TAIPEI, TAIWAN - The increasingly popular retail store Check Fun is under consumer allegations for selling counterfeit brand name products of poor quality.

The incident emerged when a female college student complained to Apple Daily after purchasing expired facial masks allegedly produced by the international Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido.

Facial masks made by Shiseido usually cost several thousand NT dollars for a ten-piece pack at department store counters. This student made the purchase when she saw the listed price of only NT$35 ($1.50) per mask, on a box shelf at a Check Fun store in Taipei.

The student thought the mask to be an authentic Shiseido product upon seeing a sign posted on the shelf that claimed a beauty industry expert having recommended the particular product on a TV talk show.

Thinking she got a good deal, the student was taken aback after she was confronted by a strong spoiled-milk odor as she tore open a mask package.

According to Apple Daily's investigation, the "Shiseido Facial Milk Smoothing Aroma Mask" purchased by this student is likely a counterfeit. In the Chinese language description on the back of the product packaging, it stated itself as an authentic item made by Japan Shiseido.

The description also stated the Taiwanese company authorized the sale of this product to be Hung-yuan Limited Company. The newspaper discovered there is no company registered under this name and was unable to find any of its contact information.

When Apple Daily contacted Shiseido headquarters in Taiwan, the company spokesperson stated the Japanese headquarter does not have this facial mask in its product line.

When the female student complained to Check Fun, the company claimed they are only responsible for renting out box shelves and directed her to the seller who rented the box shelf. The company added in the contract the seller agreed to sign, it stated the seller can not display counterfeit items. Violators will be asked to take the products off the shelf.

The seller surnamed Lin, who rented this box shelf from Check Fun, stated she is also a victim when contacted by Apple Daily. She has reportedly purchased the item online and decided to sell it seeing this facial mask to be a hot item online.

According to an official from the Consumer Protection Commission, he explains Check Fun is responsible to compensate consumer losses since the store is the receipt issuer. He stated although Check Fun only rents out box shelves, it needs to act as a gatekeeper to screen product authenticity and quality.

Check Fun has around 20 retail locations in Taipei City, and a total of more than forty locations throughout the island. The monthly rent for a single box shelf starts from NT$588.