It happened to me: I got a fake from Jomashop
This is just a PSA to let you know that it does happen, and there are people going as far as refilling a real bottle with fake juice, putting it in a real box, and sealing it in plastic so that visually and physically everything is right.
Details:
I ordered a 100ml of Black Orchid from Jomashop (first time grey market buying) and the juice itself was the give away. Didn’t have the trademark truffle scent in the opening. The smell is reminiscent of Black Orchid but not the same.
Unfortunately I can’t do anything about it because I had ordered it to my mom’s house since Jomashop either wouldn’t ship to me or that would make the shipping more expensive. My mom already had plans to visit so I figured it would be a win if she just brought it. Well, it was my fault for not examining the return policy, because the timing of everything made it so that I wasn’t in the return window.
I know the majority of their stocks are real and I just had bad luck but, I don’t think I’ll buy grey market again because I don’t want to deal with the hassle. Good luck out there 🙏
EDIT:
I should have provided more information so here are the specific reasons why I’ve concluded it’s fake.
Ultimately smell is subjective so I guess everyone would have to take my word for it (trust me bro), but I spent a lot of time deliberating on it before my conclusion.
I have a strong sense of smell. I am a massage therapist and wear a mask— partially because it makes it easier if I don’t have to smell people’s breath and body odors. I also have better than 20/20 vision and am a detail-oriented person.
- The matching batch codes on box and bottle were for June 2025 so it’s not an older formulation.
- Subjectively it didn’t feel right. I know what Black Orchid is supposed to smell like. The opening has always been slightly off-putting but addicting
. I only
- got into perfume
a year ago so it’s been all I’ve known
- . This bottle doesn’t have that.
- Almost every dupe I’ve tried I could tell it wasn’t as well blended or refined, and also makes me queasy pretty fast. This bottle does that to me.
- I went in person to compare. Someone said I should get second opinions so I will, because I feel committed to proving that it’s fake.
In a different scenario I got an iPad screen repaired and was dumb and assumed that I was getting an OEM screen but it was aftermarket because it was a random repair guy. The new screen hurt my eyes and was just off.
I went back to the guy and he and another customer in the store said they didn’t see anything wrong with it.
I asked two friends to use it and see if it caused any side effects and they said no after 10 mins (it took less than 5 mins for me to feel off from using it, but visually it looked off right away)
I went to an actual Apple store and Best Buy and they both agreed that the screen gave them a weird feeling and also looked bad.
I guess I’m just sharing this to show an example of picking up on details that not everyone else does.
EDIT2:
If there is anything specific you’d suggest I do to prove that it’s fake let me know !