Are all holograms equal ?

Did you know that there are many different types of holograms – ranging from highly secure “government grade” through to decorative (and some “holograms” aren’t technically holograms, which adds further to the confusion!)

?It wasn’t something I’d thought much about before becoming the Managing Director of the Authentication division of De La Rue last month. The importance of a digital solution to protect goods as they moved along a supply chain had seemed obvious – smart phone authentication is becoming more popular, having traceability brings advantages and digital solutions can offer routes to better engagement for brands. The importance of having some type of physical solution had also seemed obvious - tamper-proof labels validate that goods haven’t been previously opened and security features enable quick and simple visual authentication. And, given that > $0.5 trillion of counterfeit goods are reported to be sold annually, the need for these physical and digital solutions had also seemed obvious. I’ve never really thought beyond these points before joining De La Rue.

?What I didn’t realise is that these secure physical tokens are not created equally and you need to select your solution provider with care. There are many quality levels and security levels offered when selecting a physical security feature for authentication. These anti-counterfeit products also get counterfeited, so it’s important to select a solution that is highly secure and that the criminals can’t simulate. For instance if you can buy something similar to your physical security token from the commercial market then there is a good chance that criminals will also buy those commercial products. Before joining De La Rue I didn’t appreciate the ongoing R&D efforts to keep progressing technologies, effects and designs to stay ahead in the continuous race against counterfeiters. We see basic colour changing, holographic and micro-optic technologies now available from commercial market, with a recent step change in the quality of commercially available micro-optic material. For Authentication solutions some secure technologies have additional protection by being integrated into the label/substrate (e.g. like a banknote thread) but where the technology isn’t integrated it’s particularly important that the security effect is secure in its own right.

?So what are the important attributes of a secure physical authentication token? Firstly it needs to be virtually impossible for criminals to simulate. This means bespoke or proprietary manufacturing equipment, materials, scientific know-how and skills. The closer equipment and materials are to those that are commercially available then the closer criminals can get to matching the design and effects of your secure physical token. The complex and engaging security effects require advanced knowledge and algorithms – very few others can replicate what our teams do. Secondly it needs to be obvious – if the counterfeit label is good enough to pass then that is a cause for concern. This is where the striking effects and engaging design play a role in creating truly world-leading physical security tokens.

?There are two major types of hologram provided by De La Rue – both providing extremely levels of security whilst meeting different aesthetic needs – PURE? is our government-grade embossed “holography” and IZON? is based on a highly differentiated Lippmann holography platform. I’ll go into more detail in future posts but for now you can read more about these products at Holography - Authentication - De La Rue or message me for more information.

#brandprotection #anticounterfeit #anticounterfeiting #illicittrade #authentication