Salon chain said to sell counterfeit hair care products

A well-known beauty salon chain was accused yesterday of selling and using counterfeit brand-name shampoos and conditioners, products which it claimed originated in the Netherlands from the real manufacturer.

But Lin Yi-hua (林奕華), a KMT Taipei City Councilor, said an investigation by police and officials from Taipei's Bureau of Health (衛生局) shows that the shampoo and conditioner bottles confiscated from The Charlie International Group are fake.

According to Lin, the name of the local importer, the authorized license number from the Department of Health (衛生署) and the bar codes on the products are all fraudulent.

"I felt like a fool when I learned they were cheating people, because I am one of their customers, too," Lin said. The councilor indicated that she felt something was wrong with her hair after going to the salon for a perm recently.

A few days later, Lin said, another Charlie International customer called her to accuse the company of malfeasance after claiming she had an allergic seizure after having her hair done at the one of the chain's salons. The seizure was so serious, the woman claimed, that she had to go to the hospital, where she received "shots."

Tina Chiu (邱莉櫻), a deputy manager of the Charlie International Group, said "We have been operating for about 10 years. Nothing has ever gone wrong and nobody has ever complained. We may ourselves be a victim of fraud."

The Consumers Foundation (消基會), however, said yesterday that it had never received a complaint about the company.