How TikTok Shop and Social Commerce Are Fueling Counterfeits
What was once an underground economy has now exploded into popular mainstream culture. The counterfeit market is experiencing unprecedented growth, driven by viral social media content, changing consumer values, and platforms that blur the lines between entertainment and commerce.
Today’s knockoff products aren’t hiding in dark corners of the internet – they’re trending on TikTok, celebrated in YouTube reviews, and normalized through Instagram influencer culture. From fake Owala water bottles that rack up millions of views to counterfeit Lululemon Align leggings marketed as “affordable alternatives,” to knock-off UGG boots flooding social feeds and to Stanley cup dupes that fool even dedicated fans, counterfeiting has become an accepted consumer-driven phenomenon that challenges everything we thought we knew about brand loyalty and authentic consumption.
In this article, we will explore who is buying the fakes, what the dangers are, and what brands need to do to protect themselves from the harm being caused.
How TikTok Shop Became a Counterfeit Marketplace
Social commerce has fundamentally changed how counterfeit goods reach consumers. The allure of buying trendy products so easily and at an affordable price through platforms such as TikTok Shop has brought millions of young customers to its site.
According to TikToks Shopping Index, there was a 27% surge in orders at the start of 2025, with comfort‑driven denim, celebrity fashion, and “barely‑there” sandals topping trends. Viral products from brands like RELA RELA including stretchy soft “Dad Fit” jeans benefited from this growth too. The rise isn’t confined to a few products, in fact, research shows that TikTok became the fastest‑growing online retailer in 2024, increasing its shopper base by 131% and revenue by 180%.
Another area that showed a huge surge in sales was the global reusable water‑bottle market that generated more than US$9 billion in 2024, crediting TikTok Shop and other social‑commerce channels for fueling the boom. The platform’s success reflects a broader shift toward social shopping, where consumers “scroll, pause and purchase” within a single app.
However, with the success of new shopping channels like this, we are also witnessing a huge increase in counterfeit goods being sold on these marketplaces. The viral nature of social media together with high demand and scarcity of a product creates perfect conditions for counterfeit success. The American University’s Intellectual Property Brief noted that TikTok’s algorithm prioritises viral, low‑cost content, making it “an ideal space for counterfeiters and dupe marketers to thrive. When a product like the Owala water bottle gained traction through influencer content and user-generated posts, counterfeit manufacturers quickly capitalized on the trend. It was simple, scammers understand that consumers aren’t necessarily seeking to deceive others by buying counterfeits, they simply want to participate in trends and communities at a price point they can afford. The counterfeit market has evolved to make this possible, offering products that deliver the visual markers of trend participation without the authentic quality or price tag.
Dupes are Cool
Perhaps the most fascinating part of this new buying method is how counterfeits have been culturally reframed amongst Gen Z, especially as “dupes“, a term that removes any stigma and positions these products as smart shopping rather than being associated with intellectual property theft. This linguistic shift reflects a broader cultural change in how consumers view authenticity and value.
The dupe culture has created its own ecosystem of content creators, reviewers, and communities that celebrate finding affordable alternatives to expensive products. This normalization has made counterfeit purchasing more socially acceptable, particularly among younger consumers who view brand loyalty differently than previous generations and simply prioritize trends over authenticity.
Price also plays a role. During economic uncertainty, consumers may justify buying knock‑offs as a practical compromise. The CosmeticsDesign‑Europe report notes that 17 % of UK women have knowingly purchased a counterfeit beauty product online, a figure suggesting that some consumers see counterfeits not as scams but as accessible alternatives.
This willingness is reinforced by myths claiming that fakes are produced in the same factories as the originals. Without clear public‑awareness campaigns, these beliefs persist, and the counterfeiters keep winning. However, there are hidden costs of this dupe economy that not enough people are speaking about.
The Hidden Dangers of Viral Fake Products
Unlike legitimate products, counterfeit cosmetics and personal‑care items bypass safety testing and often contain hazardous ingredients. In 2024, reports from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) showed that phony beauty products can contain known carcinogens, including arsenic, beryllium and cadmium, along with high levels of aluminum, mercury and dangerous levels of bacteria.
Last year, there was a massive explosion in popularity with Owala bottles. Many people found them to be expensive and often ran out of specific colors and styles. Owala dupes, became hugely popular and basically mimicked the appearance and features of genuine Owala cups, tumblers, and other designs. However, some of the dupes were found to be made up of lower-grade materials prone to leaking, poor insulation, and less effective sealing mechanisms. Despite this, there is a continual stream of eager buyers who prioritize aesthetics and affordability over functionality and health scares.
Legal Consequences and Enforcement
The legal consequences for counterfeit operations have intensified significantly, with penalties ranging from substantial fines to imprisonment. Criminal trademark infringement can result in substantial fines, imprisonment, or both – especially in cases of willful counterfeiting, while statutory damages provide a range of financial penalties, often between $1,000 and $200,000 per infringement. However, the challenge lies in enforcement across borderless digital platforms where counterfeiters can quickly disappear and reappear under new identities. The transient nature of live content and the ease of setting up new accounts on these platforms further complicate monitoring efforts, making traditional legal remedies feel inadequate against the scale and speed of modern counterfeiting operations.
Authorities have begun responding to the surge in fakes on social‑commerce platforms. In the United Kingdom, Trading Standards, the authority responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws, has launched a crackdown on TikTok Shop, warning that buyers caught with counterfeit goods may face fines of up to £5,000 and, in severe cases, criminal prosecution.
U.S. authorities, led by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), are intensifying efforts to combat the proliferation of these counterfeit goods, with consumers facing potential fines and legal action. This escalation reveals the scope of the problem – it’s not just an intellectual property issue anymore, but a consumer safety and legal concern.
TikTok itself also has tried to implement processes and regulations to help prevent the counterfeits spreading, they introduced a trademark verification requirement for sellers, ensuring that brands must verify their trademarks before listing products on the app. According to TikTok’s official Trademark and Counterfeiting Policy, rights holders can file infringement complaints and request takedowns of counterfeit products. The platform enforces a three-strike rule for intellectual property violations, meaning that repeated infringement can lead to permanent account removal from TikTok Shop.
However, Many sellers circumvent these policies by operating under multiple burner accounts, rebranding frequently, or using subtle changes to packaging and product names to avoid detection. Investigative reporting by Wired and BuzzFeed has revealed how sellers exploit TikTok’s algorithm and lax enforcement by using fake identities, rotate through dozens of ephemeral accounts, and mislabel goods to slip through TikTok’s filters.
Implications for Businesses
With Gen Z now accounting for a major share of social‑commerce spending, and surveys showing that,
- 55 % of Gen Z regularly shop on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook
- Two‑thirds are open to buying “dupes” if they look authentic and cost less.
- Almost half of Gen Z and 44 % of millennials report having purchased such “dupes” in the past year
- In just a decade, counterfeiting has become a mainstream social‑commerce phenomenon.
Brand managers and Marketers need to pay attention and understand that this shift demands a new playbook: monitor emerging micro‑trends daily, engage directly on the platforms where these fakes are sold, build influencer partnerships that highlight authentic quality, and invest in technology tools that are as mobile‑friendly as the buying journey itself. When the counterfeit market moves at the speed of social media,waiting to react after counterfeit versions go viral is no longer an option.
Defending Against What Has Become Acceptable
Instead of simply urging brands to bolster their intellectual‑property defences, we should recognise that viral consumer behaviour lies at the heart of the counterfeit boom. Platforms like TikTok Shop have democratised shopping, enabling small brands and influencers to reach millions, but they have also blurred the line between authentic products and cheap imitations. The combination of algorithm‑driven discovery, influencer marketing, scarcity tactics and economic pressure creates a perfect opportunity for fakes. This means that efforts to curb counterfeiting must address not only sellers, but also the demand side.
Educating consumers – especially younger users, about the health risks of counterfeit beauty products and the scams behind bargain water bottles is essential. Regulators and platforms should improve seller verification and invest in systems that identify and remove illicit goods more effectively. Influencers, who profit from viral trends, also have a responsibility to vet the products they endorse and to discourage their audiences from seeking unsafe dupes. Gen Z shoppers can protect themselves by purchasing from verified sellers, checking packaging carefully, and resisting the fear of missing out on every micro‑trend.
For brands navigating this landscape, brand protection strategies must evolve beyond traditional trademark registration and cease-and-desist letters. Successful brand protection now focuses on certain key areas including powerful proactive efforts to protect stores, advances in holding bad actors accountable, and sophisticated AI-Powered monitoring systems that can detect counterfeits across multiple channels simultaneously. This automated and continuous monitoring of marketplaces to detect counterfeiters can help rights holders better safeguard their brand.
The most effective approaches will combine the automated detection systems with human expertise, creating multi-layered defense strategies that can adapt and change as quickly as the counterfeit market itself. Yet even with these advances, the fundamental challenge remains: in a culture that increasingly celebrates “dupe culture” and affordable alternatives, brands must balance aggressive enforcement with understanding their customers’ economic realities.
Counterfeiting may be as old as commerce itself – but today’s boom is different. It’s being driven by a social‑media machine that rewards novelty, speed, and low prices far more than authenticity. Viral trends and algorithm‑boosted “dupes” have turned counterfeit goods into mainstream must‑haves almost overnight. Accepting this reality is the first step in protecting consumers from the hidden dangers that lurk behind trending videos and bargain‑basement prices, and in shielding brands from the long‑term reputational damage these fakes can inflict.