Why it matters
Counterfeits cost brands trust they can't buy back.
Fake goods erode revenue, expose customers to unsafe products, and leave brands unable to prove what's real in the resale market. Printed labels, holograms, and QR codes were all built to be looked at — which means they can all be copied. Authentication only works when the thing being checked can't be duplicated.
$500B+
Estimated annual cost of counterfeit trade to the global economy
1 tap
All it takes for a customer to verify a Cerfinity-protected product
0 apps
Verification runs in the phone's browser — nothing to install
How it works
From factory floor to customer's hand, one verifiable thread.
Each product carries a unique NFC chip tied to a secure provenance record the moment it's made. That record travels with the item — and any customer can check it in seconds.
01
Tag at the source
A secure NFC chip is embedded in the product or packaging during manufacturing and bound to a unique, tamper-evident identity in Cerfinity's registry.
02
Record the journey
As the item moves through production and distribution, each step is written to its provenance record — an unbroken chain of custody you control.
03
Tap to verify
The customer taps the chip with any NFC phone. The browser opens instantly and confirms the item is genuine, with its full history one scroll away.
NFC vs. the alternatives
Why a chip beats anything printed on the label.
Anything a counterfeiter can photograph, they can reproduce. A secure NFC chip carries an identity that can't be copied by looking at it — and every tap is checked for fraud in real time.
| Capability | Hologram | QR code | Cerfinity NFC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can't be copied by photographing it | Partly | No | Yes |
| Unique identity per item | No | Rarely | Yes |
| Detects duplicate-tap fraud | No | No | Yes |
| Tamper-evident | Partly | No | Yes |
| Verify with no app | Visual only | Yes | Yes |
| Opens provenance & brand content | No | Limited | Yes |
Can't be copied by photographing it
- Hologram
- Partly
- QR code
- No
- Cerfinity NFC
- Yes
Unique identity per item
- Hologram
- No
- QR code
- Rarely
- Cerfinity NFC
- Yes
Detects duplicate-tap fraud
- Hologram
- No
- QR code
- No
- Cerfinity NFC
- Yes
Tamper-evident
- Hologram
- Partly
- QR code
- No
- Cerfinity NFC
- Yes
Verify with no app
- Hologram
- Visual only
- QR code
- Yes
- Cerfinity NFC
- Yes
Opens provenance & brand content
- Hologram
- No
- QR code
- Limited
- Cerfinity NFC
- Yes
Where it's used
Built for the products people fake first.
NFC tags can be embedded during manufacturing or applied afterward, and work on both iOS and Android. Wherever authenticity carries a premium, a tap can prove it.
Luxury & fashion
Prove a bag, watch, or garment is genuine — and carry that proof into the resale market.
Spirits & wine
Confirm a bottle is authentic and unopened, and detect refilled or diverted product.
Pharmaceuticals
Give patients and inspectors item-level verification that supports traceability requirements.
Cosmetics
Protect against counterfeit and expired product entering the gray market.
Collectibles
Bind a certificate of authenticity to the item itself, with a provable ownership history.
Industrial parts
Verify that safety-critical components are genuine before they're installed.
Questions
NFC product authentication, answered.
See a product verify itself.
We'll show you a live tap-to-verify on your own product category and walk through what item-level provenance looks like for your brand.
Request a demo