fake pigments being sold from Hong Kong & a few other countries, in small or large lots (usually rare colors) since approx. July 2006.   So now the buyers of these fakes are reselling them as authentic (some DO know they are fakes but some do NOT know).    Spotting fake pigments before you buy them, can be difficult, because they will usually look authentic in the picture, HOWEVER, if you know your pigments, you WILL be able to tell they are fakes when you receive them.   If you do not know your pigments, you will most likely still be able to tell the fakes because they are very poor quality and when applied to the skin, they will not stay on.   The following information is what I have found (including differences in packaging), that will help you determine which are authentic and which are not.  *This information will also help those who have only used a few of MAC's pigments (because there are so many textures, you may need the information below to tell you whether they are authentic or not).

The sellers may say that they are store samples, but full size.  MAC DOES have samples (despite what one new person said in their guide), of almost all products, including pigments, that come in regular retail packaging, they use for display & for customer testing, but they rarely use all of the sample jars before the item is sold out/discontinued, HOWEVER, THEY WILL BE LABELLED and will say, SAMPLE - THEN THE COLOR NAME.  This will be ON THE BOTTOM OF THE JAR AND TOP OF THE BOX (if boxed - sample pigments usually are not boxed), IF THEY ARE REALLY AUTHENTIC SAMPLE JARS (read more about color stickers please)! 

Pigments do not have to be sold with boxes on Ebay, or might even be sold occasionally with a box that has no color sticker (I sell many F/S pigments straight from MAC & occasionally the stickers on the boxes do come off, but they never fall off of the bottom of the jar), so they are authentic UNLESS they have NO color sticker on the BOTTOM OF THE JAR (PLEASE READ NEW UPDATES ON NEW FAKES WITH COLOR STICKERS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE JARS).   The main difference I have found between the fake pigments & the real ones (besides the quality), is that the color label is NOT on the BOTTOM OF THE JAR; and they do not have a UPC code sticker on the box (or the UPC code is printed with the box rather than on a sticker).  I have seen a slightly different font used for the color name on the box, but have also seen this from jars purchased from MAC (i.e. long color names require a smaller type of font to fit).  So if the font used for the letters is different, and the color name isn't very long - or if the letter font is different ON THE BOX ITSELF, then these may be fakes.   The little plastic insert that's just under the lid of the pigment, will not have a number on it (4 or 5 digit number in raised type & you have to look closely to see it), if it's fake.  PLEASE NOTE:  A few sellers remove the UPC sticker so the pigment can't be returned to MAC for full purchase price, so always be sure the color sticker is on the bottom of the jar!  

MORE VERY IMPORTANT INFO ON FULL SIZE PIGMENTS:  The color label on the bottom of the jar can be clear OR silver (they are always black on the BOX).  THE COLOR LABEL ON THE BOTTOM OF THE JAR MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE A NUMBER ALONG WITH THE COLOR NAME!!  MOST will have a number (i.e. A36, B23, etc.), in the same type of print as the color, however, some WILL appear to have been almost typed on or added later.  The reason for this is because approx. in 2005, there was an error in the printing of these labels & the numbers were omitted!!  MAC did discover their error, so they did add the number (i.e. A23, etc.) to those color labels they already had printed but many pigments were already in the stores without the color number.  I have been selling pigments for at least 5 years and sold samples for awhile, but haven't for the past 2 years and still have many of the empty jars.  I compared these older pigment jars, (some are still current colors and some are discontinued), with the new jars I purchased from MAC and I found several (about 1 year old) without the number on the color label, so it's not just the discontinued colors without the numbers.  So, for pigments, the color number missing OR looking like it's been typed on, does NOT mean they are fakes, as I heard one person say (the newer limited edition colors, have many of the numbers on the color label that look typed on)!!  Again, the fakes do NOT even have a color label on the bottom of the jar (AGAIN, please read the update on the new fakes as this is no longer true on the new ones).

NEW LIMITED EDITION PIGMENTS:  The last couple of limited edition collections, have the color numbers that look typed on or added later (on the bottom of the jar).  I have bought at least 100 jars from the various collections and they are ALL this way and they were purchased from MAC!!   IN ADDITION, the paper insert that is normally in the box (with the ingredient list, etc.), is missing on many of these new collections!   There have been a few errors in the production of pigments for approx. the past year,  and this is just one of the errors and MAC IS aware of this.  Lastly, these new pigments are hyper jet-milled, and are SO fine in texture, that a tiny amount will usually escape from the jar.  This is NORMAL due to their texture and MAC is also aware of this.   ONE MORE red flag to look for, is if the seller has large numbers of the rare colors!!   One color that had been sold alot was/is, All Girl (and another is Lustdust glitter).  No one is going to have 20-100 or more of this very rare color (and certainly not store samples)!  When this seller was asked if the color label was on the bottom of the jar, I was told no, but they were "store samples".  I told this seller that all store samples would say sample, then have the color name on the color label, on the jar and the box if they were authentic (this seller had about 40 All Girl listed).  When I told this seller that I knew my pigments & if they were fakes that I would prosecute, and I said to tell me now if they were not authentic & there would be no trouble since I hadn't lost any money.  THEN I was told they were NOT authentic - I did report this seller to Ebay (but over the next 2 days, they had suddenly went from zero neg. feedbacks, to almost 20).  This was again, a seller with approx. 20-30 FB.   Most of the sellers with the fakes will get 20-30 positive FB's THEN, start selling the fakes (so just enough FB's to encourage bidders to sort of feel safe).  I have more recently seen sellers with up to 200 FB, start selling fake MAC.

AGAIN, buy from a reputable seller if you are not that familar with pigments, read the auctions & ask questions, and be informed.  You can also file a complaint through Paypal if you do receive fakes and will get your money back.  Please also report any fake product auction to Ebay (be sure it's fake - MAC will normally tell you if a full size product is fake or not, if you take it into a store - just try to avoid telling them you bought it on Ebay).

LAST:  Most MAC sellers are honest and would never risk losing their Ebay account (or feedback) by selling fakes, which is why most fakes are found when the users id has less than 30-40 or so feedback (this is still a new acct. so they don't care if it's suspended).  This guide was written Oct. 5, 2006, so the majority of the fraudulent sellers will have already been suspended or will have several neg. FB's by now, stating their items are fakes. 

**PLEASE NOTE:  Not all pigment jars are full when new!  Most mattes, metallics, and glitters will not be full and some may only be 2/3's full or less.  This is because the jars are filled based on weight NOT volume!  Even a few of the jet milled (very light weight) pigments, are not quite full when new but are very close.  Most FROSTS are full, but I have received many straight from MAC that appear to have about 1/4 tsp removed (but no more than this), and this is due to settling during shipment (again, MOST, but not all, metallics, glitters and many mattes, are 2/3's full when new and a few may only be alittle over 1/2 full).  Feel free to call MAC and ask them if the color you have received, is supposed to be full when new - if you suspect a problem, HOWEVER, DO NOT tell them you bought it on Ebay because they will not tell you the truth, or will not answer your question at all.  Just tell them it came from another MAC store and you wanted to be sure that it was normal.

UPDATE:  DEC. 20 -  The pigment Deckchair is the latest pigment being counterfeited.  The texture is poor and it doesn't stick to the skin like normal MAC pigments.   They do have a color label on the bottom of the jar but they are BLACK and the number is A16 rather than A15. 

***NEW INFO ADDED 2/28/07:  BEWARE OF NEW FAKE, FULL SIZE PIGMENTS that ARE boxed and appear to be authentic MAC, HOWEVER, they only have a number code (i.e. A11 - a letter followed by 2 numbers.  The A11 is just an example), and NO COLOR NAMES ARE ON THE LABELS!!  These are FAKES!!  I have seen these "MAC:" Pigments being sold in large lots on other auction sites, very cheap and now they ARE being sold on Ebay in smaller lots and individually!!!  PLEASE, always ask if the color names are on the labels if this is not stated in the auction!!  AGAIN, buy from a reputable seller (who has been selling pigments for a long time so they know the difference between the fakes and the real thing)!!  I have received many emails this week from buyers who purchased these fakes from other sellers (they HAD read this guide but did not follow it because it has said that the color name must be on the label on the bottom of the jar or they are fakes).  Now they have lost their money & are having to fight to get it back (always file a Paypal claim before returning the fakes if the seller is fairly new).  You can also file a claim with the postal inspector for mail fraud (it is illegal to ship fakes when advertised as authentic, through the USPS).  ALWAYS REPORT THESE SELLERS TO EBAY!!

**UPDATED 5/6/07:  BEWARE OF THE LATEST FAKE MAC PIGMENTS!!  THESE ARE THE BEST FAKES YET!!!  The colors are not close to the authentic pigments so you can tell this AFTER you receive them, but to spot the fakes in auctions, here is what to look for on the new fakes THAT NOW HAVE COLOR LABELS WITH THE COLOR NAMES:  First, the color label on the TOP of the box, is near the front of the box instead of the back of the box (they are near the back of the box on the authentic pigments).  The color dot on the top of the box is larger than the authentic ones.  The color label on the bottom of the jar is silver, just like most of the authentic ones (MAC does use clear also), however, they are also larger on the fake jars.  This may be hard to tell unless comparing side by side to a real one.  Last, the UPC code on the fakes is still NOT a sticker.  It has been printed WITH the box!    There are some other small differences, but these will not be obvious when looking at an auction (the code numbers for the colors are not correct, blurred print on the box are a few of these).

So the biggest thing to look for with these new fakes that ARE ON EBAY RIGHT NOW, are:  the color label with the name of the color is on the TOP of the box BUT near the front of the box instead of the back (all of the authentic ones are near the back).  The other, you may have to ask about, but again, it's the UPC code that is PART OF THE BOX (printed WITH the box) rather than being a sticker like all of MAC's authentic ones are!  So far, I have seen the new fakes in Chocolate Brown and Golden Olive (obvious color difference in the picture too), but I am sure there will be others.

6/18/07  UPDATE:  There are some new changes to the MAC Pigment boxes.  I have seen this with many colors but I am sure that the older style boxes are still being used, depending on the color you buy (until they sell all of the older ones anyway).  Here are the main differences:  The font on the color label on the top of the box is slightly different - it seems "thinner" and slightly smaller.  There is also a new icon on the back of the box, that looks like an open book with a hand (the pointer finger is pointing to the middle of the book).  Last is that the new UPC code stickers, no longer have the color letter and number on them, above the bar code (i.e. A46).  This has been removed from the UPC code label.  MAC has also recently (past few months) added the color letter/number to the back of the box that looks stamped on, in black or blue ink so can be difficult to see (i.e. A46).  So remember that the font on the color label IS slightly different now, but these ARE authentic.

3/18/08:  NEWEST UPDATE:  The rumor mill was reporting many new fake pigments and eye shadows so I checked into this (I did add some information to this guide but then took more time and really got into this and found that I was wrong, so I took it out the same night).  I AM ONLY COMMENTING ON THE PIGMENTS.  I only have a minute right now, but just want to say that after looking into this and testing pigments, some of the changes people are seeing on the boxes are due to LIMITED EDITION COLORS AND SOME ARE OLD BOXES THAT MAC IS STILL USING AT TIMES.  I have some of these same "different" boxes, so pulled out my old empty jars and boxes and found that these changes ARE ON OLDER BOXES AND LIMITED EDITION COLORS (even the ingredient list is different on some boxes and some have no ingredient list at all - but very few are like this and they ARE authentic ones that I have hung onto for quite awhile).  I know this is strange (that the ingredient list would be different) but I have compared newer limited edition pigment boxes, to the old ones and they have these changes that people are calling fake (my Jardin Aires are still in the outer box, when they come in sets of 3 and I GOT THEM FROM MAC)!  Also if they were fakes, the color and texture would not be IDENTICAL!   MAC SAID THAT MOST of their limited edition items, are made in China, rather than France or Japan, and this is why they are different from the other pigment boxes or whatever item you are comparing.  They will be subtle differences.  I think that some buyers think the texture is different because MANY PIGMENTS DO HAVE DIFFERENT TEXTURES, but they haven't used enough of the colors, to know this.  You must compare 2 of the same colors (one from the questionable box and one from MAC - if you know it came from MAC).  REMEMBER, FLASH AFFECTS THE COLOR SHOWN IN THE PICTURES, AS DOES THE ACTUAL COLOR OF THE PRODUCT!  BLUES ARE VERY HARD TO PHOTOGRAPH because some blues can not be seen when photographed (call your newspapers' production room and ask them).  SO BUY FROM REPUTABLE SELLERS.  That is all we can do. Okay, leaving on vacation now!

I hope you have found this information helpful.  I know that many of you HAVE spotted fakes after reading this, so were able to file with Paypal and get your money back!  ***ADDED 3/18/08:  From what I been told by many buyers who have purchased fake MAC, Paypal is no longer covering buyers.  They are requiring you get a letter FROM MAC (or other licensed service who can officially evaluate products - and I don't know ANY who can), to verify the fakes before they will cover you.  HOWEVER, MAC REFUSES TO DO THIS, BECAUSE THEY WERE PURCHASED ON EBAY.  So be very careful!

HAPPY AND SAFE SHOPPING!!

wc-racer