FAN MAIL FRIDAYS: How to know if your Lucas Papaw is fake

Lucas Papaw- a 100- year old all- around salve that's a staple in Australia's households; it has had a resurgence and people are super curious about this product, making it one of the IT beauty products as of late. I encountered Lucas Papaw in 2012 and have been using it ever since. Every chance I get to replenish my Lucas Papaw stocks, I grab because this stuff is legit. I love using it on my insect bites and works well in soothing my lips whenever I get cold sores.

A couple of weeks ago, I got this email from Koji:

Hi,
I would like to know if the original Lucas Papaw cream still has this triangular seal? I would appreciate if you could answer this. There's a lot of fake Lucas Papaw in the market today.
Koji

 Hi Koji!

Thanks for writing and OMG! I did not know that Lucas Papaw is being duped heavily nowadays! Ah, the price a brand has to pay when they get really famous! :(

After reading your email, I went immediately to Lucas Papaw's official website and this official statement confirmed that indeed, their proprietary product is being counterfeited. Read the statement HERE.

So why should you worry if your Lucas Papaw is fake or authentic?

I wouldn't be too concerned about the Papaw extract because it only makes up about 4% of the formula, but I would be very worried about the petroleum base used. Authentic Lucas Papaw uses pharmaceutical grade petroleum jelly, which is the highest quality of its kind; it is filtered for so many times to get rid of virtually all the toxic substances.

Fake Lucas Papaw products may be using low grade petroleum jelly or heck, even a petroleum alternative called God-knows-what and it can pose some health risks.

How to determine if your Lucas Papaw is authentic or fake? Here are ways:

1. LUCAS PAPAW'S UNIQUE SEALS

- Lucas Papaw 25g, the most popular size, has two distinct seals:

Lucas Papaw 25g, ca 2012

In 2012, this was their first seal. There's a triangular hole engraved on the exterior of the cap and a triangular plug that seals the tube. You combine the two together to open the tube.

Lucas Papaw, ca 2017

- In 2017, this is now the revamped 25g tube. The excessive seal design was replaced with a regular look; the tube is sealed with a melted plastic- like material on it to protect the product.

The 15g tube comes with a slanted applicator and the tube has a stick inside that inserts perfectly into the hole of the applicator. The hole does not bear any protective seal whatsoever.

2. LUCAS PAPAW PACKAGING

- I saw the following photos of Lucas Papaw packaging in two popular Chinese e-commerce websites:

This is the first one. In Australia where Lucas Papaw is being sold, the product is being displayed like this: they are on a white plastic tray in 6's and you can either purchase one or the entire tray.

The second one is this. Sets of 4 Lucas Papaw 25g tubes on a cardboard packaging. I have never ever seen this packaging in my last two trips (2013 and 2016) to Australia. I've been to Coles, Woolworths, and Chemist Warehouse a lot of times during my stay and have never ever seen this set of 4s that some sellers are selling.

But there's a possibility that this is released sometime in or after 2016. We'll find out. I'll go to Melbourne and Brisbane this coming May to June 2018 for a vacation, and I shall verify if Lucas Papaw indeed came out with the set in question. I will update this blog post.

3. LUCAS PAPAW VARIANTS

- So far, these are the ONLY products that the brand is offering. I got the screenshot from their official website. Also, they mentioned that they do not have a Facebook fan page for the brand.

Some other things you have to know:

1. Lucas Papaw products don't come with a plastic cover, box, or external packaging of any kind. You just get the tube. That's it.

Update: Followers on my FB fan page sent photos of Lucas Papaw with plastic seal being sold in Watsons. I believe it is authentic because Watsons does not sell counterfeit goods. It is possible that Watsons required the importer to put seals on the product to prevent unwarranted trial of the item and exposing it to contamination. Importers have to adhere to local distributor rules and regulations before their product can be offered on retail. However, I cannot say that this is the same for unauthorized distributors and sellers. It is always best to buy any product from an authorized distributor/seller.

2. Lucas Papaw has a very faint, creamy floral scent.

3. Lucas Papaw has a light yellowish color.

Click HERE to read my in- depth review of Lucas Papaw.

Thanks, Koji for the heads up; if not for your Fan Mail Friday question, I wouldn't know that my beloved Papaw is being counterfeited! O.O

I hope you all learned something from the blog today. Happy weekend!

**Got a burning question on makeup, beauty, skin care, fragrance, exercise, diet, career, blogging, or anything in between? Email me at martha.stabarbara@yahoo.com, message me via Contact Form, or shoot me a message at THE BEAUTY JUNKEE Facebook fan page.