What are security inks ?

Counterfeiting is a persistent threat to the intellectual property and revenue of reputable brands the world over; detecting forgery and tampering is the first step in safeguarding products and consumers. 

To that end, security inks have emerged as a popular solution for companies looking into more advanced anti-counterfeiting measures. But what are they? And how effective is the solution?

In this article, we’ll take a close look at security inks, along with the products they’re most suitable for. We’ll also cover their limitations as well as discuss an innovative method to boost their effectiveness.

What are security inks and how do they work?

Security inks are special inks used to combat counterfeiting by incorporating unique characteristics that are difficult to replicate. 

These special inks change color or react in particular ways to certain conditions, and can generally only be detected using specialist equipment. They work by leveraging chemical or physical properties that activate under special conditions, like exposure to UV light, temperature, or certain chemicals.

This is perfect for retailers and manufacturers. However, it does mean that consumers and end-users are unable to interact with the functionality themselves. 

Because of this, security inks are also often combined with more overt solutions such as tamper-evident packaging which makes tampering attempts obvious.

What types of security inks are there? 

There are several security inks available on the market, and each is designed for a specific anti-counterfeiting application or family of products. Common types include:

• UV fluorescent inks. These can’t be seen by the naked eye but reveal themselves under UV light. This is common on items like banknotes, ID documents, and specialist high-security packaging.
• Reactive inks. These react to certain solvents or chemicals, allowing official parties like banks or governments to test the authenticity of items like documents.
• Magnetic inks. These contain magnetic particles and can be detected by specialist scanning equipment. You’ll find this in high-value packaging or financial items like credit cards.
• Infrared inks. These work similarly to UV  fluorescent inks but reveal themselves under infrared light instead of UV. You’ll often find them used for secure coding or document verification, acting like invisible barcodes.

Advantages of security inks

Security inks offer numerous advantages over more rudimentary anti-counterfeiting measures.

First and foremost, they’re versatile. With so many types on the market, security inks can be tailored to the specific requirements of the product or packaging. This allows businesses to choose the perfect kind for their use case.

Since they don’t take up any real physical space or affect ergonomics, security inks can be used on a huge range of materials, from paper and plastic to metal and even wood. 

Security inks can also either be visible to the naked eye or completely undetectable without specialist equipment. This offers flexibility and means they can integrate into different kinds of anti-counterfeit solutions.

Lastly, unlike the technology used to interact with many of them, security inks themselves can be relatively cheap to produce and apply to products. This is why you’ll find them in a wide range of sectors from pharmaceuticals to luxury consumer goods.

Disadvantages of security inks

While security inks are a flexible and cost-effective solution, they aren’t without their drawbacks. Here are a few ways in which they fall short:

1. Vulnerability to replication. Since they’re still a physical-based solution, security inks can be replicated or their effects mimicked by skilled counterfeiters.
2. Environmental sensitivity. Some security inks can degrade over time when subject to heat, humidity, or sunlight.
3. Limited lifecycle tracking. While security inks offer protection at the point of sale, they don’t provide easy tracking throughout the product's full lifecycle. This makes them ineffective after a product leaves the store for the first time.
4. Specialized equipment needs. Many security inks require special equipment which means end-users and the wider supply chain can’t use them to verify authenticity.

A solution to bolster your anti-counterfeiting protection

While security inks offer an important form of protection against counterfeiting, their limitations mean they aren’t a comprehensive solution.

An emerging method to boost their effectiveness is to pair them with cutting-edge NFC-based technologies that hold valuable product data and can be used to validate the authenticity of products with total accuracy.

Since NFC chips don’t degrade over time, there’s no risk of their effectiveness being impacted in the future. And unlike security inks, they can be scanned with common devices like smartphones instead of specialist equipment like infrared scanners or UV lights.

That means end-users and other parties in the wider supply chain can all interact with them and authenticate products, allowing manufacturers to effectively track their IP throughout the entire supply chain. 

Introducing Authentify It

Authentify It is a leading NFC-based and Secure QR Code solution that uses modern technology like blockchain to hold product data that counterfeiters can’t interfere with. 

It’s also a completely new way to interact with consumers, allowing them to verify their product with ease and receive further information after the point of sale. This boosts engagement and fosters brand loyalty.

Book a demo with Authentify It today to learn more.