In my bathroom, I have a bottle of snail slime I apply to my face every day. It’s not as weird as it sounds. The snail slime has been formulated into a widely beloved skincare serum made by South Korean beauty brand COSRX. It was a cult favourite among American skincare enthusiasts for years before becoming a viral hit last year. But what is weird: I have no idea if the product I’m using is real.

Along with the serum’s sudden internet fame came a huge spike in demand. While COSRX worked to ramp up production and distribution to keep the real thing in stock, a flood of counterfeiters rushed in with products in almost identical packaging that claimed to be the real thing.

Bloomberg Businessweek